With our resident editor away, it falls to Rob to provide the content….so expect it to long and rambling …with a helping hand to publish it from Steve G (apparently these young ones know how to work these computer things) . Hopefully normal service will be resumed when Mark is back.

Memorial Day Trophy – Friday 4 August 2023

And the majority played in exactly the same spirit. Benign.  Average, the occasional burst of energy but on the whole neither above nor below. . . . . except for ( and there is always and except for . . .) 4 players.  41 cards returned ergo 10% excelled.

In Third place ( card countback with one other) on 31 points was that stalwart of the greens,  Pete Broady. Highly commended. Hauled himself over the par 30 mark.

In second though, cruising by Pete by a full 2 shots, was Lewis Hamilton (sorry – it’s the new buggy -it fools everyone) Alan Thomas ; 33 points.

The overall winner though, way out in front of the howling pack ( OK – stretching the poetic licence a bit here) was none other than The Most Venerated and Honourable ( Keep up, keep up  – he is our Club Treasurer you know) Mervyn Roberts with a magical 36.

To the absolute delight of our Treasurer, there were only 2 players who managed to achieve an elusive “2”. A sleeve of the highly sort after and every collector’s dream  – three yellow Senior’s logo balls  – will go to Phil Lomas and Phil Ormesher.

And the all-important  spondoolies collected for our memorial fund? Around the £100 mark – a bit vague, but cash was still trickling into the bucket on Tuesday( from a few who came cashless on the day and others who just – well – decided to give a bit more). We can report – the Treasurer sat on the veranda wall after  Tuesday’s  Mitre Trophy like the Cheshire cat. Beaming from ear to ear ( he likes money . Our Steve. Oh. He like money , he does).

Peter Herrity Trophy

This Trophy game is still a week or so away . It comes to mind though that many newer members ( and there are a lot of us now) might not have known Peter.

Peter was one of the stalwarts who was a staunch member of the section when it hit the low spots – there was only around 12 paying members –  some 8 years ago. Week in week out Peter was there on the first tee spot on 0800 every Friday, queueing up with the rest of us.

Peter had started his career in hairdressing in his hometown of Liverpool – as he often said, “ you need a sense of humour to get by as a man in the hairdressing business where I come from”. True to his beginnings, he  had humour in spades. The complete and utter  laughing machine. ( Imagine Bob Mycock on steroids – you’re getting close to Peter).

Sadly, after only a few years into a well-earned retirement – just getting into skiing  mode ( Spending the Kids Inheritance) Peter was snatched away from us all, far too early, in 2017.

It seems fitting that we use Peter’s memory – a guy who was just so much fun to be around –  to raise funds for our one special good deed of the year – collection for our annual charity.

Details of the game ? 18 holes individual Stableford using WHS. This is yet another chance for those that don’t get to put many cards into the system to do a little top-up.

Happy Monday – 7th August

Five intrepid teams took to the now dry fairways to do battle for the gold coins.

A few stats, cos everyone likes stats…!

• All teams played the same game –  a first I believe.
• All cards marked correctly and legible –  again a first
• Team Willson scored ten points from three players on hole 5
• Team Heath had the fewest blobs with only 4 between them over the 45 holes played between them.

So . . .the  results were.

Team Willson, Thornton and John White with 24.7 points

Team Fecitt and Boyle with 27 points

Team Chisnall, Thomas and Booth with 28 points

Team Broady, Lomas and Narraway with 28.3 points

Winner on a card playoff with 1 extra point on the back 6 was…

Team Heath, Foster and Rowley also with 28.3 points.

Rowley’s tremendous putt on the 13th proving to be the difference.

Charlie informed us all over a coffee and a tea cake, that this was the first time he has ever won a Happy Monday game….!!

You’ll have to partner Steve Rowley more often…

Mitre Trophy – Tuesday 8 August 

Our much-anticipated annual match – Seniors Section  V  the Ladies Section – kicked off at 11.04 precisely.

New rules again this year – it’s a long-standing tradition that all rules are renegotiated, argued over , horse-traded, bargained down and rehashed every year. Both sides ( ever so politely) trying to broker a more favourable deal to tip the balance in their favour!

The courtesy shots given to the ladies in previous years? Gone.

Straight fight this year. Men off the yellows / ladies off the reds and usual better ball applying ( 85% WHS etc) Seemed fair enough  to most observers. Equality reigns supreme  these days.

And the numbers lining up? – it could well have been a battle sequence from any blockbuster. There were 13 match tee-times needed this year , which means we put out a  record field of 52 players – and both antagonists ( sorry) teams could have managed more!

Our chairman had introduced a whole raft of new prizes this year –  Nearest the pin on all 4 Par 3 holes – for both ladies and gents,  along with a longest drive (for both obviously)  on the 10^th.

The highly prized bottles were  taken by.

• On the 2^nd green  – Rob Taylor / Helen Weir
• On the 5^th Green – Mike Pigott/ Chris Armstrong
• On the 9^th Green – John White and / Margaret Herrity
• On  the 13^th – Art Laird./ Hayley Millman

The longest drive on the 10^th hole was taken by Bob Mycock with a tremendous straight drive , down the middle using a 7 iron – or so he was heard telling all on the veranda afterwards.( Parts of this tale this may fall into the category of fake news of course.) Debbie Franks took the Ladies bottle.

As they all gathered for the final unveiling and Prize giving, the noise rose in crescendo 26 ladies trying to talk over 26 senior’s  – not sure who won but very  terrifying to any lesser mortals who may have wandered by.

Oh? Sorry . You want the final score?

Well, we came second again this year but , Oh!

Was it ever so close.

Men 389 points – ladies 401.

Only 12 points in it which is a vastly better result than we had last year ( the gap was over 50 points in 2022).

In parting, it was reliably reported that Richard Yates was the model of proprietary and an ambassador for us all. A full 15 holes were played without a single bad word passing his lips- – not even one between clenched teeth. Miracles happen out there everyday folks! ( The clenched teeth maybe fake news but the rest is 75% reliable news)

Will we be back next year? Oh yes, We Will!!!!

Interclub Match – Friday 11 August

This Friday sees us at home to Ringway.

Those selected and on the team, have all been told via the WhatsApp system ( well done John for thinking that one up) .

As usual, the rest of us will be playing for a glorious bottle of the best vintage wine from the shelves of none other than our local Aldi – or the committee might even stretch to a (smaller) bottle from Sainsbury’s? Decision pending.

Interclub Match – Tuesday 15 August 

Like buses – you don’t see one for a week or so and then along comes two – one after the other.

Those who usually play on a Tuesday might wonder why the course will be eerily quiet next week.

On this coming Tuesday Lymm Seniors  are playing Heyrose away ,so the cream of our stable of highly trained athletes will be away in their  finery of Royal Blue matching shirts defending the honour of the club.

Tee booking schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 10 August) 

This is the tee booking schedule for play on Friday 25th August. The competition will be Round 10 of the Summer Series

If your name is in the left column, please book for your group. 

Come back Mark…save us from this dribble……

Rob’s amazing fact of the day – All I did was to type” what sort of rubbish would Lymm Senior’s chaps enjoy” into my new ChatGPT google AI writer and . . . . .out came this whole article.

Newsletter Editor: Rob Taylor