Captains left stunned by generosity at Charity Day
The first open competition of the year took place at Burghley Park on Thursday, the Spring Golf Day sponsored by Sycamore BMW of Peterborough.
Twenty-eight teams of four, from clubs across the region, took part in the two competitions – a morning nine-hole Texas Scramble and an 18-hole AM-AM in the afternoon.
The morning Texas Scramble was divided into separate competitions for those playing the front and back nines with low scoring being essential to have any chance of a prize.
The front nine prize went to the Essex boys from Maylands, Clacton-on-Sea and Hainault Forest Golf Clubs - Bill Sawings, Tony Noakes, John Moore and Danny Abrahams, who came home with 27.1 to claim glory.
The back nine prize was claimed by Ben Taylor, Andy Wickham, Martyn Lodge and Chris Scase on 28.95, who edged out the Burghley Park team of Kay Hircock, Paul Wilkinson, Michelle Powell and Mike Powell, whose 29.45 wasn’t quite enough to take top spot.
A larger range of prizes were on offer in the afternoon AM-AM with awards going to the top five teams and a number of longest drives and nearest the pins.
Margaret Beckley (Links Golf Club, Newmarket) claimed the longest drive for ladies prize while Chris Scase took the men’s prize with a monstrous 307-yard drive.
There were nearest the pin prizes on all four par three holes with the winners receiving free use of a BMW i8 sports car for a weekend, courtesy of sponsors Sycamore BMW.
John Lindsay (Brampton Park), Tony Noakes (Maylands), Duncan Barratt (Rushden) and Nigel West (Spalding) were the lucky winners.
The overall winners of the afternoon event, claiming the double after their victory in the front nine competition in the morning, were Bill Sawings, Tony Noakes, John Moore and Danny Abrahams, their score of 96 points being well clear of the rest of the field.
Second place went to Robert Farndon (Chevin), Harvey Bradbury (Sherwood Forest), Dean Shaw (Rufford Park) and Justin Concannon (Horsley Lodge) with their 88 points which put them just one point clear of third placers James Cottam, Darryl Vaus, Ian Jarvis and David Gregory from Toft and Greetham Valley.
The Woburn team of Jody Greenall, Paul Farrance, Julian Peck and Alan Clark were fourth on 85 with the final prize going to the Peterborough Milton team of James Middleton, Peter Bellamy, Mark Kohter and Bob Bellamy on 84.
Burghley Park captains Mike and Michelle Powell hosted a well-attended Charity Day on Easter Monday with 20 teams of four contesting the pairs better ball Stableford competition in which both players’ scores were counted on four of the holes.
The shotgun start ensured that everyone finished at approximately the same time, ready for the barbecue which followed, and which attracted a further 20 guests.
The warm and sunny weather got everyone into the party spirit which was stoked further by the refreshments service provided by the captains, who commandeered one of the greens vehicles to deliver a mobile drinks service covering a wide range of soft and stimulatory drinks.
Nearest the pin prizes went to Anu Kumar (third), Mick Marriott (ninth), Karen King (13th) and Chris Clarke (16th), with nearest the pin in two prizes going to Barbara Newell (fourth) and Barrie Dawson (seventh). Longest drives were from Anu Kumar (ladies, 10th ) and Anthony Barnes (gents, 14th).
Top prize went to Richard Vaughan and Jane Saggers, whose 52 points included birdies from Vaughan on six, 11 and 12.
Effort was shared evenly between them both, as each scored on seven holes, and both scored on the four double score holes.
Also reaching the 50 point barrier were Bev and Michael Harpham with their 50 points in second place, pushing Anu Kumar and Alan Fitt into third place on countback.
The Harphams scored 27 points on the back nine, to the third placers’ 23. Anne Hughes and Mark Saggers were fourth on 49.
Chef Sam Sharman and his team delivered a generous and tasty barbecue following the competition, to get everyone in the mood for the charity auction which followed, in support of Air Ambulance and Guide Dogs for the Blind, this year’s captain's charities.
Anne and Chris Harrison-Smith won the raffle for an overnight stay in Blackpool, with a fourball voucher for Blackpool North Shore Golf Club, with £265 being raised in the raffle. Stewart Ward won the spot the ball competition, which raised £140 for the charities.
The day was rounded off by the main auction, hosted by celebrity auctioneer and antiques expert Colin Young, who worked his magic to raise almost £1700 for the charities.
Items sold included a rooftop tour of Burghley House (£350), a five-course tasting menu for eight people by golf club chef Sam Sharman (£380), a BMW i8 super car for the weekend (£100), another Blackpool break and golf voucher (£200), a fourball voucher for King's Lynn Golf Club (£190), a Brampton Park four-ball voucher (£80), and a four-ball voucher for Northampton Golf Club (£200). Colin also managed to sell a blue invisible parachute which raised £35, which was later exchanged for a red and white striped one!
Ladies captain Michelle Powell said: "Mike and I were stunned by the amount raised and we want to thank everyone for their generosity in raising more than £2,300.
"We’re especially grateful to all the sponsors who donated prizes and supported the day, and to the many people who gave their time to ensure the day ran smoothly, particularly to Sam Sharman and his team, Paul Mills and the greenkeepers, Sam Halifax, Anne Fensom, Pippa LeSage, Gail and Phil Hunt, Margaret Middleton, Elspeth Irvine and Drew Farrell”.
