Club Report 4

26-May-2011 : Club Report 4

Simon Collingwood

Gentlemen: Notts’ Inter-Club Scratch League. Beeston Fields GC v Newark GC.

Newark travelled to the first of eight league fixtures to the home of the reigning champions, Beeston Fields GC. This was a back to back fixture, as Beeston Fields visited Newark in the last match of season 2010. Arriving as the crowned champions for that season they were defeated with a 4 to 1 score-line. John Cooke, Tim Cooke, Jim Hallam and Alex Clarricoates provided the wins. Even Phil Bull himself could not have found a better form guide for the forthcoming season.

This match was preceded by a ladies county four-somes event. After a late start at 5pm [a request from Beeston Fields] the match started as thunderclouds rolled over the course.

Jim Hallam [carrying] was first off for Newark playing an ex professional. He had something of a tentative start at the first hole. Having to chip onto the green and then holing a six foot putt for par. Arriving at the fifth hole at level par Hallam was 1UP as Beeston Fields had bogied the second. Hallam went on to win the sixth and then held a comfortable lead throughout the round to finish with a win at 4&2.

Tim Cooke was second off for Newark and won the first hole. A wild drive over the trees, from his opponent, found the far left hand side of the adjacent fairway. Cooke lost the second but won the third and maintained a 1UP lead through the first nine holes. Approaching the fifteenth [par 5 at 555] at 2UP Cooke found the green in three but his ball was at the back of a two tier green. Finding the green via a ricochet off a tree from the wrong fairway the Beeston Fields player holes in par. The Cooke lag putt rolls downhill, through the break of slope, gathers pace and off of the front of the green as the lead is cut to one. Wins at sixteen and seventeen [difficult lefthand dogleg at 475 yards] and Cooke takes his game at 3&1.

Alex Clarricoates took an early lead but lost at the fifth hole to go to level and then slipped to 2DN. Hole nine [par four at 413 yds] saw Clarricoates put the ball to five feet of the pin from 140 yards. Reacting to the opposition bogie Clarricoates nudged a fast, downhill putt to hole-side for a win. Still at 1DN coming off of the twelfth Clarricoates finds a good spell and approaches the seventeenth at dormie two. A half of the hole gives him a 2&1 win and the match to Newark.

Last off the first tee for Newark was Simon Collingwood. Upon his debut in the Newark scratch team [and at Beeston Fields] the first two holes went to the opposition. One hole was won back and after a successful birdie putt at five the game went to level. Collingwood won the sixteenth to take a 1UP lead. The seventeenth is halved as the Beeston Fields man scrambles a par. So the game moves to the last tee [Par Four at 289 yards] with Newark hoping to improve the ‘for’ column at an away venue against the champion team. A Collingwood drive flew the triplet of fairway traps leaving a short chip onto the green. Slipping the ball past the greenside trap and up onto the green leaves it two feet from home. However, after his birdie putt comes up short, the Beeston Fields man graciously concedes and Simon Collingwood wins at 1UP.

In season 2010 BeestonFields were undefeated at home with three wins and a draw. The sloping greens make anything above the hole into a nightmare, while there are a number of blind tee shots to cope with.

Gentlemen: Daily Mail Foursomes.

Richard Borrill and Richard Sills played their third round of the Daily Mail Foursomes Competition against a pairing from Lincoln GCat Newark. The Lincoln GC pairing were Ian Paterson (12 handicap) and RichardCrossley (15 hcp). Borrill and Sills started poorly being 2DN down after 3holes. Things picked up afterwards and they put in a very good run ofholes win on the 14th by 6 & 4.

Dave Britten

Gentlemen: Newark v Ramsey.

Newark retained the cup with a fine home win against Ramsey GC. Notably, Keith Goodwin was missing from this fixture. He has played in every other meeting since the beginning of the fixture. However, Pete J Hart also appeared this year and he has played in all of the fixtures so far.

Gentlemen: Invitation Day One.

Dave Britten and Brian Rice [Southwell GC] won the morning event, scoring 42 points and winning via count-back from Paul Skelton and Matt Stanley [second with 42 points] with Richard Borrill and William Tilley [third with 42 points]. Close behind [41points] were John Cuthbertson and Les Komeniak. Britten also took the nearest tthe pin prize at the second hole. It was a second win in three days fo rBritten. Scoring 81 points he and Brian Rice, Dave Williams and Alan Asman wonthe NSPCC event held at Southwell Golf Club.

Seniors. The Styrrup GC Seniors Open.

Played off the yellow tees with ¾ handicap, Howard Jones [four shots] and Ken Jones [15 shots] scored 44 points for second place, two points shy of the winning total. Howard Jones was on top form from the very start. Browsing the goods in the club professionals shop sale, Jones swooped  onto the star buy of the sale items. This was a a pair of shoes. Out in 21 points and home in 23 points Jones produced four nett birdies, one of them  coming with a chip in at the ninth hole [444 yards par four]. Ken Jones managed a net birdie at the last hole to seal the second place spot. Although the last pair went out at 12 noon, in what seemed to be a small entry there was quite a good prize table. Jones was presented with a pair of shoes that were the match of his earlier purchase

Ivor Samways