A long newsletter this week, I’m afraid. Lots to get through, with some cricket news at the end for anyone who is interested. I think that Paul Foster and Steve Barlow might be!
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Our good form, nay unprecedented form, in the interclub friendly senior matches continues, including an impressive 7–1 home win against High Legh last Friday. Captain-of-the-day Paddy Moran never lets us down! But, hey, he’s a professional sports coach, and so professional-level team inspiration is the least we can expect from him!
And the joke telling seems to be improving too. Paddy, whose son is a professional comedian, can obviously raise a few laughs. Even I managed to get a laugh yesterday (Tuesday) as CoD at Sale Golf Club!
The quality of Lymm’s senior golf is definitely improving, including in the Tatton League. Although our senior section is no longer involved in administration of the Tatton League, we do have members in pool for Tatton League captain Bob Mycock and vice captain Mike Pigott to select from.
The Tatton League has six clubs in it: Lymm, Antrobus, Styal, Heyrose, Birchwood and High Legh. The scoring is the aggregate of 4BBB Stableford points over the season, with four pairs from each club playing in each match. After two matches we are lying 3rd, just 1 point behind Birchwood and 4 points behind Antrobus. However, Antrobus and Birchwood have hosted the first two matches, whereas Lymm has yet to play our home-club advantage.
Interclub friendly, Lymm V High Legh, Friday 24 May
Match Reporter: Paddy Moran (CoD)
A pleasant morning with very good weather for golf saw the men meeting in the clubhouse raring to do battle.
After a quick huddle, beating of chests, chanting of the battle cry and a stern reminder that Steve Gosling told us after his recent win to keep the run going out we went to demolish the opposition 7 to 1.
The secret of success is to have a good partner and I certainly had a man in form in Paul Collins. Well played mate! John Armstrong picked the pairs very well as we had some very good scores recorded.
Pity Bob Mycock, who cried off as CoD. The reason I believe was that he didn’t have a good joke to tell. No problem, I stepped up and brought the house down!
Another excellent meal by Karen and staff and two jokes by the High Legh Captain rounded off a pleasant successful day.
Scores: Lymm 7, High Legh 1:
Paul Collins and Paddy Moran: Won 4 & 3
Ron Thornton and Steve Bramhall: Won 3 & 2
John Woodward and Andy Timms: Lost 5 & 4
Barry McGuigan and Paul Lennie: Won 2 & 1
Grahame Brickell and Jeff Chapman: Won, 1 up.
Duncan Clarke and Phil Perry: Won 5 & 4
Ian Whitehead and Colin Hughes: Won 4 & 3
Peter Broady and Barrie Simpson: Won 7 & 6
Bottle of Wine competitions
Reporter: Paul Foster
Bottle of Wine Friday Comp 17/5/24
Bottle of the finest wine goes to this weeks winner Arthur Nuttall with 35pts, R/up was Bob Ellison with 32pts and 3rd was Barrie Simpson with 30pts. There were 15 runners.
Bottle of Wine Friday Comp 24/5/24
Bottle of the finest wine goes to this weeks winner Steve Gosling (who got the only 2, but no balls for you Steve) with 31pts, on a card play from new member Alan Copeland also with 31pts and 3rd was Stuart White with 28pts. There were 14 runners.
Interclub friendly, Sale V Lymm, Tuesday 28 May
Match Reporter: Mark Pickles (CoD)
The weather forecast was not at all promising. However, despite some short, sharp showers in the first hour or so, we played mainly in dry and pleasant conditions. The course was in great condition, considering the recent very wet weather. The long holes were playing their full length, with very little run on the ball.
John Armstrong selected another strong team, with some astute pairings. He put me with Barry Smith, which made great sense, because Barry and I are the current holders of the Andy Ward Pairs Trophy. However my mate ‘Baz’ didn’t have a good day. Having badly cut his finger the day before, it affected his grip. He lost confidence and, as the ball failed to get into the air, he developed an ever-worsening reverse pivot that eventually became a pirouette! Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the match, despite our losing 3 & 2. And our playing partners from Sale were great company.
The pork-loin meal after the golf was superb: generous portions and well-presented, followed by a choice of desserts.
I thanked Sale for their hospitality, and told a joke (that will be familiar to Mike Pigott) about Wales, and sheep, bouncing some of the humour off our half-Welshman Bob Mycock, and adapting the joke for our upcoming senior outing to Llangollen next week.