Seniors’ captain Phil Hunt and his Burghley Park side have had mixed fortunes over the past week, winning a close match at home against Rutland Water last Tuesday, but finding themselves on the receiving end of a hammering away at Woodhall Spa this Tuesday.
The Rutland Water match was Burghley’s fourth in six days, so many players were somewhat battle weary, but at least had the luxury of a lunchtime start to give them a lie in after their match at Spalding the day before.
Captain Hunt led the way in match one, with the rejuvenated Dave Rae responding positively to his supportive encouragement, the pair running out 4&2 winners to get Burghley off to a winning start.
From then on it was nip and tuck, as Lee Bushby and Tony Chick lost two down, before Richard Cook and Gerry Clark re-established Burghley’s advantage with a 3&2 win.
Maurice Egglestone and Chris Harrison-Smith were under pressure from the start against determined opponents and were never in it, losing 6&5 as Rutland Water levelled the match at 2-2.
Stephen Cheeseman and Rob Sorrell continued the pattern with a 3&1 win, before Bill Glencross and George Clayton-Jones were edged out 2&1, to leave everything hanging on the outcome of the last match.
Vice-captain Mick Marriott, playing with Mike Wright, showed he was up to the job, as he and his partner delivered a comprehensive 5&4 win to ensure that Burghley ran out 4-3 winners.
This Tuesday saw the Seniors make the long trip out to Woodhall Spa, always a popular fixture as everyone wants to play on the newly remodelled Hotchkin Course, which now has even more bunkers than ever, some of them of massive dimensions.
The sides were playing for the Jim Shannon Trophy, in memory of a player who was a member of both Burghley and Woodhall Spa, with the result being an aggregate of the scores from the home and away matches.
This is not a course that you expect to come to and win and, despite some good individual performances, Burghley found themselves on the back foot from the off.
In the final analysis, Burghley found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-1 defeat, with Lee Bushby and Tony Chick being the only winners, as they delivered a 3&2 victory.
Defeats for Phil Hunt and George Clayton-Jones (one down), Alan Kinch and Gerry Clark (3&2), Dave Devlin and Keith Duff (3&2), Dave Rae and Pete Hickman (5&4), Bill Glencross and Maurice Egglestone (4&3), Mike Wright and Brian Plowright (2 down) and Glynn Woolf and Richard Cook (7&5) leave Burghley needing a virtual whitewash in the return match later this season if they are to regain the Jim Shannon Trophy after several years of Woodhall Spa dominance.
Seven-six players took part in the Easter Day Stableford at Burghley Park with Tom Wallis (nine) showing everyone the way home as he claimed the win with his 39 points which earned him a handicap cut to eight.
His front nine of two over gross for 20 points was a model of consistency with seven pars and just two bogeys.
Birdies on 12 and 18 balanced up a couple of doubles on the way home to give him the win by just a single point.
This performance ensured that he also took the Division One prize, ahead of Jon Young (seven) on 38 and Scott Downie (six) on 37. Both were cut a shot.
Division Two was closely contested with the top three all coming home with 38 points.
Andrew Taylor (11) took the honours as he shot 20 points on the back nine, ahead of Mark Johnson (15) and Tommy Johnson (15) on the same score.
Tommy was probably the most disappointed as he failed to score on both the first and 15th holes when just a single point on either would have given him the overall win. All three players were cut a shot.
Division Three was also a battle of the blobs as the top three all had one hole on which they failed to score.
Rob Dennis (20) took the win with 38 points with Stuart Busby (19) second on 37 and Brian Churchill (16) third on 36. All three had their handicaps reduced by one shot.
Wednesday’s Midweek Stableford at Burghley Park attracted 53 players with Jamie Crowson (17) coming out on top with 41 points after a very steady round which saw him card seven pars and 10 bogeys, with just a single double, to play five under handicap. He was cut to 16.
Division One was dominated by Richard James (seven), whose level par gross back nine helped him to a score of 40 points, courtesy of birdies on three, 11 and 17. He now plays off six.
Jim Scutt (seven) was second on 38 and was also cut to six. Steve Dawson (seven) was third on 37.
Division 2 was won by Crowson, with Eric Parker (16) starting off well with 21 points on the outward nine, but fading a little on the inward half to finish second with 37 points.
David Brailsford (16) started even better, reaching the turn with 22 points, but an inward half of just 15 saw him come home with 37 points in third place. He was cut to 15 for his efforts.
Twenty-two ladies turned out for their Midweek Stableford with Deborah Ellis (34) coming home victorious with 39 points despite failing to score on the fifth. She was cut to 33.
In Division One, Gill Bedford (20) had already scored 23 points by the time she reached halfway but couldn’t maintain this level of scoring coming home, carding a back nine of 14 points for a total of 37.
But this was good enough to win the division, ahead of Penny Campbell (18) and Helen Cox (15), both on 35 and with Campbell claiming second place on countback.
Ellis won Division Two with her 39 points with Karen Whittingham (25) second with 36 and Marilyn Marriott (26) third on 35.
It couldn’t have been closer in the ladies’ Coronation Foursomes on Sunday at Burghley Park, as the top five teams all came in with 38 points.
Indeed, the top four also had identical back nines and it was necessary to go down to the last six holes to resolve the placings.
After all the calculations were complete, Gill Bedford and Judy Cade emerged as winners despite failing to score on the 10th.
Gail Hunt and Anne Fensome were second, Lynda Lancaster and Michelle Powell third, Elaine Brown and Pippa LeSage fourth and Carol Johnson and Anne Hughes fifth.