TEL - Week 14

Still some good individual scores returned on the penultimate Thursday of the league. Bob Stevenson scored 19pts, George Baker, Dan Green and Andrew Moore managed 20pts each, but Janice Paulin and Paul Tebbutt topped the list with 22pts apiece. Paul was just ahead on count-back but gave the prize to Janice for her help collating the scores on the night!!

The team winners AGAIN tonight were Bottle Jobs for the fourth week in a row!! Runners & Riders were in second place followed by One For The Road third and Colts & Fillies fourth. Easily Second had a poor night and may have severely dented their chances of winning the league. League leaders are still Bottle Jobs now by 10pts from Birdies & Bogeymen with Easily Second in third place.

Sean Sargeant still heads the Best5 table from a trio of Bottle Jobs players ... Jack Unsworth, Josh Wallin and Dan Green.

Full league details - click here.

It's the last Thursday of the league next week (6th Sept) followed by the 18-hole final two days later on Saturday 8th Sept. With the evenings getting dark very quickly now, PLEASE ensure you are on the tee next Thursday and ready to play on time. If your playing partners are late, DO NOT wait for them ... tee-off at your allotted time. They may join you later but must forfeit the points on the holes they have missed.

Good luck to everyone next week and for the final. It could be close if the Bottle Jobs live up to their name!!!!!!   8-)

Ladies & Men's Clinics

MEN'S

WEDNESDAY 12 SEPT

WITH STEVE   7:00pm - 8:00pm

LADIES

MONDAY 17TH SEPT

WITH TIM 6:30pm - 7:30pm

 £7.00 per person

Seniors Texas Scramble

The seniors played a Texas Scramble today in appalling weather conditions. The fair weather at the start of the round lulled everyone into a false sense of security as, later on, the heavens opened, the greens and fairways became flooded and conditions were almost unplayable!! But the senior community are a hardy bunch and most teams managed to soldier on and finish their rounds. Eleven teams competed for the prizes today and considering the conditions, the scoring was excellent.

The winning team today were John Butcher, Richard Hook and Ofer Ben-David with a net score of 60.0. Runners-up on 61.8 were Geoff Denner, John Clark and Alan Owen followed by Raymond Bilton, Richard Cross and Linda Vale in third spot. Full details - click here.

August Weekday Stableford

A good field of twenty players for this month's Weekday Stableford played last Friday. Some good scoring too and very close at the sharp end of the competition.

The winner on count-back was Luke Gregory with 42pts. George Baker and Adrian Hayward were second and third respectively also returning 42pts. More count-backs were required to decide 4th place - Josh Wallin was just ahead of Dan Green and Frank Morley after all three carded 39pts. Full result - click here.

There were four no-returns due to no card being handed in. Please remember - it is a condition of the competition that you must post your scorecard whether you complete the round or not.

TEL - Week 13

Another dry night for the Thursday Evening League!!!

It seems to be getting harder to return those big scores now that the handicaps have been reducing, but still 5 players manged to break the 18pts barrier. Josh Wallin scored 19pts, Shey Walder and John Day scored 20pts each and Jim Purvis was just pipped on count-back for tonight's prize by Jack Unsworth after both returned 21pts each.

The team winners tonight for the third week running were Bottle Jobs closely followed by Birdies & Bogeymen and Easily Second. Bottle Jobs are top of the league with 81pts with Birdies & Bogeymen and Easily Second just behind on 78pts each. It looks like the league will be won by one of these three teams, but the lower placed teams can still have a say in things by putting in some good scores in the next couple of weeks. The Best5 table is still topped by Sean Sargeant on 98pts, but Jack Unsworth and Josh Wallin are only just behind on 97pts and 96pts respectively. Full details - click here.

Just to make things clear, the final Saturday (18holes) does not count towards the Best5 standings, but still counts as one of the four compulsory weeks that each player must play. There are still four players who haven't played their compulsory four games yet (see bottom of Best5 table) and only three opportunities left to do so. Any player not playing their compulsory four games will count as a zero score for their team for the relevant number of weeks they have not played.

