A collection of the match reports posted during the 2013 season.
WW13 Season review
Over the winter we, the society committee, looked into a ways of increasing player numbers and came up with a couple of ideas. Firstly we reduced the season end prize fund and used the savings to subsidise the green fees to £20 and also tried to limit the traveling time and distance to 30 minutes or 20 miles maximum from Sunderland. The changes appear to have worked as the first round of the 2013 at South Shields we had an excellent turnout of 16 members. Overall last season we had an average of just under 12 members per round, this year despite having two less members we averaged almost 14 members per round. We lost 6 members from the 2012 season but welcomed 4 new members who have enthusiastically supported the Society over the season.
Right, now for the golf itself. Overall 2013 was an excellent year with fine weather (mostly) and some very nice new courses visited. Our annual Borders Championship trip this year visited north Northumberland in June, the weather could have been kinder but overall the weekend was a great success with Dave Sanders becoming the new recipient of "The Claw". The previous week saw another annual event on the Wanderers calendar the Team Challenge day, held at Wearside this season, Paul Marshall's "Chairman's" team came out victors by 8 - 7 after a hard fought day's golf.
The Presidents Cup was this year organised and ran by John Ford, many thanks to him for his efforts. We did intend (and on the best part, managed) to ensure all games were played away from the main Championship rounds but due to outside problems the 2013 final had to be played at Finals day. The final was between Paul Baker and Steve Grant with Steve coming out the victor at Wearside.
Now for the other society categories. As last season the Longest Drive category was a tie between Tim Aberdeen and Jim Rooks with three round wins each, as last year they agreed to share the honour. The Nearest the Pin was another hard fought category, no less than four players had two round wins but in the end the Championship went to Eddie Harrison with the closest distance of the four in contention. Now some of you may have noticed "Twos" are not our strong point so it is no surprise that the Twos Pot was shared between six players. Dave Sanders takes the trophy by virtue of him managing both of his two's at the same course (High Throston).
As for the main Championship, historically the Wearside Wanderers Championship has always been a close run thing usually being won by the odd point or two, this season however, just like the Formula One world championship, has been pretty much a one horse race since mid season. Five points cover numbers 2 to 5, in fifth place with 341 points came Tim Aberdeen, in fourth on 342 came Jim Rooks. Third position went to the outgoing Champion Ian Gunn with 343 points. The Championship runner up spot went to the new Presidents Cup winner Steve Grant with 346 points. The worthy winner and 2013 Champion Golfer is Rico Liverani with a total of 363 points. Congratulations to all the above
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our corporate sponsors DESCO, BES Consultants & DCS Payroll for their financial assistance allowing us to produce an excellent range of courses at a great price. I would also like to thank my fellow members and committee members for their assistance through out the year.
Last but certainly not least I am sure I echo the whole Society when I wish our great friend Tim all the best in his battle ahead, I am sure you already know it but we are all routing for you mate.
Ian G.
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WW13 round 16, DESCO Weraside Finals Day - Sunday 6/10/13
This is our second visit to The Wanderers home this season, the first way back in June for our Team Challenge day. On that day there were many favorable comments about the condition of the course and I have to say the course has if anything improved since then, the greens were especially noteworthy. The gods must have been smiling on us, blessing us with excellent weather as we gathered at the clubhouse ready to play our final round of the year.
As for the match itself, traditionally Wearside is quite a low scoring round but the kind weather conditions boosted the scoring. In third place came Steve Grant with 37 points (Steve was also playing his Presidents Cup final versus Paul Baker at the same time, more about that later). Not for the first time this season a back nine hole countback was required to decide the winner, in second place came Rico with 39 points and the winner on the day, taking his second round win of the season was Paul Rawlinson.
The Nearest the Pin category was won by Paul Baker with a distance of 7.6m, his first and only round win of the season. The longest drive category went to Andrew Trewick with an excellent drive almost reaching the cross fairway bunker on the second hole. Once again we had no Two's, the less said the better about our accuracy!
Ian G.
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WW13 round 15, Arcot Hall - Sunday 22/9/13
Last year Arcot Hall golf club provided us with the penultimate round of the Championship as it has done this year. As last year the weather was beautiful if a little breezy and the course was in excellent condition, not the longest of courses but tight and testing in places.
