A TOTAL of 51 pairs played in the annual running of the Hodder Cup at Mendip Golf Club. The qualifying round of the event was won by the father and son pairing of Phil and Matt Bendall who came in with a net 61 on count back from Robert Ware and Tony Taylor. John Hartley and Kevin Brimble were a close third with 62.
The Avalon A Team lost a close match to Vivary Park Golf Club by a score of 2-3 with wins coming from Nick White/Kevin Keene and Rob Edney/Alex Gay who was making his debut for the team. However they soon bounced back with an 3-2 away win at Oake Manor, which is near Wellington, with wins from Rob Edney/Nick White, Tom Chapman/Spencer Pocock and Jack & Darrin Vowell.
More than 50 Ladies played in the Qualifying Stableford Competition which saw Wendy Collins declared the overall winner with a score of 42 points. Div 1 went to Jan Light with 40 points, Anita Butcher was 2nd with 38 and Carol King was 3rd with 36. Div 2 went to Andrea Williams with 37, Lillian Peel was 2nd with 34 after count back from Diane Stanton and Div 3 was won by Pat Roscow with 37 with Julie Doyle 2nd with 36 after count back from Sally Humphries. A further 9 Ladies played in the 9 hole event which saw a win for young Junior Harper Howerd with 22 points, which was 2 ahead of Kay O’Connor.
The Alliance B Team visited Wedmore but were well beaten with Jane Ball gaining their sole win on a day when they were very much second best.
The Seniors Friendly Team are having a tough start to their season with two further defeats during the past week. Firstly they visited Yeovil and went down 2½-3½, their wins coming from Bryan Lewis/Selwyn Rees and Colin Wiltshire, making his debut playing with Mike Tout and with a half gained by Paul Wood/Simon Atkinson. This was followed by a further 2½-3½ loss when visiting Wells Golf Club. This time wins there were wins from Colin Wiltshire/Keith Beasley and Henry Banks/John Cross with a half from Paul Wood/Robert Miller.
A large turnout of 119 players competed in the Seniors Memorial Trophy. Again the excellent playing conditions resulted in some good scoring. Div 1 went to Bryan Lewis with 39, Stephen Ledger was 2nd with 38 and Ken Webster was 3rd with 36. Div 2 was won by John Hargraves with 39 after count back from Phil Bendall and Nick Inskip and Div 3 was won by Alan Edwards with 41 points with Derek Padley 2nd with 40 and David Pilbeam was 3rd with 39. However the winner after count back with 41 points was Lawrence Eyles, so very well done Lawrence.
The Mendip club’s men’s captain Elect for 2025 is Phil Leadbeater. Phil joined Mendip in 2017, being late into golf after many years competing in team sports. Like most people in a similar situation Phil regrets not taking up the sport earlier. He has represented the club in recent years in the Avalon League and has captained the A team over the past couple of years.