The fixtures for the 18-hole final Saturday on 8th September have now been published - click here to view them.

Seniors 123 Waltz

Eleven teams of three seniors played a 123 Waltz strokeplay competition today. For those unfamiliar with this format ... each team counts the best net score on the 1st hole, the best two net scores on the 2nd hole then all three net scores on the 3rd hole. This is then repeated on holes 4, 5 & 6 and so on for the rest of the round. Great conditions again today with just enough of a breeze to make club selection a bit tricky!!

The winners today were the team of John Butcher, Roy Whiting and Lesley Cratchley with a score of 130. One stroke further back were runners-up Paul Tebbutt, Les Eden  & Jan Hinks, followed by Geoff Denner, John Clark and Steve Thompson on 132.

Thanks to all those participating today. Texas Scramble next week.

Good Luck Lizzie

The Newbury ladies were out in full force for a farewell tea for Lizzie Swallow who has earned a scholarship to the University of Tennessee, USA. The ladies all played in a 9-hole fun Stableford which was won by Jill Warwick on 21 points.

Lizzie has been a very popular and well-respected member of the club for the last few years as was shown by the great turn-out to her farewell tea. In her short golfing career so far, she has become a very fine player, reducing her handicap to 2.7, winning the Ladies Club Championship (3 years in a row from 2009) along with many other junior and adult competitions as well as breaking the course record on more than one occasion!! Lizzie has also been a great ambassador for the club winning county championships and represented the county on many occasions.

We all wish Lizzie the very best in her new adventure and hope to see her some time again in the future.

Good luck Lizzie!!!!

August Junior Medal

Eight players competed in the August Junior Medal last Sunday.

The winner on count-back was Max Nicholls from Oliver Overend after both returned scores of net 70. This is Max's fourth medal win of the year (2 Junior and 2 Adult medals) and his gross 72 was easily the best of the day. Well done also to Oliver playing in his first competition at the Racecourse. Third place was secured by Jack Unsworth.

Full result - click here.

The Junior Masters table is now updated and shows Jack Unsworth with a healthy lead at the top of the standings with 47pts. George Baker and Luke Bannister are in equal 2nd place on 31pts each.

Full standings - click here

TEL - Week 12

Good conditions and some excellent scoring for week 12 of the Thursday Evening League.

Six players returned the highest scores of the evening (20pts), and had to be separated on count-back. Malcolm Cox (Colts & Fillies) was the winner with Steve Bonner, Sean Sargeant, Ian Folwell, John Taylor and Andrew Moore the unlucky runners-up.

The team scores were also very close this week with only two points separating the top 5 scores. This weeks winners with a better fourth score were Bottle Jobs from One For The Road - both with 56pts. Runners & Riders were third with a better fourth score from Easily Second who both scored 55pts.

The league has all of a sudden become very close indeed!! Easily Second are the new leaders on 72pts from Bottle Jobs on 71pts and Birdies & Bogeymen on 70pts.

The Best5 table also sees some changes. Sean Sargeant has regained top spot on 98pts from Josh Wallin (95pts) with Lawrence Rowe and Roger Tillett just behind on 94pts each.

Full details - click here.

With three more Thursdays and the final Saturday to go, and handicaps being cut each week, it's all shaping up nicely for a very tense finish!!

Seniors Four-ball Salver

Thirty-two players in sixteen pairings competed for the strokeplay Seniors Four-Ball Salver today in mild but slightly damp conditions. Luckily, everyone was safely in the clubhouse before we had a torrential downpour!

The winning team this week were John Butcher & Chris Piper with a score of net 67. Runners-up on net 69 were Brian Faithfull & Tommy Lees. Raymond Bilton & Lesley Cratchley (winners of this event for the last two years) were a creditable third on net 70. Full result - click here.

August 9-Hole Stableford

Four players took part in the 9-hole Stableford yesterday.

The winner on count-back was Christine Cooper with a score of  22pts. John Taylor was runner-up on the same score. Third place went to John Cooper on 18pts. Full details - click here.

