A great day's golf - fine weather, an exceptional curry and good friends. what more did we need. Thanks to Merv Cooke for his organisaton.

Interesting Statistics: 32 took part, the average age being 68.2 with a median age of 66.5. The total points on the "Senior" drive was 218 and the "Junior" drive was 199

2009

Decisively won by Colin Edge. Seen here being presented with the new shield by our Vice Capt. Peter Hill.

A bit of self admiration brings to mind the Velasquez masterpiece - but sadly, Colin is no Rokeby Venus.

The Soanes Trophy winner was Jim Dempster with 41, seen at top receiving the Cup from the Captain, Tom Woods, and being congratulated by David Soanes. Second Row l to r: Nearest the Pin on 8th Essex - Mike Tillett. Nearest the Pin on 8th Herts - Dave Brown. Longest drive on 6th Essex - Martin Lane. Best Front 9 - Merv Cooke (22). Third Row l to r: Best Back 9 Tom Reilly (21). Best over 70 - Tony Oakes (38). Hidden Pairs - Paul Kidman & Derek Buxton (74).

Thanks to David Smallman, Jim did get into the local press - see below.

SIR DONALD TEBBIT TROPHY 24 April 2009

This annual bogey competition was won by Tony Hawkins (centre, flanked by Sir Donald and Captain Tom Woods) with a score of +2. Second was Martin Lane +1ocb, third was Peter Hill +1ocb. Sir Donald did not play this year, but hopefully we can arrange something for next year's event, when he will be 90.

Many thanks to him coming to present the Trophy and for providing sustenance. Also thanks to Mervyn Cooke for organising the day.

Merv works it all out, the results are revealed and the crowd cheer.

WINTER GREENSOMES 2009

This final was held on Friday 24 March. The winning pair was Gordon Honour (hcp 24) and Ron Webster (hcp16). They beat Mickey Breedon (21) and Tom Woods (10), 5 and 3.

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Wednesday 18 February 2009

Stoke play twice round the Essex missing out holes 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8 9 (see opposite). Many thanks to Merv Cooke, who organised this challenging day, and to Mrs A for her splendid halim.

2009 WINTER COMPETITON AND CURRY LUNCH

Winning teams were: 1st. Tom Keenan, Tony Hawkins and Ken Hart with a score of 86. 2nd ocb. Peter Hill, Graham Jarman and Ray Borham with 82. 3rd. ocb , Mickey Breedon, Phil Black and Ian Gordon (AWOL) with 82. - sorry about the photos

A great day's golf - excellent weather, fine food and good friends. what more did we need

Wednesday 20 August 2008. Once again the competition was a great success. A good number attended (44) and we had 22 pairs playing the Greensomes competition on the Essex and Cambs. The pairs were divided by age - the oldest was paired with the youngest, the next oldest paired with the next youngest and so on. The Trophy winners were Len Hopkinson (age 76) and Ray Charles (age 62) with 42 Stableford points followed by Derek Buxton (67) and Ivan Drury (65) with 39, and Ron Webster (76) and Mervyn Cooke (63) with 35 on countback. Prizes were awarded for the best nine holes with the senior of the pair driving, Paul Kidman (67) and Terry Gardner (65), the for the best nine with junior driving, Derek Buxton (67) and Ivan Drury (65). It is interesting that when the senior drove the score (362) was significantly higher than when the junior drove (278) - it goes to show that length does matter.

Many thanks to Mike Jeffels for organising the competition so well.

Sadly no photos - perhaps our resident paparazzo's batteries ran out of charge- or something. The results:

Nearest the pin on 9th Cambs - Andrew Wyatt. Nearest the pin on 8th Essex - Mike Jeffels. Best Cambs - Meredith Belbin 21 (ocb). Best on Essex - Adrian Patterson (23). Longest drive on 4th Cambs - Phil Black. Hidden Pairs - Roy Bell (40) & Kit Barker (40). Best over 70's - Tony Oakes 40 (ocb). Winner of the Soanes Trophy with a magificant 45 - our very own Ron Webster (despite a crook knee).

This year's winner of the Bogey competition was Colin Edge (seen top right being presented the splendid trophy by Sir Donald); his score was + 2, on countback from Peter Hill (lower right). Third was Kit Barker (lower left) who scored +1.

It was a great day, made all the more enjoyable by having Sir Donald, who will be 88 next month, playing with us.

Wednesday 20 February 2008

Twice round the Essex missing out holes 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8 9 (see opposite). Thanks to Alan, who, practically on his own, organised this challenging day, and to Mrs A for her splendid halim (see below - awaiting grace).