Now for the scores, as we gathered in the clubhouse following the match I thought we had three players on 35 points, Derek, Paul Marshall and Steve and I declared the winner as Derek on countback. When I got home and checked the cards a few errors came to light, firstly I had missed the fact Jim had also scored 35 points, sorry mate, then after checking Derek and Paul M's cards I found Derek had actually scored 33 points and Paul had scored 34 points. This left Steve and Jim in a tie for first that was resolved by a "back 6 hole" countback with Jim coming out the winner, taking his fourth round win of the season with Paul Marshal taking third place.
The Nearest the Pin category was won by Dave Sanders with a distance of 3.93m, his second win taking him into the joint lead of the category though Eddie Harrison is in the lead thanks to the closest distance (1.8m). The longest drive category went to Dave Fletcher with a monster of a drive smack bang in the middle of the fairway. Tim & Jim share the lead in the category with three wins each. Once again we had no Two's, the pot is still being shared by no less then SIX players all on 2 Two's each.
That's 15 rounds down and only one remaining, this season seem's to have flown over. The final round is in two weeks time at the home of the Wanderers, our annual Wearside Finals day, I will send out full details soon, hope to see you all there.
Ian G.
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WW13 round 14, Garesfield - Sunday 8/9/13
Garesfield golf club is perched high up on the hillside overlooking Gateshead and beyond to the coast. Amazingly this is our first visit here, for some reason we have never considered a visit but following Sunday I am sure we will be back. The course itself may not be the longest we will play but it is certainly not lacking in interesting and sometimes quite spectacular holes. The only letdown was the condition of the greens, to describe the majority as patchy was an understatement. Apparently the (ex) greenkeeper had applied fertilizer but forgot to water it off causing patches of dead grass to spoil the greens. Even taking this into account the course was still good value for money at £20 on a weekend.
As for the scores, well we are now heading towards the end of our 2013 season and the race for the Claret Jug is begining to look like a 3 horse race with Rico taking a 12 point lead into the penultimate match. In third on the day came the Championship leader Rico with 36 points. Second place went to current Championship runner up Tim Aberdeen with 37 points. The winner, by 5 points and taking his second round win of the season as well was John Ford with an excellent 42 points. The Nearest the Pin category was won by Jim Rooks with a distance of 1.86m giving him the joint lead of the category. The longest drive category went to Tim Aberdeen who also shares the lead in the category. As is becoming the norm with the Wanderers we had no Two's, the pot is still being shared by no less then SIX players all on 2 Two's each.
As I said earlier we are rapidly heading towards the pointy end of the season with only 2 rounds left. The penultimate match is at Arcot Hall on Sunday 22nd September, hope to see you there.
Ian G.
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WW13 round 13, Stocksfield - Saturday 24/8/13
In the run up to this game and not for the first time this season, all eyes were on the weather forecast with predictions of thunder and lightning combined with monsoon rain. As we headed to the course the heavy overnight rain subsided and it was only as we gathered on the tee that the showers began, thankfully not for long. By the time we reached the back nine it was positively summer(ish) like. Historically Stocksfield has always been a "wet" course but this year, even given the overnight rain, it was in very good condition, especially the greens.
Now for the scores, in third place following card checking came Frank Birch on 33 points (John Ford also had 33 but lost out on count back). Second place went to Dave Watts with 34 points, Dave was also the only player to card a "two" The winner, taking his first round win of the season was the 2011 Champion Paul Marshall with 39 points. Paul also won the Nearest the Pin category with a distance of 13' 9" but was excluded for not writing the measurement down in metric as instructed! (only joking mate). The longest drive category went to Derek Griffiths, his first category win of the season.
Well that's 13 rounds down and only 3 left to go, where has this season gone? The next match is at Garesfield on Sunday 8th September, hope to see you there.
Ian G.
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WW13 round 12, Whickham (Nordman course) - Sunday 11/8/13
Round 12 at Whickham was well attended considering it's right in the middle of the school holidays. The course was in really good condition, except for the 2 new holes that had only reopened earlier in the week. I'm not sure they were quite ready, but they do make it a better course. This was our third visit to this course, and on the two previous occasions it had been affected by heavy rain either during or in the week leading up to the round, fortunately this year turned out OK mainly thanks to the fairly strong wind that kept blowing the showers away.
The conditions were reflected in the relatively low score winning the round. In third place came John Ford with 33 points. Once again a count back was required to decide the winner, second place went to Tim Aberdeen with 34 points (16 points on the back nine) and the winner, taking his first round win of the season was Steve Grant (20 points on the back nine). The longest drive category went to Jim Rooks who now takes an outright lead in the overall championship. The Nearest the Pin category went to Derek Griffiths with a distance of 5.63m, his first category win this season. No two's were carded at Whickham.