TEL ... extra week

Due to the cancellation of Week 4 of the Thursday Evening League because of bad weather, it has been decided that we will play an additional Thursday to make up for it. So there will be league matches on Thursday 6th Sept. The final still remains the same on Saturday 8th Sept.

Please see the fixture list on the website for the order of play.

Racecourse Cup

Sunshine again for the Racecourse Cup today, but a stiff easterly breeze kept all twenty-six players on their toes! The scoring was not unusually high, but it was certainly very tight at the top of the leader board.

The winner today was Sian Soanes with an excellent 38pts. The next six players all returned 37pts so count-back was required. The runner-up was Jamie Hines who just pipped Geoff Denner, Jim Green (snr), Lesley Cratchley, John Butcher and Dave Warwick. Full result - click here.

This is another competition that counts towards the Order of Merit. Fay Unsworth still holds top spot on 37pts followed by Roger Tillett on 31pts. With her win today, Sian Soanes has leapt into third spot on 26pts.
Full listing - click here.

TEL - Week 11

Great conditions for week 11 of the Thursday Evening League matches and some excellent scoring from some individuals.

Lawrence Rowe (One For The Road) was the individual winner this week with 24 pts, but a special mention for Jim Green (Easily Second) who scored 23 pts playing off 1 handicap!! Five other players also returned more than the magic 18pts.

This week's winning team with 56 pts were Bottle Jobs who just pipped Colts & Fillies on count-back. Easily Second were a very close third on 55 pts. This was an excellent effort from the Bottle Jobs team as all four of their players had already played 36 holes in the Junior Club Championships.

It's getting a bit tight at the top of the league now. Birdies & Bogeymen still lead the way but only by 2 pts ahead of Easily Second followed by Bottle Jobs just 6 pts further back.

Roger Tillett (Balls & Bushes) is the new leader in the Best5 table on 94 pts with Josh Wallin (Bottle Jobs) and Sean Sargeant (Birdies & Bogeymen) in close attendance on 93 pts each.

Three more Thursdays to go and the final Saturday ... all to play for!!!
Full details - click here.

Junior Club Championships

The Junior Club Championships were played today in glorious sunshine. The main event was played over 36 holes off the white tees. There was also a 12-hole Red-Tee Stableford event for our less experienced juniors to get the taste for competition. The course was truly in immaculate condition, so Richard Holmes and his team deserve special thanks.

Gross competition

2009 winner Curtis Macgeever led the way after the morning round on 76 closely followed by Jack Unsworth (77), this year's club championship winner Joe Bell on 78 and Josh Wallin not too far behind carding an 80. In the afternoon round Joe Bell held his nerve to return a solid 75 and a total of 153 to claim the title. Josh Wallin also equalled the lowest gross of the day (75) to move into second spot on count back from Jack Unsworth and Curtis Macgeever after all three returned totals of 155 for the day. Full result - click here.

Danny Glover claimed the nearest-the-pin prize on the 6th hole and Curtis Macgeever the longest drive on the 18th.

Nett competition

Simon Cottell landed the nett title with two solid rounds of 69 (138). Josh Wallin was next on 143 but as the competition only allows one prize per person, the runners-up prize went to Jack Unsworth who just pipped Curtis Macgeever on count-back after both scored 145. Full result - click here.

Red-Tee Stableford

This was great experience for some of our young juniors who experienced playing in a competition for the first time. The winner was George Freer on 23 pts followed by Michael Sopp on 22pts. Laurie Gale was third on count-back from Dan Bailey after both scored 21 pts. The longest drive on the 9th hole was won by Michael Sopp. Well done to all the players who took part today and completed their rounds.

Special thanks to the following people who helped make this day a resounding success.

John Hoskison and Lorraine Storey for organising and staging the event and prizes. John Taylor for doing the morning starting. Mike and Judy Willson for organising just about everything on the day from LD and NTP markers, meeting and greeting the players, collecting monies and organising food, taking drinks round the course, scoring and too many other things to mention. Paul Tebbutt for the scoring and ferrying drinks to the players. The catering staff for providing food and drinks. Last, but not least, to Alan Owen, Richard Mead and Derrick Perrin for accompanying the red-tee players to help them complete their rounds.