Top from left: Winning Team, Tom Woods, Meredith Belbin, Derek Buxton. 2nd David Boatman, Phil Black, Alan Higgins. 3rd, John Feherty, Mike Tillet, Peter Wildblood. Bottom from left: Nearest the pin in four on 4th green, Meredith Belbin. Longest drive on 1st: David Baker. Alan dispenses prizes to the losers.

Winning teams were: 1st. Ken Hart (the ringer), Mike Tillet, Ray Borham, Martin Lane (AWOL?) with a score of 80. 2nd ocb. Kit Barker, Mervyn Cooke, John Searle with 78. 3rd. John Faherty, Andrew Wyatt, Ian Taylor with 78.

An excellent day with lots of Venerables and their guests. A splendid buffet, thanks to Mrs A, was followed by Alan Parkes winding up a great gathering with jokes and prize-giving for the top performers. The rest of us had well-deserved consolation prizes in the form of golf balls dished out by Colin Edge.

Clockwise from top left: - Longest Drive on 4th Cambs - John Faherty. Hidden Team - Terry Gardner and Mike Powell (gone home) Best 9 Herts - John Grainger. Nearest Pin Herts 8th - Andrew Wyatt. Nearest Pin Cambs 2nd - John Searle. Best 9 Cambs - Brian Wilkey.

Following Meredith's great celebration day last year, Jim had his day on Friday 11 May. It was not so much of a celebration, but more of an achievement having reached 80. The golf format was a 4-club + putter Stableford competition on the Herts and Essex with prizes for the best team, the highest individual score and nearest the pin in 3 on the two easiest par 4s in 3 three shots because we assumed that having only a few clubs it would be harder to get to the green. This was not so - the good scores showed that we could manage just as well without a full bag. In order not to delay lunch we started off on 4 tees (1st and 5th of Essex, 1st and 3rd of Herts). The game moved along faster than normal because less time was spent on club selection.

Lunch was Mrs A's legendary Halim. Its looks belie its taste - that's probably why you won't find it in any restaurant. But the assembled company came back for second helpings and a few for third.

After prize giving Jim was presented with a superb crystal memento and some fine wine (many thanks to Alan and his committee). Many thanks are also due to Mervyn and Colin for helping make the day a success, and of course to Mrs A., John, Saleem and their staff

Clockwise from top left: - Winning Team; - Alan Parkes, Gordon Honour and Bernard Cullen. Best Indivual Score - David Jack with 40. Nearest the Pin in Three on Herts 6 - Ray Charles, on Essex 6 - John Searle. Encouragement Award - Ray Borham.

The first table help themselves to Halim, while the rest wait patiently for their turn. Alan quaffs.

After saying some kind words, Alan asked Jim's old pal Wiktor to present the fine memento, Jim addresses the gorged golfers and John gives him a bottle of the good stuff

Wednesday 21 February 2007

A great day, challenging golf and super food. This year we played a team Stableford game instead of individual stroke play - and it worked very well. Thanks to Ron and his team for organising and to Mrs A for her splendid halim.

See below for a strange postscript.

Clockwise from top left: all about to tuck into halim, Ron gives out in his inimitable fashion, Peter Howarth of the nearest the pin, Derek Buxton of the longest drive, 3rd team Ray Charles and John Muir (Tom Reilly is AWOL), 2nd team Paddy Keane, Captain Ron and David Evans, Top Team Dave Watts, John Feherty, and Colin Edge.

The weather threatened, but came to nothing, and we had a most enjoyable day. Members and their guests went out in pairs for a two-ball better ball Stableford competition. About fifty of us turned up so we had a shot-gun start with Peter Pirie doing the honours at 0915 precisely. A splendid buffet, thanks to Mrs A, was followed by Ron Webster winding up a great gathering with wise words and prize-giving.

Stableford Teams: First Colin Edge and Roy Smith with 48 points ocb, Second Terry Gardner and Tim Richards with 48, Third Alan Parkes and Peter Hunt with 46 ocb, and Fourth Tony Oakes and Cyril Harris with 46.

Longest Dive on 7th Cambs - Ray Charles. Nearest the Pin on 8th Essex - Mervyn Cooke.

Finally the rest of us had well-deserved prizes in the form of golf balls and dvd's dished out by Alan Parkes.

Wednesday 14 June was one of those special days. It was the celebration of Meredith Belbin's 80th birthday - but not unexpectedly, in the golfing context, it would have a touch of the bizzare. Benign rules for ball loss in the rough and a left handed putting competition. However Meredith excelled himself in organising a splendid buffet lunch. The event attracted Venerable visitors including Sir Donald Tebbit, Jeremy Marshall, Chas Bennet(who had risen from his sick bed to play 18) and Peter Thomson (who having ricked his back did not play but followed us in a buggy).