The next match is at Stocksfield on Saturday 24th August, hope to see you there.
Ian G. (match report provided by John Ford).
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WW13 round 11, Matfen Hall - Sunday 28/7/13
Matfen Hall is one of only two ever present courses on the Wearside Wanderers schedule, the other being our home course of Wearside. Last year we needed two attempts to play this round, the first being called off due to a major thunderstorm and torrential rain, this year we started off in rain but thankfully it cleared up and by the time we reached the third hole the sun was shining again. Matfen as ever was a tough but fair test with some difficult holes to push your game to the limit.
Now for the results, those of you who were there saw Tim be announced the winner after tying with Paul Rawlinson, well we were a bit premature with that announcement. After checking the cards the winner was Paul Rawlinson with 40 points (Paul actually scored 6 for 4 giving him 3 points on the par 5, hole 7 on the front nine) congratulations to Paul on his first Wanderers round win and a 5 stroke handicap cut! To see the scorecards click on the quick link on the left. Second place after having victory snatched from his grasp went to Tim with 39 points and third place went to Rico with 38 points. The longest drive went to Dave "The Monster" Watts with an awesome drive on the 4th hole. The Nearest the Pin category went to Ian Gunn with 1.04m, the nearest we have had to a hole in one this season so far. Three players carded Two's - Ian Gunn, Paul Rawlinson and Andy Trewick.
The next match is at Whickham in two weeks time, for those who remember last year I will make sure I have the correct scorecards this time.
Ian G.
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WW13 round 10, Brancepeth Castle - Thursday 18/7/13
Brancepeth Castle Golf Club has a reputation as a one of the toughest tests in the North East and rightly so, there are some beautiful holes designed to test all aspects of your game (and your patience). The nine of us gathered in the afternoon on what has so far been the hottest day of the year, prepared with lots of drinks to keep us going on a sweltering summer's evening. The first hole is a pretty innocuous downhill par 4 and you begin to think what's all the fuss about, its after that the real fun starts as you crisscross over the many ravines that traverse this scenic course. If the previous course at High Throston had been open and forgiving this one was the exact opposite, tight tee positions and wicked rough along with quick but true greens, a real test of golf. I could not afford to be a member here, not because the green fees are exorbitant but simply because it would cost me a small fortune in lost golf balls.
As you may have guessed from the description above Brancepeth was never going to break any Wearside Wanderers scoring records. The Nearest the Pin category was won by Steve Grant with a distance of 4.25m and the longest drive was won by Tim Aberdeen. In fourth place was Paul Marshall with 30 points, third went to Steve Grant, also with 30 points but a better back nine. Second place went to Dave Watts with 32 points and the winner, much to his annoyance was Jim Rooks with 35 points (and a 2 stroke cut for the next round!). As a small consolation Jim also got a Two giving him a share of Tim's Two's pot along with Dave S., Rico, Paul B. & Tim himself.
Well that was round 10 of the 2013 season over, from now on you will drop your lowest score, hope to see you all at the next round at an old favourite and ever present on the Wanderers callendar, Matfen Hall.
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WW13 round 9, High Throston - Sunday 14/7/13
High Throston greeted us with glorious sunshine and temperatures in the high 20's, as we gathered in the car park the sight of lots of pairs of white legs proved summer was here at last and the shorts had been fished out of the airing cupboard. In the week leading up to this round I received a message from our ex president Brian Sykes who has played here before, he predicted a high scoring round with a winning score of over 50 points, as it turned out he was almost right.
Now for the scores. Due to it's open and forgiving nature High Throston gave everyone from semi-pro to beginner a chance to score decent points. Firstly the Longest drive category went to Jim Rooks with a whopper of a drive that was measured by Rico at 300+ yards. The Nearest the Pin category went to the new Borders Champion Dave Sanders with a distance of 4.55m, Dave also carder 2 Two's. Fourth place went to Frank Birch with 41 points, third went to Paul Marshall also with 41 points but a better back nine hole score. In second place came Derek Griffiths with 44 points and the winner on the day with an excellent 49 points was Dennis Williams, the second highest single round score in our society history.
Last but not least I cannot provide a match report without mentioning our guest on the day Kevin Sirey who not only scored an excellent 40 points but managed this feat off a handicap of FIVE! He actually carded a gross one over par 72.
