The Cyder Cup, a collaboration between Farrington Park and Wells Golf Club, where the clubs between them jointly host a 36-hole competition over two days, was played for on Monday, 18th and Tuesday, 19th August.
Whilst it has a relatively short, five-year history, the Cyder Cup has found itself at the centre of many golfer's favourite, two-day summer pursuits and the unique Cyder Cup Pottery Trophy is much coveted.
Competitors play in teams of two and teams can be either men, ladies or mixed. The format was an eighteen-hole Four Ball Better Ball Stableford on both days, played off three-quarters handicap. 52 pairs of players from clubs across the county and as far afield as Weymouth, Romsey, Cotswold Hills and Wareham took part and whilst most pairs were men, there was a good collection of lady pairs as well as mixed pairs. The breadth of composition of pairs and the clubs they come from, coupled with the competition being played at two different clubs, really gives the Cyder Cup a unique feel.
Farrington Park and Wells Golf Club work very closely together and the two clubs alternate which club administers bookings and which club has the first and second day of the competition each year. This year, Wells Golf Club hosted day one and Farrington Park organised the bookings and hosted day two of the competition.
Overall prizes were awarded to the best three home and visitor's two-day results. The winning Best Overall Pair was Farrington Park's Victoria Watts with Mendip Golf Club's Will Waddington, with 86 points.
Farrington Park Ladies
Farrington Park's Victoria Watts handed over Captaincy of the Somerset Girls to Tickenham's Chloe Wedlake at a Bowmaker competition and Handover Presentation, hosted by Farrington Park on Wednesday, 20th August.
The Bowmaker was played in teams of three with the best two scores to count. Six teams took part, with players coming from the girls' squad and organising committee.
Whilst it was a fun competition, the golf was played to an impressively high standard. It was a joy to watch girls, ranging from nine to eighteen years of age, hit the ball with the skill, accuracy and length that they all did. The organisers didn't do badly, either! Nearest to the Pin on the eighth hole (Silver) was won by the Girls' Welfare Officer, Carole Paterson. Emily Herbert (beware the injured golfer) won Longest Drive on the thirteenth (Silver) despite wrestling with and managing to ignore a back injury. Karen Dennett (Somerset Girls Junior Organiser) won Longest Drive on the eighteenth (Bronze).
Megan Dennett, Hannah Abraham and Victoria Watts (as Ghost) came third with, 74 points. Karen Dennett (Somerset Junior Girls' Organiser), Victoria Watts (Outgoing Somerset Girls' Captain) and Chloe Wedlake (Incoming Somerset Girls' Captain) came second, with 75 points, and Becky Ager, Beryl Richards and Victoria Watts (as Ghost) were the day's winners, with 83 points.
The speeches that followed the presentation showed the level of friendship, support and camaraderie amongst the girls. Victoria will be sorely missed. She was thanked for her many contributions to Somerset Girls' golf over the years and was sent off with many good wishes for her university days.
Farrington Park's Ladies Section played their qualifying round for the Daily Mail Foursomes competition on Thursday, 21st August.
Eighteen pairs took part in the qualifier. Players, weighed down by wet weather gear, gritted their teeth to confront the drizzle and soggy conditions that took a good twenty yards of roll from the long game and made the short game more challenging by stopping balls short and slowing putts down.
Aimee Sawyer and Sue Stilwell came third and Gail Proctor and Suzanne Young came second, both pairs with a nett 77 on countback. Min Woodward (Vice-Captain) and Jane Waller came first, with a nett 75, and will go on to represent Farrington Park in 2015's Daily Mail Foursomes campaign.