Results were: Winning Team; - Malcolm Knobel-Forbes, Derek Cupit and Bryan Williams. Birdies-and-Eagles Competition - First Malcolm K-F, 2 nd - Ron Webster, 3 rd - Peter Shawdon, over 80's Donald Tebbit. Left handed Putting Competition: Peter Shawdon.

All thanks to Meredith for the golf, food and prizes. We wished him a very happy birthday and Ron Webster presented him with a very fine crystal memento.

Clockwise from top left: - sorting the details with Colin Edge, - the winning team (Malcolm Knobel-Forbes, Derek Cupit and Bryan Williams), - Peter Shawdon (winner of the l.h. putting competition), - over 80's winner (Donald Tebbit), - Malcolm K-F winner of the birdies and eagles competition, and Meredith receives our special memento from Ron Webster.

Mickey Breedon, our tame paparazzo, captures the seniors enjoying the memorable occasion.

21 April 2006

This year's winner of the Bogey competition was John Charman (seen at right being presented the splendid trophy by Sir Donald); his score was + 5. Runner-up was Colin Edge witth + 4, on countback followed by David Baker with + 4.

Wednesday 15 February 2006

Playing Essex twice missing out holes 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8 - followed by Mrs A's legendary Halim.

The winner was Tom Keenan (44), second Roy Bell (48) and third Tom Reilly (50) - Cloin Edge came fourth. Nearest the pin in 4 on the 2nd (4th Green) was Alan Parkes and nearest the pin in 5 on the 8th (9th green) was In Gordon.

1st Mike Powell (40) ....2nd John Coldwell (38) ....3rd Ian Gaseltine (38) and last Peter Thompson

1st Team Ray Borham, Lee Borham, Kit Barker..........2nd Team E.Quintana, Wiktor Bakiewicz, Peter Pirie (the foreigners!!)..... and the Last Team John Roberts, David Soanes, Ian Taylor and Terry Gardner

Reg Neville (notwithstanding those who whinged at the choice of the 4th - Ray Hasler, David Soanes and one or two others)

starring our very own Merv the Swerve

An extremely successful  Captains' Drive-In took place on Saturday 19 March at the Club. Last year's Captains putted out on the last Cambs hole and all three new Captains drove off superbly into the mist (fog) on the 1st Cambs hole, with tremendous pressure being placed on Elaine Knobel Forbes, who followed Steve Lang and Mervyn Cooke. Competition winners were Geoff Whalley - Men, Mae Smallman - Ladies and Roy Bell - Seniors. Longest drive .. Men -Phil Black, Ladies -Tina Broadley, Nearest Pin (To follow) The occasion was very well supported by players, non players and visitors and over £960 was raised for the Captains' Charity. Thanks were expressed to all involved and to the "Akhtars" for allowing 5 day members and visitors course courtesy, subject to a charity donation.

Excellent photos thanks to Ron Webster and Mervyn Cooke

At this year's Captains' drive-in, we were represented by our redoubtable new Senior's captain, Tony Oakes - that's him, above right, in the vintage bi-plane. Eilan Moses is the Ladies' new Captain, elegance personified in a Spitfire. At the centre we have Peter Pirie, long term doyen of the Seniors, who takes over Captaincy of the Club.

The Seniors made good account of themselves with the longest drive by John Ward-Hunt and nearest the pin by Peter Wildblood, our ex-Captain.

At the putt-out of retiring Captains, we saw Peter Wildblood, Trevor Clifton and Chris Grainger perform.

Not his usual miisile strike - however note that the superimposed image shows that there is no lateral movement. It's his knee he says.

Vintage stuff from our skipper. Get the fluidity of motion.

Peter Wildblood is now our Captain and he has nominated Tony Oakes as his Vice Captain. Every Captain brings his own unique stamp to our section. In Peter's case it will be discipline and order, on the surface anyway - but he will certainly apply his organisational skills with humour and tolerance (this of course had nothing to do with his choice of second-in-command). We look forward to next year's operation with two fine chaps at the helm.

Peter Howarth steps down after a tumultuous tenure. With Peter Pirie he shepherded the asylum seekers from the 'other place' to Heydon Grange and undertook the difficult task of integration with the existing seniors. Old Blue Rinse leaves officialdom to become an apprentice eminence grise - but not quite, as he takes over the handicap secretary's duties of Peter Prie who will be undertaking additional work as Club Vice-Captain. For more on Peter go back to the Home Page, Venerables Section,and click on Members and then on Howarth,Peter.