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WW13 Borders Championship, Saturday & Sunday 22-23/6/13
This seasons Borders Championship was much closer than last years competition with five points covering the top 5 players. In third position came Sunday's winner Eddie Harrison with 67 points, second place went to Saturday's winner Jim Rooks also with 67 points (the tie was resolved using the main championship rules, Eddie had the higher single round score - 38 points as opposed to Jim's 35 points). The winner and Borders Champion for 2013 was Dave Sanders with a total of 68 points. Dave will be presented with the Championship trophy, the magnificent "Claw" at the Finals day gathering following the last society match at Wearside in October.
Well that's our away trip over for another year, congratulations to the round winners and the new Borders Champion Dave Sanders, I hope all who attended enjoyed the trip and roll on the next one!
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WW13 round 8, Alnwick Castle - Sunday 23/6/13
Sunday morning brought more overcast conditions and the threat of heavy showers and potential thunder and lightning. Following a short drive we met up at Alnwick Castle Golf Club, we were joined by another four society members for Sunday's match. Alnwick is a very pleasant parkland course, totally different in style from Dunstanburgh the previous day though the weather as predicted tried to throw a spanner in the works with a few very heavy showers and the odd distant rumble of thunder. I had booked a buggy for the round and ended up with Eddie & Jim trying to keep under cover during on of the showers (Eddie also tried to emulate my 360 degree buggy spin from a few years ago at Brampton but he could only manage a 180!).
Predictably given the course style the scoring was better than the previous day, as on Saturday in third place came Dave Sanders with 36 points (more about Dave's efforts below). In second place came Ian Gunn with 37 points and the winner was Eddie Harrison with 38 points. Eddie also took the longest drive category with a far better effort than mine on Saturday. Nearest the pin went to Jim Rooks with 3.5m, his first category win of the season. No Two's were carded at Alnwick.
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WW13 round 7, Dunstanburgh Castle - Saturday 22/6/13
The weather in the week leading up to our annual Weekend Away trip was glorious with warm summer sunshine and light winds so it was no surprise that Saturday dawned cool and overcast with showers forecast. A healthy turnout of 11 players (ten members and one guest) gathered at Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club ready to do battle for the honour of taking custody of "The Claw" for the 2013 season. A few of us have played here before and know the course can turn from a kitten to a lion in a matter of minutes. Dunstanburgh is a typical links course with tight fairways and very tough rough, you only had to stray a matter of feet off the fairway and your ball was lost.
Given the difficulty of the course the scoring on the day was very good. Firstly the nearest the pin category went to Eddie Harrison with 6.95m this was Eddie's second category win and he now takes the championship lead. The longest drive category was "won" by me with a pathetic effort of no more than 150 yards but I was the only player to keep my drive on the fairway! Now for the main scores, in third place with 32 points was Dave Sanders. Once again this season the winner was decided by a back nine hole count back, second place went to Tim Aberdeen with 35 points and the winner was Jim Rooks also with 35 points but a better back nine score. This of course meant Jim received a two stroke handicap cut much to the amusement of Mr Aberdeen. There were 2 Two's carded, one by Tim and one by Rico Liverani.
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WW13 round 6, Wearside & Team Challenge day - Friday 7/6/13
Last Friday we gathered at the home of the Wearside Wanderers for round 6 of the 2013 Championship along with our annual Team Challenge competition. It was an early start for some of us, myself included but the beautiful weather more than made up for this.
I will deal with the Team Challenge competition later but as for round 6 the scoring wasn't as high as I expected. The Nearest the Pin category went to Derek Griffiths, with a distance of 9.34m his first category win of the year. Third place overall went to the aforementioned Mr Rooks with 31 points, Jim also took the Longest Drive category and carded a Two. In second place with 32 points came Paul Baker, he could feel the red pen ready to cut his handicap then in came the winner Dave Fletcher with a very creditable 35 points much to Paul's relief.
The next round is our Weekend Away trip to Northumberland the two rounds will also be the 2013 Borders Championship. Please see below for further details.
Ian Gunn.
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WW13 Team Challenge Day, Wearside Golf Club, Friday 7/6/13
Our annual Ryder Cup style competition moved location to Wearside golf club this year as part of our cost reduction strategy, thanks to DESCO sponsorship we were able to provide the whole day's golf including food for the usual round fee of £20.00. Wearside was in the best condition it has been in for many a year, the greens, though recently treated were fair and true and the fairways were beautiful. The only difficulty appeared when you strayed off the fairway into the semi rough which seemed to have been given the Paul Daniels treatment with the ability to make golf balls disappear - Now that's magic!
