1st George van Boyd 21pts 2nd Brad Steel 20 pts [countback] 3rd Diane Clark 20 pts George van Boyd Goes very Big. When someone with the power of Ank Robinson […]

1^st Ian Swarbrick 24 pts

2^nd Vernon Edmondson 23pts

3^rd Diane Clark 22 pts [countback]

Next week they’ll be golfing in Dubai, Ian, Joe Shaw & Ed Robertson but Sunday gone they were focused on Silecroft and to some effect, with Joe carding 22 points and Ed posting 18 of his own. They are rapidly catching Ed up on general play but right now their handicaps remain the same and that makes them a danger for now and into the new season. For some of us it’s ‘stand back and admire’ as they tee off the first and keep walking up and up the first fairway to reach their ball.  An opening salvo of 4 for 3,3 for 4,3 for 3 & 4 for 3 gave Ian a fine start but after a 6 on the 14^th brought an element of doubt a birdie on 15 provided a superb response. The birdie also made him the first winner of three balls for twos in the Natterjacks. Coming home 4 for 2, 4 for 3, 5 for 2 meant a net total of 35 shots for 24 points. That 6 for 1 on 14 also means of course that it could have been 25 or 26 points but for the moment 24 will have to do! For Vernon Edmondson 23 must have looked like a winning score and he too could have looked back and known what was truly possible after his blob on 12. A string of three pointers from 14 to 18 were the true measure of his progress and excellent reward for all the practice. The 12^th & 14^th were definitely the tough holes of the day but for Diane Clark they returned 4 points as she returned to form with an outstanding round of 22 points, including pars on 12, 16 & 18. Ten points from the last three proved the difference in the count-back. She’s back! Joe Shaw parred the last too and was one of the few to play 14 in par. More pars on 15, 16 & 18 helped him to net 39 shots and 22 points with a solid level of consistency. Brian Dawson doesn’t get out much these days so his 22 points might have come as a surprise but as a previous winner he’d already demonstrated that the talent was there and so it proved on Sunday. He also came home in 39 shots with five pars boosting his points tally. Playing partner Paul Carter wasn’t far behind with 21 points, including a birdie on the 16^th. Alan Holmes was another Mister Consistent with three x three pointers and six twos in his 21 points, closely followed by Tony Waugh who boosted his Order of Merit score with another good day, this time with 20 points. It was also a good day for Joan Myers as she collected 19 points toward her challenge for the ladies Order of Merit. A superb birdie on the 2^nd gave her four points and was soon followed by a par on 12 for 3. Another lady back to form! The closest match of the day involved Richard Roberts, Dave Boyce, Dave Warren and Neil Robertson. It was Richard’s birdie on the 16^th which proved the difference, those four points bringing him 19, one point clear of the other three. Bogeys on 13, 14, 17 & 18 held back Ed Robertson’s round, when for most of us a five on each of those would be a success. Playing off 6 might be a dream for many but when you can’t afford bogeys golf is tough. He’s also the teacher and target, which playing partners Joe & Ian are using as inspiration to lift their own game. Peter Clark began and ended with pars for three pointers among his total of 18 and was among the few to par the 14^th. Back to full swing for John French, who also had 18 points with successive pars on 15 & 16. It was a slow start for Brad Steel with just seven points from his first five holes but a powerful finish brought 11 from the last four and another good score for his Order of Merit. Steven Rowe had an amazing up and down round with birdies on 13 and 17 and two blobs among his 17 points while Sue Driver & Chris Lloyd-Rogers had a ding dong contest with the lead going back and forth. A 4 for 3 on 12 gave Chris the early lead before Sue leveled it back up on 13. Sue took the narrowest of leads on the 15^th only for Chris to get it back again on the next. So an honorable tie seemed an appropriate result, both carding 17 points. It was the same story for Helen & Jon Holmes, each taking the lead then surrendering it again before both returned 17 points. Antony Holmes picked up six points from 10 & 18 and also had a par for three on 14 in his 17 points. John Armstrong had ‘one of those days’ we’ve all had but did find consolation in walking off the 18^th with a par. It was also a struggle for Doug Myers, for whom a 4 for 3 on the sixteenth was his best.

