Astbury Past Captains Dinner
Tuesday 24th August was the date for the Astbury Past Captains Dinner prior to which many of the attendees also took part in a 12 hole event for the Past Captains trophy. Given that the weather for much of the day had seen intermittent showers it was quite a relief for the participants to get round without getting wet. In fact it was quite a pleasant if somewhat blustery evening. A welcome sight was that of Peter Bennett still in recovery but thanks to use of buggy feeling able to take part. Continuing on theme of the injured golfer, Peter was joined at the Dinner by Steve Whalley who is presently on crutches as a result of a broken foot.
The stories that this event has for some time been a “one horse race” were disproved, as this year there will be a completely new name on the trophy as the winner was Jim Barry.
In total some 22 Past Captains attended the Dinner which was hosted by current Captain Peter Bozon. With good food and good companionship an enjoyable evening was had by all.
(Thanks to Orville for this report.)
Men's Caledonian Cup - Sunday 29th
In Golf, as with many sports, sometimes it is how you deal with adversity rather than any extensive planning that wins the day. This is how it turned out over the weekend.
Sunday's event was the Men's Caledonian Cup which is a major competition. In prearranged pairs, often of long standing partnerships, the teams better ball score is counted over the 18 holes. The Astbury course was in excellent preparation for the event and all was looking perfect until the weather played its trump card and decided that Sunday morning needed to be a practice run for the Monsoon Season ( which the observant will notice we don't have in England). The morning starters gathered reluctantly and under grey "November skies" set off stoically to make their mark. Unfortunately, within 2 to 3 hours all the careful preparation was wasted as the excellent greens just couldn't keep up with the rate of the deluge and several of the holes turned into small boating lakes. Those with a perverse interest in these things ( i.e. me!) couldn't but be fascinated how the puddles and rivers formed beautifully on these manicured surfaces to, for once, clearly define the humps, hollows and subtle borrows in the greens. However, sadly, this is of little use at all when your golf ball has the rolling characteristics of a house brick.
And so it was that the morning play was suspended with 3 blasts of the siren from the Pro Shop; which may have been deafening for the players nearer to the club house but for those who were miles away (literally) the sound resembled a rather poorly mosquito. Nonetheless word spread ( I'd like to say like wildfire but it was more like rising damp) but anyway the players on the course trudged in to await the restart. Amusingly ( ! ) almost as the siren went off the weather cleared and the sun beat down to dry up the greens miraculously. This was the final straw for many who by now had already arrived at the car park to be greeted by new eager arrivals of the afternoon starters who oozed sympathy for their unfortunate colleagues. But in true pioneer spirit those with good scores were keen to get back out there and join the afternoon starters in these improved but still testing conditions.
Emerging from all this chaos the results defied the weather with only the winners playing "rain free", the next 3 places coming from the soggy morning starters. In a remarkable set of scores scratch pair Harry Gannon and George Gleave came out winners returning a superb Nett 62. 2nd with a score of Nett 63, that would have normally won the competition, were Dave Cope and Andy Hodgson who were one shot ahead of the Nett 64's from Andy Stagg and Carl Withers who edged ahead of Elliot Burge and Don Walsh on a better back 6 holes. Well done to all, especially the morning groups who battled on to a good finish and of course to Harry and George for getting their names on the board.
Bank Holiday Mixed Greensomes event
And so on to Monday where, by some quirk of fate, the weather had somehow overlooked it was a Bank Holiday. The sun was shining and the course was in fine condition,
albeit soggy, for the last Bank Holiday mixed of the year. Here the partnerships are randomly drawn ( this year by "Welder" Fraser). So chance throws together players whose games either gel into a good team on the day, or melt into a sticky mess. Mixed golf of this type does require a different approach as you are sharing a ball and there is no doubt that "not trying too hard" helps a great deal; as does the ability to cope with whatever your well intentioned but sometimes wayward partner inflicts on you.Scores were down a little on normal but that was probably due to the dampness of the ground. Nonetheless it was delightful to play in fine weather on a such well presented course.
After a delicious carvery meal welcomed the players back home, the Captain's Pete Bozon and Sue Bentley presented prizes to a slightly stunned, but nonetheless delighted winner's circle. In a very tight finish the winning pair emerged "shocked but delighted" that their steady but solid round was enough to win the first prize. Jane Bozon and your humble scribe, Paul Collier, won with 37 points just nipping in front of Mark Hallam and Mavis Morris on 36 points who edged ahead of Richard Alcock and Chris Westrup based on a card play off. The surprise of the result and the absence of anyone with the surname Hodges on the podium, probably accounts for the slightly bizarre content of the set of speeches - no one, not even his partner Chris, quite grasping Richard's references to Gorillas riding a Thoroughbred.
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The Captains and Muriel (aka The Welder) start the results
The event which was organised admirably by Muriel Fraser, closed with the winners negotiating book deals while others watched the sun gently sink behind the canal on another fine day at Astbury.
Results in Full
1st 37 pts Jane Bozon and Paul Collier
2nd 36 pts Mavis Morris and Mark Hallam
3rd 36 pts Chris Westrup and Richard Alcock ( on card playoff)
Nearest Pin on 12th in 2 Chris Westrup and Richard Alcock
Nearest the pin on 4th Men "Radar" Jim Murphy
Nearest the pin on 11th Ladies Lady Captain, Sue Bentley
PC 30/8