The format was the usual 9 hole match play "pairs" competition on the morning followed by a light lunch. The morning matches went 3 to 2 in favour of the Chairman's team led by the defending Team Champion Paul Marshall.
Following lunch the afternoon session consisted of 10 match play "singles" matches. As expected the lead swung from one team to the other as each group returned to the clubhouse for a post match meal to round the day off. The result of the singles matches was 5 all so the overall winner and Team Champion for 2013 is Paul Marshall's Chairman's Team beating Ian Gunn's Champion's Team 8 points to 7 points.
Chairman's Team - Paul Marshall (captain) Tim Aberdeen, Eddie Harrison, Dave Fletcher, Dave Sanders, Bernie Fitzsimmon, Andy Trewick with guest's Chris Archer, Derek Goldsmith and Andrew Teasdale.
Champion's Team - Ian Gunn (captain) Rico Liverani, Paul Baker, Jim Rooks, John Ford, Dennis Williams, Derek Griffiths, Gordon Grant and guests Neil Hogg and Steve Sowerby.
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WW13 round 5, Sharpley Springs - Sunday 26/5/13
Sharpley Springs is a pretty new course but is rapidly becoming a favourite on the Wanderers calendar, a very healthy 16 members turned out to play here, though it must be said we have seen it in much better condition in previous years. The greens in particular were in poor condition and not up to the usual high standards we expect from Sharpley. It was nice to be able to play a whole round without the threat of needing waterproofs, some of us even went as far as exposing some flesh! though Derek's legs were a little off putting to say the least.
The golf provided us with some excellent scores with no less than 6 players requiring a handicap cut, myself included, much to Steve Grant's delight as he kept reminding me! Firstly the Longest Drive category went to Tim Aberdeen with a monster of a drive on the 4th hole (though a couple got close to him). Tim also has a contender for Shot of the Year, on the 445yd par 5 17th hole he hit a fantastic second shot to within 5 feet of the flag. The Nearest the Pin category went to Bernie Fitzsimmon with an excellent 1.45m, he also converted the putt and got a "Two" on the board. Tim also got a Two but the prize for accuracy went to Paul Baker with no less than 2 Two's, taking the lead in the race for Tim's "big pot"
Now for the scores on the doors, in third (on countback) came Tim Aberdeen with 41 points, second went to Dave Watts also with 41 points. The winner and Championship leader was Rico Liverani with an outstanding 45 points, he WAS playing off 14 but not any longer, with a 6 stroke cut he is now off 8.
The next round is a week on Friday time at the home of the Wanderers, please see below for full details.
Ian Gunn.
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WW13 round 4, Gosforth - Saturday 11/5/13
Gosforth was the first of six new courses to the Wearside Wanderers callendar this season, at 5806 yards off the yellow tees it's not the longest course we will play but what it lacks in length it certainly makes up for in hazards. Very tight fairways and difficult bunkers together with a gusty wind and the odd shower made for an interesting afternoon.
Given the relativly short nature of this course I expected this round to provide us with some high points scores, as it turned out the course proved trickier than expected. in third place (on countback) came one of our new members Paul Rawlinson with 37 points, second place whent to Dave Sanders. The winner on the day was Rico Liverani with 38 points. The Longest Drive category was won by Derek Griffiths with a cracking drive into the wind on the 14th hole. The Nearest the Pin category was won by --- well it wasn't won at all, no one even hit the green so we are back to normal after an embarrasment of riches at Ramside two weeks ago. No one carded a two so our overall accuracy hasn't improved either.
The next round is in two weeks time at the Wanderers third home (behind Houghton), Sharpley Springs, hope to see you all there.
Ian Gunn.
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WW13 round 3, Ramside Hall - Sunday 28/4/13
After a season away we returned to Ramside Hall golf club and as usual here the weather was "interesting" to say the least. A bitterly cold wind greeted us as we gathered on the first tee and by the time the third group had teed off the rain made it's customary appearance, still at least it didn't snow as it had when we visited a few years ago. The course was in very good condition especially considering - A) the harsh winter and - B) the redevelopment work going on to extend the course to 36 holes.
