‘TROPHY’ golf returned to Cirencester Golf Club last weekend with the first proper competition of the post-lockdown season, the Hospital Cup.

Club captain Steve Bishop was very keen that the opening competition of the summer should be in aid of the NHS and that it should be played over two days to double the money raised.

With more than 200 players involved, a splendid total £1,076 was collected from entry fees and some top-up donations, which will be presented to Cirencester Hospital.

The winners of the stableford competition on each day were Steve Titchener and Nick Vincent.

‘Titch’ has an admirable record in team events at Cirencester but showed he’s not too shabby as a solo performer too with a sparkling 42 points in very windy conditions, including three birdies, to earn a handicap cut of two shots from 15 to 13.

If anything, the weather was even more gusty and challenging on the Sunday when seven of the best eight scores came from single-figure players, with leading lady Blanche Neal, a 12-handicapper, being the other.

At the top of the leaderboard with a splendid 40 points was Nick Vincent, who laid down a gauntlet early on with four birdies in the opening six holes.

Hospital Cup (Saturday): 1st - Steve Titchener 42 points; 2nd - Phil Smith 40; 3rd - Lester Woods 39; 4th - Scott Andrews 38; 5th - Paul Daniel 37; 6th - Dominic O’Neill 37.

Hospital Cup (Sunday): 1st - Nick Vincent 40 points; 2nd - Toby Harris 39; 3rd - Adi Kember 39; 4th - Craig Sutherland 38; 5th - Blanche Neal 38; 6th - Chris Yeates 37.