Club Report 6

25-May-2009 : Club Report 6

Gentlemen: Interclub Scratch League v Mapperley.

In the second series of matches in the competition, Newark GC visited Mapperley GC, who was looking for their first points in their first home fixture. A confident Newark team arrived with a home win over Radcliffe upon Trent [fourth in the first division last season] tucked under their belts. Last year, in the Division Two Title shoot-out Newark won with an implicitly convincing 31/2 to 11/2 score-line.

Picture Right: Jim Hallam upon the sixteenth tee at Newark GC.

However, a reappraisal of the match suggests that the win was not as easy as the score-line implies. The match was level at one game each, with two games at a level score-line. Newark then established two winning positions, by going one up, upon the seventeenth green. There was a graciously agreed half, in the final game, as the result was ineffectual upon the match score-line. The match and title had been won. But, without any doubt, a strenuous, gritty struggle was needed to overcome a dogged Mapperley team. Scratch team Captain, John E Cooke jnr, in his pre-season assessment, had already emphasised that there were no easy games, for anybody, in this league.

Following an unfortunate reversal of fortune at Mapperley GC in 2009, Newark were on the wrong end of a 3-2 score-line. John Cooke won at 4&3, while Jim Hallam and Tim Cooke halved their matches. Cooke took his half from two down on the sixteenth. Dave Britten and Sash Mirhadi could not find winning form.

Picture Right. Notts' Interclub Scratch Table after the second series of matches.

Already, at this early stage of the season the league table [especially the top part] appears to have  gravitated towards the season 2008 finishing positions. A noticeable difference is that Sherwood Forest now head the table following two wins, one of which was against Mapperley [4-1]. Two wins and a draw was all Sherwood could manage last year when they finished [sixth] one point above relegation.

In the third series of matches Newark GC, travel to a pointless Beeston Fields GC, upon Mon 1st June. Beeston Fields finished seventh [seven points] of nine in last season’s campaign, to avoid relegation by one point. This season they have received a bye and lost at home to Coxmoor with a 2-3 scoreline.

Gentlemen: Sean O’Grady Trophy.

Ben Sheard [nett 64] won the trophy with a clear, two shot margin from second placed, Tom Briggs-Price [nett 66], who edged ahead of Andrew Surtees [nett 66] on countback. The top eight of the relatively recently introduced Sean O’Grady Trophy qualify for the Howitt Cup. This is the clubs second oldest trophy dating from 1906. It is a singles matchplay competition played off handicap. Countback [cb] was used frequently to sort the positions. Qualifiers for the Howitt Cup in fourth to eighth spots respectively are: Philip Trueman [nett 68 cb]; Thomas Chrysanthou [nett 68 cb]; Brian Jeffrey [nett 69 cb]; Alex Clarricoates [nett 69 cb]; and Thomas Scullion [nett 70 cb] who was seperated from four others returning one under par scores. Phil Trueman took the lowest gross score of 73 from the 121 entrants.

Gentlemen: Invitation Day One [Morning].

1-Stephen Spilsbury and Chris Bowman 44 pts; 2-John Rushby and Brian Picney 42 pts cb; 3-Paul Best and Graham Wagstaffe 42 pts cb; 4-Jason Harvey and Paul Scott 41 pts. Best gross was David and Simon Collingwood. Nearest the pins were: 2nd- Chris Stead; 5th- Paul Scott; 15th- Andy Greenberry; 17th- Simon Collingwood. Paul Best had the longest drive.

Gentlemen: Invitation Day One [Afternoon].

1-Brian Wallace and Chuck Tansley 45 pts; 2-Chris Stitson and Brian Ross 44 pts; 3-James Murphy and Jeremy Watson 43 pts; 4-Steve Parry and David Vosper 42 pts. Best gross was David Britten and Brian Rice. Nearest the pins were: 2nd- George Bower; 5th- Harry Wood; 15th- Fraser Macintyre; 17th- David Britten. Richard Sills had the longest drive.

Gentlemen: May Midweek Medal.

Nett results from 128 entries are as follows. Division One: 1- Alex Clarricoates 65; 2- Jason Wood 67; 3- Andy Harrison 69; Jim Hallam had the lowest gross score of 69. Division Two: 1-Brian Wallace 66; 2- Roy Williams 67 cb; 3- Mark Bentley 67 cb. Division Three: 1- Pat Crowden 68; Stuart Foster 72 cb; 3- Michael Hosegood 72 cb.

Gentlemen: May Weekend Medal.

Nett results from 170 entries are as follows. Division One: 1-David Britten 67 and the lowest gross score of 71; 2- Sash Mirhadi 70 cb; 3- Tom Middleton 70 cb. Division Two: 1- John Brooks 65; 2- John Williams 66 cb; 3- Tom Briggs-Price 66 cb. Division Three: 1- Philip Ball 65; 2- Stuart Foster 69 cb; 3- Tim Willson 69 cb; 4- David Gill 69 cb.

Ladies: Stableford Finals.

Div One: 1-Brenda Bradbury 33 pts cb; 2-Kaye Hunter 33 pts cb; 3-Cindy Thorpe 32 pts. Div Two: 1-Pat Alexander 32 pts cb; 2-Chris Watson 32 pts cb; 3-Judy Spilsbury 31 pts. Div Three: 1-Pat Wilson 30 pts cb; 2-Linda Fearn 30 pts cb; 3-Annie Illsley 27 pts. There were 48 entrants.

Seniors: May Medal.

Nett results are as follows: 1-Colin Dews 68; 2-Stuart Wallace 69; 3-Anthony Rossington 70; 4-Dr David E Britton 71; 5-Alan Overington 71; 6-Ronald Lawson 71; 7-Brian Spilsbury 71; 8-James Burrows 71.

Ivor Samways