As for the golf itself some of our members made more of the conditions than others, even on a good day Ramside is a tough course but for some of us (myself included) it was beyond a joke. The scoring was erratic to say the least, in third place with 32 points was Dave Sanders. In second place came Dave Watts with 34 points. The winner on the day with 35 points was John Ford who is rapidly becoming the Wearside Wanderers "difficult" course expert having won here and twice at Slaley Hall in recent years. The Longest Drive category was won by Paul Baker who takes an early lead in the category table with 2 wins. Nearest The Pin was a tightly fought affair for a change, we have been known to have winners with tens of meters to measure but this time we had no less than THREE players on the mark. Firstly came Paul Rawlinson with a very respectable 3.6m, this was swiftly beaten by Dave Watts with 2.48m. He must have been confident of the win but along came Eddie Harrison in the final group who carded 1.8m to win the round. Finally, our accuracy appears to be improving as we had no less than 2 "two's" carded, one by Paul Rawlinson and one by Eddie Harrison.
Well done to everyone who endured the challenging conditions on Sunday, lets hope for an improvement at Gosforth golf club in a couple of weeks. Please remember to take a look at the course location map / directions, as I said it's quite difficult to find --- you have been warned.
Ian Gunn.
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WW13 round 2, Houghton-le-Spring - Saturday 13/4/13
Houghton-le-Spring golf club is Wearside Wanderers second home though when you look at our membership list you would think it was our home base. Of the 20 paid up members in our Society 9 are now members at Houghton. Once again we had a cracking turnout of 17 players (including all nine Houghton members). There had been a little bit of confusion over our start time, I was initially told we would be off at 13:00, on the starting board it said 13:20 but it was gone 13:30 by the time we started teeing off causing some concern as Eddie had to be on shift at work for 18:00. Everyone eventually teed off in the pleasant spring sunshine, sadly the weather, as forecast, did not last and by the time we got into the back nine holes the weather took a turn for the worse.
As expected the Houghton experts proved local knowledge is important by taking first and second positions on the day. Third place went to Mr Consistency Rico Liverani with 36 points again (the same score as at South Shields), Rico also took the Longest Drive category. There was a tie for first place decided by a back nine holes count back. In second place was Frank Birch, with 38 points, Frank also took the Nearest the Pin category with 5.15m. The round winner was the birthday boy himself Jim Rooks. Just because it was his birthday it did not mean he was safe from the handicap "Axe Man" dropping three strokes for his next round. There were no two's carded at Houghton.
The next round of the 2013 Championship is at Ramside Hall in two weeks time, please remember to get there early as we have negotiated a free bucket of range balls for every one before the game.
Ian Gunn.
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WW13 round 1, South Shields - Sunday 31/3/13
The 2013 Wearside Wanderers Championship got underway on a bright and calm (but chilly) Easter Sunday afternoon at South Shields golf club. We had an excellent turnout of 16 members for the first round of this season's Championship, including our four new Society members Frank Birch, Gordon Grant, Paul Rawlinson and Andy Trewick. Three guests made the numbers up to 19 players, all previous members of our Society, Tony Arkley, Mark Gibbons and Kevin Hall fresh from his coaching commitments on the recent European Tour events in the Middle East!!
Many positive comments were made in the clubhouse after the game about the condition of the course, considering the time of year and the harsh winter it was in in excellent condition. The greens were fast (for the time of year) and true plus the natural course drainage helped to provide dry fairways.
As is traditional the defending Champion had the honour of leading the teams off with the first shot of the Championship, this year that honour fell to me. The scoring was very good for an early season match considering many of us had had very little practice over the winter. The Longest Drive category was won by Paul Baker (by about 2m according to Derek Griffiths). Nearest the Pin was won by Dave Fletcher despite measuring the distance in "old money" 6' 7" (Joe Hammal would be proud). Rico Liverani put in an early shout for the Twos Pot by carding a 2 on the very first hole. Now to the main results, in third place overall was Steve "Crusher" Grant with 40 points. In second place on countback came the defending Champion Ian Gunn also with 40 points (following scrutiny of the cards) and the winner with an excellent 43 points was Dave Fletcher.
Last but not least I, on behalf of the committee and society members would like to thank Julie Royal at DESCO for contacting the courses and arranging an excellent season of golf for us (with little help, oops sorry A little help from "The Two Paul's").
Well that's one round down and fifteen to go, hope to see as good a turnout at Houghton in two weeks time.
Ian Gunn.
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