The ‘honourable draw’ was an actual draw of Sale 4, Lymm 4:
Andy Timms and Barry McGuigan: Won 6 & 5
Ian Whitehead and Steve Gosling: Won 4 & 2
Mark Pickles and Barry Smith: Lost 3 & 2
Mervyn Roberts and John Armstrong: Won 6 & 5
John Woodward and Ron Thornton: Lost 2 & 1
John White and John Higgins: Won 2 & 1
John Hayes and Phil Lomas: Lost 8 & 6
Peter Willson and Bob Mycock: Lost 2 & 1
Booking into the Friday competitions: Reminder
Reporter: David Craggs
There seems to be some confusion over booking on IG or the website for a Friday. We are trying to encourage all Senior members to enter Friday competitions to update their WHS handicaps. The procedure is detailed in newsletter 1 of May 2024 below if you are reading this newsletter.
You can book in now for games to be played 31/5/24 and 7/6/24 and book in 12am on 4/6/24 for the game on 14/6/24. NB booking for competition closes the night before the competition is played so you cannot enter on the day of the competition. It is best to enter 24 hours before the competition day or earlier.
Tee-Booking Schedule for tomorrow (Thursday 30 May)
Happy Mondays Tee-Booking Schedule for Sunday 2 June
Seniors’ Open, Astbury Golf Club, 4 June 2024
Reporter: Arthur Nuttall
John Armstrong and I (amongst others from Lymm GC) are playing in the Seniors Open at Astbury Golf Club (near Congleton, East Cheshire) on Tuesday, 4th June.
The Secretary of the club has called me to advise that the couple that we were due to play with John and I have had to withdraw. There is therefore a space for 2 players at our tee time of 09:40.
The cost is £25 per player.
If no one can be found, they have assured us that they will provide a marker for our game. However, it would be great if we were joined by another pair from Lymm GC!
You can apply online here. At the time of writing, the 09:40 slot is still available.
It’s not golf!
I know there are a few cricket fans in our section, including Middlesex CCC supporter and LGC Vice Captain Andy Timms, who might be interested in our senior-section’s interactions with professional cricketers in the past few days!
First up was this pair of senior short-arses: Steve Barlow and Paul Foster who bumped into Jimmy Anderson at Mere Golf Club the week before last:
However, I believe that I top-trumped Steve and Paul by meeting up with Max Holden at Middlesex CCC in the members’ pavilion at Lord’s (hence I had to wear a jacket and tie) shortly after his innings. Max, a top-order batsman for Middlesex CCC, has faced Jimmy Anderson on several occasions, and all the top England pace bowlers in fact, including Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Ollie Robinson.
Following Max’s impressive innings of 61, batting at No. 3 in a four-day County Championship match against Sussex, he came to see me and my brother-in-law (Max’s dad) on the pavilion. Max had faced Sussex’s formidable bowling attacking, including England’s test bowler Ollie Robinson, and the West Indies test bowler Jayden Seales. It was nerve-racking to watch as Robinson and Seales were swinging the new ball around, following the early dismissal of the opening batsman by Ollie Robinson.
Max plays for Middlesex in all formats of the game. Last year he scored 121-not-out for Middlesex at Lord’s in the T20, which is the highest ever T20 score at Lord’s by anyone of any team. He plays franchise cricket out of season, including for Dubai Capitals last winter in the International League T20. In July this year he will be staying in Manchester, playing his second season for Manchester Originals in the ‘The Hundred’ tournament under the captaincy of Jos Buttler.
I always feel somewhat dwarfed standing next to my nephew (my sister’s son), not least because I remember picking him up as a toddler, and messing about at football, cricket, tennis and golf with Max when he was a boy. He was always sports mad, and started his sporting excellence in football in fact, for Ipswich Town FC academy. He’s now a dedicated Arsenal supporter.
I have an ambition to be commissioned to paint a portrait to hang in Lord’s, perhaps even in the Long Room! I did enjoy spending time in the Long Room (where we are not allowed to take photographs), and looking at the portrait paintings.
Max gave me a grand tour of the members’ pavilion.
I even got into the home team dressing room, where I was introduced to the Middlesex head coach. I was in awe of the history of this place.
I was a very keen cricketer in my youth (I didn’t properly take up golf until my 30s). I made it into Leeds District Colts as a seam bowler. Here I am at Headingley – the hallowed turf of Yorkshire CCC – in 1976, age 15. (Top row, third from right.)
New members of the Senior Section
As I wrote in the newsletter a few weeks ago, we have some new members in our growing senior section.
To help us to put faces to names, it would be great, if you are a new member, to send me a brief bio and a photograph. I believe that our latest recruit is Ray Rigby. Ray is an established member at Lymm Golf Club, whom some of us know very well. He’s a great guy, always cheery, and we’re delighted to have him join us.
Newsletter Editor: Mark Pickles
Lymm Golf Club Senior Section 