Cirencester Golf Club

Seniors’ County Stableford Final

PETE STONE’S competitive rounds tend to be quite limited these days – but he makes them count, as he showed at Chipping Sodbury recently, writes Danny Hall.

Pete, along with Bob Allen, qualified to represent Cirencester Seniors at the county finals played at the course near Bristol – and the five-handicapper shot a very solid 36 points to beat all the top-end players to win Division One, with a round that included two birdies on his front nine.

Bob shot a respectable 29 points to finish 14th in Division Two.

Jubilee Cup

GEORGE PEARE put together one of the competition rounds of the year to win the Jubilee Cup at Cirencester.

Four-handicapper George, who has been playing consistently well, stood at five-under-par on the seventh tee after a blistering burst of five consecutive birdies.

He held his game together well after that to finish with a gross round of 68, which included eight birdies.

The Jubilee Cup is played in the rarely-used ‘bogey’ format in which each entrant plays against the course off full handicap. If they beat nett par they mark the card with a plus (+), equalling nett par earns a half (0) and if a nett par is not achieved they receive a minus (-).

George’s spectacular score meant he signed for a round of +5, but that was only a shot clear of four higher handicap members in the field.

Nico Brown, Trevor Rowlands, Robin Rose and James Moorcroft all scored +4 to follow the winner home in that order.

There were 18 twos recorded, two of them from Peare, while Paul Godding got his on the par-four 16th.

Seniors’ section

Bill Burn Trophy

BOB HOUGHTON could hardly have been a more emphatic winner off the Bill Burn Trophy, one of the few seniors’ competitions that is played in a medal format.

Bob laid down the gauntlet from the outset when birdieing the opening hole and went on to score a nett 65 off his 17 handicap – now reduced to 15 – on a day when most of the starters faced plenty of rain.

Leo Ferro with his nett 68 was runner-up and the same score enabled Stephen Scott-Smith to win Division Two.

John Parsons had the best gross score of 80 (nett 69) to finish fourth overall.

RESULTS

Division One: Bob Houghton (82-17=65), Leo Ferro (82-14=68), John Parsons (80-11=69), James Gore (86-17=69).

Division Two: Stephen Scott-Smith (89-21=68), Steve Page (88-19=69), Bill Peach (98-28=70), Ian Perry (90-19=71).

Busby Cup

TWENTY FOUR players who had turned out for the Cirencester B team contested the Busby Cup on Saturday, with club captain Adam Collins registering his first solo win of 2019 thanks to a 38-point stableford score.

Birdies on the 15th and 17th holes helped Adam to clinch the pot.

Runner-up was Brian Kelly on 37, with Andy Bell completing the podium thanks to his 35 points.

Ladies’ section

Autumn Scrutton

JANE BRODRICK played through wind and rain to win the Autumn Scrutton last Thursday with her nett 76. Jane’s gross score of 90 was also the best of the day.

In second place, on countback, came Sheila Lowbridge on the same score of 76, with Lin Ritchie (77) one shot further back in third.

On Saturday, the ladies played an extra medal in even windier and wetter conditions, especially at the top of the course where it was very testing.

The winner of Division One was Ann Fisher with 75 on countback from her playing partner Irena Windslow. Ali Kelly came in third with 77 and the lowest gross score of 80 off her handicap of three.

Division Two was won by Paddy Challens.