DARTMOUTH

AFTER two days of the Club Championships, a home win against Torquay in the President’s league and extreme heat, the Dartmouth GC championship course ladies decide that there was only scope for a nine-hole fun competition, reports Chris Mushens.

It also gave Alison White the opportunity to start her return to golf following a knee replacement earlier in the year - we’ve seen her over coffee but it will be lovely to see her back on the course.

The Dartmouth course ladies flew the flag for the section but sensibly shortened the course to 16 holes.

Kate Merriam set the pace with a five pointer on the front nine but Sharon Jones was doing her best to keep the pressure on with some four pointers! Kate faltered slightly on the sixteenth but a seven-point finish saw her claim first place with 36 points. Sharon was second and Sue Warren third.

The heat reduced the size of the field for the men’s midweek stableford but not the points haul.

Rob Isaacs-Berry was in fine form on the front nine, accumulating 24 points but made a poor start to the back, so finished with “only” 40 points.

Unfortunately for him, Andy Birss had a balanced 20/20 game and beat Rob on countback. There was then a procession of four players on 38 points -Paul Brown, Ian Black, Trevor Pretty and Nigel Osborne.

The men’s Chamberlain Foursomes Trophy was also decided on countback.

Rob Barrett and Paul Marels had an almost fault-free front nine but had more trouble on the back. Edd Mitchell and Matt Young’s card was almost a mirror image, which gave the obvious edge for count back.

Both pairs finished with a below par nett 70 but it’s Edd and Matt who will receive the trophy and represent the club next year in the men’s Daily Mail Foursomes competition. Roger Mawson and Dave Nicholls were a close third with 71.

There was a mixed stableford running alongside and this was a welcome haven for the men who couldn’t face the Foursomes’ challenge.

The top three players came from the same group - as well as some good golf, there’s never a dull moment playing with Bobby Wotton. Always respectful when playing with ladies, his wry comment of “that was a little bit disappointing” after a particularly bad shot showed exceptional restraint.

Nigel Osborne may have felt able to express himself quite freely as he was apart from the group when he played one of the few bad shots of his round - his ball trapped in the “pesky grass” on the hill adjacent to the thirteenth giving him the single blob of his round.

In spite of this, Nigel finished first with 41 points, followed by a slightly disappointed Bobby with 38 and Chris Mushens (the reason for Bobby’s restraint) third with 35.

Meanwhile, in external competitions, following the win against Torquay on Monday, the ladies had a narrow loss away to Woodbury Park on Friday. The team (pictured in pink) are very grateful to Wollens Solicitors for their shirt sponsorship - we’re sure it helps!

The Dartmoor League held the inaugural Summer Cups competition at Dartmouth on Sunday. A charity day to raise funds for Hearts Together, three teams from each of the twelve participating clubs took to the fairways to challenge for the trophy.

Honiton took the overall team prize and Dartmouth won the Division One prize. Some £1,000 was raised for Hearts Together and the League also made a contribution of £50 to the Dartmouth Captains’ charities - Little Princess Trust and Marie Curie.

Many thanks to Sue Pearman for that and thanks also to Dave Nicholls and his team who organised the running of the day.

On a beautiful Fathers' Day afternoon, a mixed Thurlestone team took on a team from Dainton, writes Liz Line.

The match was played in a competitive but very friendly spirit and the final result was a very appropriate draw.

There were wins for Richard & Judith Lungmuss and Alec & Sue Esplin, with a well-fought half for David & Jane Smyth. The course was in immaculate condition, showcasing all the recent improvements and both teams commented on the quality of the greens.

What a day on Monday, June 22, for the Thurlestone Sheelah Creasy team (pictured) at home against Bigbury.

Winds of 15mph gusting to 25mph were forecast but this was a serious underestimate. The wind drastically affected the golf.

It was extremely difficult to judge the approach shots so as to hold the ball on the green - 'Oh no, not again' was a frequent refrain as the ball ran through the green. Even worse, sometimes the ball moved under its own steam, having come to halt sometime previously or it would set itself in motion as a player addressed the ball.

Oscillation of the ball was a common occurrence. Then the trolleys were falling over, the players were losing their balance, the shots were often wild - really by the end the course was unplayable -a daytime nightmare.

There were singles match wins for captain Sheila Fairley and Helen Baker, as well as Foursomes victories for Sue Esplin & Diane Baker and Gill Markham & Liz Lacon, resulting in a 4-1 win.

Despite everything, the match was played in good spirit and everyone had fun. Thurlestone benefited from the home advantage and this gives us another 10 points against Bigbury's three. Barbara Smith is to be thanked for giving up her time and acting as caddy to one player.

Meanwhile, the ladies competition was an American Greensomes competition with partners drawn to mix the players up. The temperatures were very high so the competition was reduced to 11 holes.

Coming out on top were Maggie Best & Janice Croke with 27 points, ahead of Sheila George & Kaz Phillips via countback.

In third were Sally Cahill and Liz Lacon on 36 points. There were three birdie twos scored by Liz and Sally, Maggie Best and Janice Croke and Sue Esplin and Sarah Loader, congratulations to them.