Joe Bell - Gross winner

Simon Cottell - Nett winner

Josh Wallin - Gross runner-up

Jack Unsworth - Nett runner-up

Seniors 123 Stableford

A reduced number of players today in the 123 Stableford as many of the seniors are away this week. Nine teams of three played for the prizes on a warm and pleasant day.

The winners on count-back scoring 77 points were the team of Malcolm Passey, John Clark & Lesley Cratchley. Runners-up on the same total but with two less points on the back six holes were John Butcher, Mike Pritchard & Ofer Ben-David. Third place went to the trio of Jeremy Proud, Tommy Lees & Chris Piper with 67 points.

Full result - click here.

August Medal

Thirty-five players for this month's August Medal today. There were a couple of heavy showers early on, so the early players got the rough end of the stick today!!! Apart from the early rain, the weather was dry although a stiff southerly breeze was blowing to make scoring quite tricky!!

Only five ladies played today, so they were integrated with the men making three mixed divisions and no specific ladies medal.

Division 1

In the top division, Roger Tillett just pipped Josh Wallin after both carded excellent 68's. Third place went to Max Nicholls whose gross 74 off 2 handicap was the lowest gross of the day. Full result - click here.

Division 2

Ian Turner added to his June success by winning division 2 on nett 73 just one shot ahead of Jamie Hines. Paul Tebbutt was in third place on nett 75. Full result - click here.

Division 3

Sarah Purvis was the clear division 3 winner on nett 69 and also recorded the lowest gross in this division. John Swallow was runner-up on nett 74 followed by Roger Carter three shots further back. Full result - click here.

Two's

Only two 2's recorded today - Max Nicholls on the 16th and Paul Tebbutt on the 2nd.

Owen Millennium Trophy

Two stroke play medals to go in the Owen Millennium Trophy. Max Nicholls sits at the top of the table with a 26 shot lead over Josh Wallin. John Day is 6 shots further back in third place. Full listing - click here.

TEL - Week 10

A blustery evening for this weeks matches, but luckily everyone was safely in the clubhouse by the time the heavens opened!!!!

Only 4 players bettered their handicap this week. Paul Seymour (Check Us Out) and Cilla Osgood (Colts & Fillies) scored 19 pts apiece, Nigel Huszarik (Easily Second) went one better with 20 pts, but this week's winner with an impressive 21 pts was Roger Tillett (Balls & Bushes). This has moved Roger up to second place in the Best 5 table on 91 pts. Sean Sargeant (Birdies & Bogeymen) still tops the list on 93 pts with Jack Unsworth (Bottle Jobs) in third place with 90 pts.

Overall, the team scoring was not as high as usual and this week's winning team with 54 pts were Easily Second. Birdies & Bogeymen were second on count-back from Balls & Bushes after both teams returned identical scores of 51pts (and 13 pts for their fourth score), followed by Check Us Out also on 51 pts but with a lower fourth score.

Birdies & Bogeymen are still top of the league on 64 pts closely followed by Easily Second on 61 pts. Bottle Jobs are third with a 10 point gap to make up.

Full details - click here.

August Seniors Medal

Another dry, warm day as forty-one seniors (35 men and 6 ladies) teed it up for the August Seniors Medal. Once again the course was in great condition for this competition - playing tough but fair. As there were six ladies competing there was a separate medal for the ladies.

In the men's medal John Butcher was the clear winner with his nett 69 (the only player to break nett par today). Runner-up was Raymond Bilton who returned a nett 72 followed by John Day in third place on nett 73. Both these players shared the lowest gross of the day of 80.

For the ladies, Lesley Cratchley was the winner (for the second month running) with a score of nett 75. Not far behind was runner-up Judy Willson on nett 77 followed by Sam Whiting (80) whose gross 93 was the lowest for the ladies.

Five 2's were recorded today - three of them at the 2nd hole (Jeremy Proud, Paul Tebbutt & John Christopher), Chris Piper at the difficult 6th and Jim Green at the 14th.

Men's result

Ladies result