Cirencester Golf Club

Gloucestershire Championships

CIRENCESTER Golf Club enjoyed a magnificent triple success at the Gloucestershire Ladies’ and Girls’ County Championships over the weekend.

Ciren girls won both the main trophies on offer with Lydia Sutherland (32 handicap) taking the nett championship by no fewer than four shots with her 67 at Shirehampton Park Golf Club.

Not to be outdone, Cirencester’s junior captain and county player Jess Brown took the gross title thanks to shooting 76 off her three handicap.

Meanwhile, former county player Alison Kelly won both the gross and nett County Senior Championships, also played at Shirehampton Park.

Ali went round in 74 which saw her gallop to a seven-shot victory in the gross event over Paula Crabtree of Bristol & Clifton GC, while she needed countback to edge out Susan Ellis, a 12 handicapper also from Bristol & Clifton, who came in with the same nett score (71).

Senior Captain’s Day

SENIOR captain David Lowbridge hosted his splendid captain’s day last Friday as the sun continued to bathe the Cirencester course.

The competition was intense with just four shots covering the top 21 teams in the pairs’ better ball stableford format.

High handicappers Jim Kennedy (29) and Frank McMahon (25) enjoyed their day in the sun, parring three of the last four holes to edge ahead of three other pairs on countback.

Frank had come off the bench to substitute for Jim’s original partner David James, who had to pull out through injury.

Runners-up Terry Hambling and Steve Titchener were therefore denied a quick back-to-back win, having triumphed in the Men’s Open team format during Festival week.

Third on 46 points were Chris Allen and Graham Carter, with Mick Moore and Rob Bell coming in on the same score.

The 45-point teams in countback order were led by Pete Stibbs & Malcolm Crossley, with Malcolm bemoaning his two-shot handicap cut for his 41-point Division Two victory in the Seniors Stableford two days earlier. Ian Perry & Mike Staples, Keith Hodgson & Gerry Bruton and Terry McQuirk & Brian Whittaker also scored 45 points.

In 9th place overall were Paul Horrell & Robert Evans who played some superb golf and thought they had their hands safely on the Over-75s trophy until Keith & Gerry, in the last group on the course, denied them by a point.

And special thanks to David Lowbridge’s merry band of helpers – Elaine Killick, Sheila Lowbridge, Jane Salter and Phillip Needham – who dispensed the superb refreshments at the Halfway House.

Nearest the Pin prizes: John Parsons (2nd), David Soar (9th), Dave Allen (11th) and Aadel Nasrat (13th).

Straightest Drive on the 8th: Jim Kennedy.

Longest Drive on the 12th: Steve Sweet.

Nearest the Pin in two on the 16th: Stu Michaelis.

Seniors’ Stableford

DAVE MARSHALL returned to his glory days of the not-too-distant past when he was a competitive 10-handicapper to win the healthy Division One prize in the Seniors’ Stableford for July.

Now playing off 13, Dave put together a near-flawless round to score 42 points.

Malcolm Crossley earned what some of those he has regularly conquered in the senior roll-ups may describe as a long-overdue two-point handicap cut when winning Division Two with an excellent 41 points.

Great credit, too, to veteran Tony Lester for posting a fine 37 points.

RESULTS:

Division One: Dave Marshall 42 points (off 13), Evan Drayton 39 (15), John Thurston 38 (17), Mick Moore 38 (12), James Gore 38 (18).

Division Two: Malcolm Crossley 41 points (26), Tony Lester 37 (26), Eamonn Cuthbert 36 (25), Mike Brown 36 (20), Pete Crawford 36 (20).

Seniors’ Match

Tewkesbury Park 5 Cirencester 1

CIRENCESTER’S seniors were up against it from the outset in trying to give an aggregate total of 50 shots to their hosts at Tewkesbury Park, who came out on top 5-1 in this friendly match.

On a challenging course in great condition, Andy Ponting & Andrew Tunnicliffe did best of the visiting pairings, winning 2&1.

Coincidentally, one of our members, Eric Varcoe, was staying at the club’s hotel with his wife and was serenaded by a rousing if slightly off-key "Happy Birthday" from the Cirencester players before the match.

Eric later came to the rescue when chairman of the choir, John Morris, discovered that he had left his change of clothing for dinner hanging on his gate back at home.

Eric duly supplied a spare pair of trousers and a shirt, even if the generous waistband made John look like the ‘after’ shot in a Slimmer of the Year competition!

Bathurst Cup

RICHARD HOPEGOOD maintained his midsummer form by winning the prestigious Bathurst Cup with a sparkling nett 65.

Having seen his handicap come down from 16 to 15 after his top-10 position in the recent Victory Cup, Richard has now been cut to 14 thanks to a very tidy round which included 10 pars.

Only countback separated Richard and Dan Skinley (nett 65), who put together his best competitive round of the season by some distance.

Club champion Charlie Harraway completed the podium with his nett 66 and lowest gross score of the day (67), which included six birdies.

RESULTS: Richard Hopegood (80-15=65), Dan Skinley (71-06=65), Charlie Harraway (67-01=66), Andy Bradley (78-11=67), Ed McGrotty (90-23=67), Toby Harris (73-05=68), Luke Risby (80-12=68), Pete Townsend (96-28=68).

Cirencester B 4 Broadway B 2

CIRENCESTER’S B team started the second half of the season by dragging themselves off the bottom of the league table with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Broadway.

With the club championships having being held the previous weekend, the Cirencester course was in fantastic condition and five of the six matches went to the 18th hole.

Captain Stephen Springthorpe led from the front with a superb run over the last seven holes to come back from 3 down, eventually winning 1 up with partner David Michael.

Duncan Barnes made it eight wins in nine B team matches, although he credits his partner Jonathan Wells with the better golf on the day, as they also won on the last green.

And there were vital 1 up wins for Nick Brown & Kevin Young as well as Gary Whiteman & David Murray.

Special thanks to Gary for playing having already competed in the early-morning shotgun competition at Cirencester.

Ladies’ Section

Ladies’ County Greensomes

IRENA WINDSLOW & Ann Fisher won the Ladies’ County Greensomes by two clear shots when signing for a score of 43 stableford points.

That was enough to see off Jane Brodrick & Jayne Worthington, who pipped Kath Burbage & Sue Hodgson on countback, both pairings recording 41 points.

RESULTS: Irena Windslow & Ann Fisher 43pts, Jane Brodrick & Jayne Worthington 41pts, Kath Burbage & Sue Hodgson 41pts, Blanche Neal & Heather Morley 40pts, Sheila Telling & Kay Fullerton 39pts, Emma Brereton & Ali Kelly 38pts