Christmas comes early for Cowdray golfers

The format was 18 holes greensomes, with the spirits being raised by mulled wine and mince pies. The raffle raised £215 for Macmillan.

The winners were Phil Morris and Jane Holden with 37 points, ahead of Dave Gaff and Joyce Fanshawe with 36. Third were Cliff Davis and Lil Cummins with 35, fourth Mike Holden and Sue Brown, also on 35, while fifth were Mike Hughes and Marnie Evans with 34.

Cowdray Park entertained Puttenham in their second home match of the new season of the Surrey and West Sussex Winter League, hoping for better fortune than in the first match, which they lost 3-1 to Bramley. This time they recorded a 2½-1½ to get the season off and running.

The first match out ended in a half for Cowdray pair of Derek Smith and Terry Jasper before Puttenham recorded their sole victory of the day. Two wins followed for the home side courtesy of John Doran and John Newman and team captain Dave Balfour and Harvey Terry to give the home side the points.

Results (Cowdray names first): Derek Smith & Terry Jasper halved with Barry Mackay & Alan Marshall; Nick Austin & Peter Hallt lost to Norman Brown & Roy Wyeth 2&1; John Doran & John Newman beat David Deacon & Malcolm Holland 5&4; David Balfour & Harvey Terry beat Neil Willis & Martin Williams 1 up.

In weather which, at best, was unpleasant, Cowdray Park seniors played their December Stableford, which signified the start of the new season for their Eclectic and Carter Trophy standings.

Thanks to the efforts of head greenkeeper Jonathan Smith and his staff, who devised paths around the wettest parts of the course for buggies, all the players who needed a buggy were able to participate.

One man who defied the worst of the weather was big-hitting Phil Harrison, showing the benefit of a recent holiday to win the day with an excellent score of 38 points. Not far behind, with 35, was David Gaff, who found his high-trajectory suited to the windless conditions.

Second place in division one with 36 points was another early starter in the shape of treasurer Rob Doney, who held his place on countback from Roger Poat, Mick Colban and a resurgent Cliff Davis.

In division two, Alan Robinson held the lead with 36 points before Mike Holden poached the lead, again on countback, with John Lee also on 36 points, alongside consistent Jim Booth, clocking up yet another top-ten finish.

Immediately behind, with 35 and his best score since joining the seniors earlier in the year, came John Renwick, who was the real winner on the day when he was the only division-two player to score a two and thus scooped the rollover pot of £128.

The division-one twos rollover had to be spread among four players: Peter Hardcastle, who scored two, Rob Doney, Mike King and Paul Owen, who produced the shot of the day to hole his second shot on the par-four 15th for a two following an enormous drive off the tee.

The raffle raised a further £168 for Prostate Cancer Relie.

There are no further seniors’ competitions in December as the coming weeks are taken up with the seniors’ Christmas party and prize-giving and the annual meeting before January heralds the start of the Captain’s Prize, weather permitting.

Leading scores (on countback): Div 1 - 38 points, Phil Harrison; 36 - Rob Doney, Roger Poat, Mick Colban and Cliff Davis; 35 - David Gaff, Terry Jasper, Brian Brockhurst, Peter Hallt and Ken Marjoram; Div 2- 36 Mike Holden, Alan Robinson, John Lee and Jim Booth; 35 John Renwick; 34 Tony Castley and Maurice Watts.

BOGNOR

Bognor seniors travelled to Petersfield for their second winter-season game. On a very wet and windy day, Petersfield’s home advantage told and they ran out 5½-2½ winners.

The remaining games between Bognor, Petersfield, Rowlands Castle and Waterlooville will all be played in February, when hopefully the weather will be a bit kinder than the previous two winters.

This was the last match in charge for Alan Fitzgerald, Bognor’s seniors’ captain for 2014, and members have expressed their thanks for his leadership this year.

Results: Alan Fitzgerald & Allan Delves lost 5&4, Tony Wells & Vic Ward lost 1 down, Chris HIckling & Frank Hodder won 4&3, Hugh Diaper & Gary Steventon lost 3&2, Clive Millett & Andy Isitt halved, David Turner & Dave Hollis lost 8&6, Roger Selway & Brian Madgwick lost 4&3, Ken Catt & Alastair MacDonald won 3&2.

Nearly 50 Bognor men turned out on a bitterly cold and miserable day for a midweek turkey Stableford. Despite the cold there were some excellent scores.

Winner with 42 points was Ian Hendry, second with 38 was Ian Kracke and third was Gary Steventon with 37.

Taking part in the Turkey compeition were 40 seniors from the Sainsbury’s roll-up group and all thoroughly enjoyed a Christmas dinner afterwards with some karoke singing to follow. Ian Kracke won the days’s competition.

Winner of the 2014 Sainsbury’s aggregate roll-up competition was Roger Leverton, second John Harnett and third Paul Archer. There were many thanks to Ian Simpson for organising the day and for organising the group three times a week every week of the year.

Thanks also go to club captain Ron Stevens for presenting the prizes and Cliff Willis for administering the Sainsbury’s yearly roll-up aggregate competition.

Before a superb Christmas lunch , Bognor ladies went out in teams of four to play to play ten holes, three scores to count.

Winners were Nicola Holton, Sian Southerton, Teresa Byrn and Sophie James with 62 points, with Edwina Beresford, Marge Fenwick, Jackie Herbert and Sue Davis second on 61.

Third were Dora Vaughan, Denise Pratt, Carol Adams and Gill Twyford with 60 points; fourth Sue Redmond, Jane Russell, Ann Bushell, and Lynn Miller, also on 60.

England Golf run a competition in which the best four medal scores are counted over a year. Sophie James’ best four came to seven under par and she will represent the club at the regional medal final in April.