Club Competition Finals Weekend

The Finals weekend kicked off with a keenly fought battle between Neil Bateman and Paul Lucas in the Two Wood Final. The lead changed hands a number of times before reaching the 20th end at 12 shots each. Neil Batemen secured victory after picking up three shots in the final two ends.

Paul Lucas was in action again in the Senior Shield Final against Roy Wilcox and got off to a flying start as Roy struggled to find some of the great form he has displayed in previous rounds. A late rally was not enough to prevent Paul taking the title by a 21-8 margin.

The Men's Handicap Final was another hard fought tussle between Malc Curtis and Rob Liddington, with Malc giving a two shot advantage to Rob on handicap. A super shot by Malc with his last wood on the 23rd end converted the head when Rob was holding two or three shots and secured his victory. Final score was 23-17.

Rob Liddington returned to the fray with renewed determination on the Sunday to contest the Men's Championship Final against Tim Bailey. Tim's dogged resistance and never say die spirit could not prevent Rob from claiming the title and joining the long list of 'Club Champions'. The final score was 21-10.

The Ladies Invited Final saw the current holders, Joan Long and Arthur Pound, retain their title after a fine performance which forced their opponents, Maria Sibley and Alan Rice-Smith to surrender at 23-6 after fourteen ends. They will be bidding to retain their title next year and hopefully the competition will attract more entries.

On Monday, the Novices Final took place in the afternoon between long term buddies, Bryan White and Mark Clark with their guide and mentor, Malc, in charge of the chalk! The final score gave victory to Bryan at 21-9 although I'm told the match was more closely contested than the score suggests. No more Novice's competitions for Bryan!

The final club competition was played on Friday, 22nd September. The pairs final was a keenly contested match with Alan and Mark playing some excellent shots throughout. In the end, Joan and Paul prevailed after nearly 3 hours and won 12-11

Congratulations to all our Club Competition Winners for 2023, who will obviously be added to the Club Honours Boards. Good luck to Rob Liddington next season who will be supported if he enters the National and County Champion of Champions competitions.

Commiserations to all losing finalists but a 'well done' for getting there. Thanks must go to our two Umpires over the weekend, Brian Reynolds on the Saturday and Rob Stinchcombe on the Sunday. Thanks also to all markers for the singles matches. Thanks to all members who found the time and made the effort to turn out in support of the Finals.

Finally, a reminder that all winners trophies will be presented on Sunday, 29th October after the Presidents v Captains match and before the Annual General Meeting.