Mendip’s Four Ball Better Ball Open event was a great success, with 128 competitors, including eighty visitors from 27 different clubs. The winning prizes were split so as to be fair to all.
Winning the All-Visitor pairing were a team from Farrington Park with a net-65, beating a team from Weymouth on countback. Best Member/Visitor Team went to Chad Patel and his partner from Kenilworth with a net-64, again winning on countback from Wayne Srawley and his partner from Cumberwell Park. The Best Mendip Two Members prize went to Troy Chivers and George Hobbs with a net-66, with Simon Grant and Chris White second with a net-68. However, winning the overall prize were Mendip members, Ben Cox and Ryan Sainsbury, playing off handicaps of six and five, who carded an outstanding net-62.
The Mid-Week Stableford, despite indifferent weather, attracted 61 players. Winning Division One despite a recent absence from golf was Tom Howe with a fine 42 points, just beating the current man in form, Ryan Sainsbury (41 points), with Matt Lambert third with 38 points after countback. Division Two was won by Mervyn Vaughan with 36 points; Club Captain, Paul Smith, was second with 34 and Alan O’Leary was third with 33 after countback. Peter Grafton won Division Three with 32 on countback from James Boyce, with Steve Turner third with 31, again after countback.
Mendip’s Three Ball Bowmaker saw 99 entrants playing in fairly changeable weather, and it turned into rather a family affair.
Winning with 84 points were Andrew, Sam and Sean Thatcher. In second place were Will Waddington, Jack Hayes and Matt Horler, with 83 after countback from father and son, Malcolm and Wayne Srawley, accompanied by Phil Leadbeater. Mendip’s Men’s Avalon B Team recorded a fine win 4-1 when entertaining Cricket St Thomas, with wins from Team Captain, Shaun Robertson and Paul Smith, Liam Robertson/Rob Ware, Rich Clifford/David Williams and Mark Necker/Phil Vowles.
The Ladies’ Reid trophy event took place as usual at the weekend, so accounting for a smaller entry than normal. However, that should not detract from Margaret Allen taking the Trophy with a fine 34 points, with a triple tie for second on 31, seeing Daphne Irons in second place on countback from Jinhee Page and Jenny Merrett.
The Seniors’ Scratch Team recorded an excellent victory in the Quarter-Finals of the Somerset Seniors’ Scratch Cup, beating a Bath Team containing four players from the Somerset Seniors’ County Team, 4-1. Excellent wins for Martin Myers, Selwyn Rees, Chris Lindley and Bryan Lewis.
The Mendip Mixed Team entertained Saltford, who regrettably were only able to bring four pairs. Mendip were victorious, 2½-1½, with wins for Alan and Pauline Williams, Clive Copp and Pippa Brown with John Whyman/Liz Rose gaining a half by agreement with their opponents when John had to walk in injured on the 9th hole, with Mendip five-up at that stage. Nearest the Pin saw a second-week-running hole-in-one, this time by Scott Butland, with Tony Logan second and John Ellis third.
Finally, the Seniors’ Captain’s Charity Day event. Only introduced in 2018, Seniors’ Captain, Bryan Lewis, this year opened up entry to all sections of the club, and as a result saw a very full start sheet – bearing in mind this was a shotgun event, of 29 teams of four players.
On the day, the weather gods were not very supportive, and the event was in real danger of being cancelled, with heavy rain falling during the preceding 24 hours and more of the same forecast on the day. However, the course stood up tremendously well to the downpours, and whilst some teams decided not to go out, those that did were rewarded with the weather clearing around halfway through their rounds. Prior to playing, the full clubhouse enjoyed their bacon rolls and coffee and joined in with gusto to the raffle and auction events. The charity in question, the Freewheelers, were present and represented by Richard Reeve, large motorbike and all, and he gave an interesting presentation explaining the work of the charity. Bryan was delighted to announce that in total the fantastic sum of £1,158 was raised on the day.
Many people were thanked for their help in various roles and Mendip’s Clubhouse, and on-course employees were thanked for making the day so successful. Embarrassingly, the winners were Event Organiser, Bryan Lewis, Card Marker and Seniors’ Captain Elect, John Brooksbank, Seniors’ Section Treasurer, Nick Inskip, and Merlyn Saunders, with 82 points!
Tony Williams