Cirencester Golf Club

Seniors’ section

Seniors’ Stableford

DAVID MURRAY was an emphatic winner of the Seniors’ Stableford on Wednesday with 42 points, earning himself a handicap cut of a shot to 15, writes Danny Hall.

David built his score around a four-over-par front nine which included birdies at the 5th and 8th.

“The birdies were both four-pointers which was a big help and I was just one over par on the four par threes,” said David.

“Then, when I parred both 16 and 17 that kept the momentum going.

“There were also no wild or errant drives which is usually my downfall.”

David came pretty close to winning two competitions in the space of five days as he had finished an honourable sixth in the Winter Mixed Stableford for all club members on the previous Saturday.

Runner-up in the seniors’ event – and like the winner earning a one-shot handicap snip – was ‘Perry’ Mason, who compiled a solid 40 points.

Paul Sheen (38 points) held off Aadel Nasrat (38) and Tony Killick on countback for the final podium place, thanks largely to his par, par, par finish off his 17 handicap.

There were six birdie twos: Terry Hambling (2nd), John Canty (9th), Mike Helyer (13th), Mark Woodhead (13th), Dave Lowbridge (13th) and Stewart Osborn (13th).

RESULTS

Division One: David Murray (42pts off 16), Paul Sheen (38 off 17), Tony Killick (38 off 14), Nigel Curtis (37 off 10), Pete Ayers (37 off 12).

Division Two: Terry Mason (40pts off 19), Aadel Nasrat (38 off 23), Patrick Moylan (38 off 22), Malcolm Crossley (37 off 25), Gary Walker (37 off 22).

This competition was the fourth qualifying event of five in the seniors’ winter stableford series for which the Griffith-Jones Salver is the ultimate prize.

It is very tight at the top in the best-three-rounds-to-count competition with ‘Perry’ Mason’s Division Two victory seeing him snatch the lead going into the final furlong on 115 points.

He is closely followed by Dave Allen (113), a back-from-injury John Appleby (110), Simon Underwood (109) and Danny Hall (108).

Eighth-placed Paul Sheen (105) still has an outside chance of winning this salver for the third year in a row but will need something spectacular in the final event on February 10.

Biggest danger to Mason is the in-form David Murray whose two qualifying scores of 38 and 42 mean that a similar total in the fifth and final event could see him coming right through the leaderboard to victory.

Ladies’ section

Ladies’ Stableford & Bridge

JANE BRODRICK led home a field of 22 ladies in the latest 14-hole individual non-qualifying stableford competition played in a mixture of rain and wind at Cirencester Golf Club on Thursday.

She amassed a fine total of 30 points. Jane’s putting was excellent, with lots of good putts rolling in, according to Jane Salter who played with her.

Jane, a 14-handicapper, had six pars and birdie two at the 9th on her card.

After golf, Venetia Champniss had organised tea and cake for 23 ladies to celebrate her 80th birthday, which came three days later.

Lady captain Erica Brooke presented Venetia with a birthday card signed by the ladies and a bunch of flowers while everyone sang happy birthday. After tea, the ladies adjourned for some games of bridge.

Ladies’ stableford

ON Saturday, the sun shone beautifully for the nine ladies who played in the singles stableford competition, in which Annie Fisher came out on top on 29 points.

That denied Jane Brodrick her second victory in three days but her 28 points was good enough to pip Fiona Fyfe (28) on countback for the runner-up spot.

Minehead Medal

CIRENCESTER pro Ed Goodwin finished an honourable joint-third in the latest Gloucester & Somerset PGA Medal held at Minehead & West Somerset Golf Club.

The competition was reduced to 17 holes because the 4th hole was deemed unplayable after recent rain.

Ed scored 33 stableford points, which included four birdies, but that left him six shots adrift of the Bristol-based winner Martin Dewhurst on 39.