Mens Xmas Stableford 1

There are 2 Xmas competitions played in October, and the first was played over the weekend of Sat & Sun 3rd & 4th, and after some good scores it was Mick Geddes who won the competition with 42 points. As a result Mick has been cut to 17, and the win sees him jump to 9th in the Order of Merit. In second place was Derek Archer, whose 41 points was only 1 point off the winning score. Scott Merrell was third on 40 points, and he extended his lead in the Order of Merit as a result of this finish. Scott would have finished 4th had it not been for Jan Reading disqualifying himself. Jan got 40 points, but after the competition was printed his score was 41 points. Jan spoke to the secretary, and after realising he had been given a 4 and not a 5 on the last, he disqualified himself from the competition for signing for the wrong score. It was a good act of honesty by Jan, who lost out on a voucher an Order of Merit points as a result of the disqualification. Ed Eley was 4th with 38 points, and there were 4 scores of 37 points, with Daz Peden 5th, Kev Wood 6th, Andy Vale 7th and Gary Smith 8th. Ben Hall and Werner Brach completed the top 10, with both players scoring 36 points. Ben Hall closed in on Tim Bingham in 6th place in the Order of Merit with his top 10 finish. With not many competitions left in the year, it is looking like Scott Merrell is going to win the Order of Merit.

Burbage Mixed Greensome Final

The final of the Burbage Mixed Greensome was played on Saturday 10th October, and it was played between Ben Hall and Margaret Palmer, and Ed Eley and Shirley Bright. It was a close match all the way through, and Hall & Palmer got off to a good start, winning the first 2 holes to go 2 UP. A birdie 3 on the next from Eley and Bright bought the score back to 1. Eley and Hall both hit cracking second shots into the 4th, which almost led to 2 birdies, but after a disasterous second shot from Hall on the 5th, the scores were level. Shirley holed a 20 foot putt for par on the 6th, and when Margaret holed her 10 footer, scores were still level. Shirley holed another good putt on 7 to keep the scores level, and they were 1 UP after the next after Hall & Palmer made 6. The next was won by a Hall & Palmer par, while Bright holed another fantastic put on the 10th for birdie, to put them 1 UP again. The 11th and 12th were both halved, with Hall missing a very short putt on the 11th. The 13th and 14th saw Bright and Eley miss short putts respectively, which would have put them 3 UP had they been holed. The 15th saw some cracking second shots from Hall and Eley, Hall putting the ball just short, and Eley ending up in the bunker after a bit too much draw. Palmer putted to 3 foot, Bright splashed out to about 30 feet. Eley just missed and then Hall rolled in the putt to bring the scores level. A par 3 at the next after a solid 6 foot putt from Palmer saw Hall & Palmer fo 1 UP, for the first time since the 5th. With their 4th and final shot down the 17th, Hall & Palmer were very happy to be 1 UP. After good drives from Palmer and Bright, Eley's second shot drifted a bit right, just finishing on the second fairway. Hall's shot finished in the 17th fairway, about 5 yards in from the trees on the right. Shirley hit a fantastic third shot, leaving Eley about 25-30 feet. Margaret didnt hit her best chip with the third Nett second shot. Hall then hit the chip stone dead from about 10 yards off the green, and when the putt was conceded for 5 Nett 4, Eley had to hole his putt to keep the match going. Eley's putt just slipped away past the hole, meaning Ben Hall and Margaret Palmer had won the match. It was a very good match with a good standard of golf played most of the way through, other than for a few missed putts from both teams.

Mens Xmas Stableford 2

The penultimate competition of the year was played on Sat & Sun 10th & 11th October, and it was Steve Ablett who returned to form in fantastic style. Steve played some wonderful, solid golf on his way to 44 points, and had it not been for the short stick could have had a few more. Steve won the competition by 3 shots, and in doing so closed the gap on Scott Merrell at the top top of the Order of Merit table, even with Scott finishing 4th. The gap in now just under 40 points, so Steve knows a win in the Fur & Feather is almost a must, depending on where Scott finishes. Steve has been cut to 12 as a result of this win. The Order of Merit is now between those 2. Werner Brach was 2nd in the Xmas Stableford on 41 points, and he has now been cut to18. Jan Reading came 3rd, also on 41 points, continuing a very solid year. Scott Merrell was 4th, and Mick Geddes 5th, both on 40 points, while Ryan Archer and Ed Eley came 6th and 7th respectively, both on 39. There were 4 scores of 38 points, 4 scores of 37 points, and 5 scores of 36 points, with scoring once again being very good. Full competition results can be found via the archive section, as the Mens Results for 2009 have now been archived.

Junior October Stableford

Tom Brach shot a wonderful 44 points on Saturday 10th October to win the Junior October Stableford. It was a fantastic score by Tom who has played some very good golf this year, being one of the most consistent juniors. This latest score from Tom has seen him cut to 29. Tom played of 45 at the start of the year, so it has been a fantastic year for him to lose 16 shots. Well done Tom! Paul Abbott continued his recent run of good scores with 43 points to leave him in second place. Paul has been cut to 43 as a result of his second place finish. Dale Baker was third on 36 points, while Order of Merit winner Oli Fletcher-Warrington was fourth with 34 points.