A special mention must be made of Dave Clark who played twice, yes twice!!! Perhaps his biggest success of the weekend was persuading George van Boyd to play on Saturday. Into 40 mph winds! They played and they returned – windswept! But if God truly does love a tryer then their places on the ultimate golf course are assured.

Order of Merit

Men. There were some significant moves after round 8. Tony Waugh remains the leader of the men’s division and was able to begin dropping lower scores after playing seven times. [It is the highest total from a maximum of six rounds which will produce the winner.] Tony was able to swap a 20 for a 17 to move on to a total of 120. Will this be a final score? Will Australia come to soon? He has an 18 and two 19’s to drop IF he can score higher than those.  But with four rounds to go and eight chances to improve there are others who can leap into contention because they have even lower scores to replace. Ian Swarbrick reached six rounds played on Sunday and his 24 at the weekend put him bang in the hunt. He now has a score of 112 but has a 15, a 16 and an 18 to swap. If he continues to play and produces higher scores he could be the biggest danger to Tony. Geoff Freeman has three good scores and three low ones to drop and could leap forward from 107. Davey Boyce could jump forward too. He swapped a 13 for an 18 this weekend and now has 109 with a 14 to drop when he goes again. Vernon made a giant leap on Sunday, demonstrating just what is possible. He swapped a 12 for a 23 to be this weekend’s biggest mover, up from 95 to 106. David Clark now has 106 with a 15 and two 16’s to drop. Dave Warren has played more than six rounds and has 102 with a 15 and two 17’s to replace. Doug Myers may not have been at his best in round 8 but he has a 24 to his name and has 105 with a 12 and a 14 to drop. Two scores of 20 from eight rounds to come and he could well be in contention. Neil Robertson swapped a 15 for an 18 after Sunday and sits on 103. Perhaps the darkest horse is Richard Roberts who has only posted five scores but for 95 points. Another 20 or 21 and a 17 to drop could propel him to the top.

Ladies. Leader Helen Holmes was able to add two points to her six round score, moving on from 108 to 110. Diane Clark was the weekend’s big mover carding 22 points on her sixth round for 95 but it may be that her travels restrict her challenge. Joan Myers returned to form at the weekend posting a 19 for her sixth round. She now has 94 but with two 13s and a 14 to drop.

With only seven women participating there is only a prize for the winner available but could there yet be a twist in the tale? There will be equal prize money for the winners of each division and at least three prizes in the men’s section. There are also now balls for twos and with four rounds to go we’re hoping to give away quite a few. See you on February 12^th & 13^th for Round 9.

This Wednesday February 2^nd is the clubs AGM at Millom Cricket Club.

Be there if you care.

Report by Dave Ward

1^st Sue Bilgri 24 points

2^nd Doug Myers 24 points [Countback]

3^rd Brad Steel 20 points [Countback]

What a fantastic turn out with forty four people showing support for what has become a popular winter competition which this time around featured 66 rounds. Twenty two people played twice and by coincidence twenty two people played once. The weather may have played its part with a heavy drizzle on the course for part of Sunday morning but that didn’t stop some folk recording good scores and that included our winner. Sunday also saw the improvised comp within a comp for eight players who played 18 holes but included their front nines in the Natterjacks. Thanks guys. Well done Joe Shaw.

It doesn’t matter what your handicap is, to win you’ve got to play well by your own standards and Sue Bilgri did just that on Sunday with four 4 pointers including one on the last. With limited range on her shots and a net total of just 32 strokes this had to be a victory for accuracy. In discussion with our handicap secretary afterwards he was keen to point out that for the ladies Silecroft is a very tough course off the red tees, making Sue’s Sunday effort all the more admirable. So, on a tough links, in the cold and drizzle Sue produced her best ever golf and proved a worthy winner. But only just, because also out on the course was one Doug Myers, ex- rugby star, ex-veteran fly fishing world champion who also chose this day to bring his best golf. Doug’s was a story of consistency with six 3 pointers and three 2 pointers, no blobs, no 1 pointers, just good golf the whole way. So many of us have stood on the eighth tee with a good score only to blow up, and there were some yesterday but Doug took seven points from his last three holes and five of those were from 8 & 9. But successive pars on 4,5 & 6 were at the heart of his round where all the effort Doug’s put into his golf finally paid off. His score also catapults him up the Order of Merit charts.

At this point it’s as well to mention the Natterjack 9’s bonus scheme for high scorers  – nobody gets cut – because changes to the course conditions and rules means your handicap remains unaffected. Do I hear a collective groan from the rest of us?

Third place was also won on countback, with Brad Steel squeezing past Richard Roberts by virtue of his better last six holes. Both had 20 points. Pars on 1,3,4,6 & 7 and no blobs made for a consistent run of points and rescuing a point on the eighth helped too. Richard [aka Joey] Roberts had the best start of anyone with 4,4,2 providing 10 points off the first three holes. He too rescued himself, with 1 pointers on the fifth and eighth and can consider himself unlucky to have missed out on the prizes. Both have added considerably to their Order of Merit scores.

A host of players carded 19 points, including Gary Turner, who is now down to a handicap of just 13 but managed pars on 3, 4, 6 and 9 in his Saturday round. Geoff Freeman had 19 on Saturday and was in danger of a really good score until the last two holes. “I lost a ball and made a real mess of it!” He told me. The pleasure of his beloved Hatters taking three points off Bournemouth might have redeemed his weekend. Martin George’s 19 included a 4 pointer on the seventh while Paul Goodrick was another to have a birdie on the 3^rd. Peter Clark’s round of 19 on Sunday, playing off a handicap of 10, contained the most extraordinary run of 4 strokes per hole from 1 through to 7. Fives on 8 & 9 completed his round in just 38 gross shots. George van Boyd’s 19 on Sunday almost mirrored that; playing off 10, recording a gross score of 38. Dave Warren was also steady away, carding eight two pointers and one three in his 19. Very consistent guys! Sue Driver’s highlight in her excellent 19 was a par for 3 points on the sixth and with playing partner Chris Lloyd-Rogers carding 18, with a par of her own on the sixth among her 18 points, it was a quite a day for the three ladies playing together. It was a brilliant weekend for Joe Shaw, with a birdie on the 4^th in his 19 on Saturday but his 37 points over 18 holes on the Sunday made him the winner of the impromptu eight man comp.

John Simpson’s good run of form continued, following his success at last week’s Winter Alliance at Furness. His 18 points here included four for three on the first and last. Our Order of Merit leader Tony Waugh carded 18 on Saturday with a four for three on the fifth being the feature, Ian Swarbrick birdied the 4^th for four points in his Saturday round of 18 points. Joe Burch played both days and had 18 points of his own on Sunday, with 3 pointers on 2,4 & 7. If it was a battle of the elders between Joe and Dave Maclardie then it was match drawn as Dave also posted 18 points on Sunday, including four three pointers and a blob on the second. Joe sounded full of surprise after his round,“It’s really caught on, this Natterjacks ‘asn’t it?” He asked. Which was easy to answer. On his way back to form following his operations John French matched theirs with an 18 of his own and recorded five pars along the way. It’s ‘old v young bull’ for father and son James and Finn Mallon, 18 each means matters are even for the moment. “He played some cracking golf.” James tells me. “He just missed a six footer on the third for birdie, then hit a great shot into the fourth green which just rolled through.” Yvonne Goodrick added 18 points to her Order of Merit score and could challenge in the ladies division if she takes more opportunities. John Phillips scorched through holes 2, 3 & 4 with three pointers on each in his 17 points.  Helen Holmes boosted her Order of Merit tally adding 17 points with three pointers on the first and sixth. “I couldn’t putt.” She told me. Neil Robertson [aka Gunga] birdied the 5^th & the 7^th but a misfortune on the third held his score back. It was points on every hole for Pete Warren and pars on 4 and 7 in his 17 points and it was the same story for Alan Holmes who also had pars on 4 & 7 for his 17. Son AJ found it tough off his handicap of 9 but still managed 16 points and Diane Clark scored the same, with three three pointers in her 16. Dave Clark played both days and recorded 16 points on each with the highlight being a birdie on the third on Sunday which brought four points. Vernon Edmonson posted 15 points with two blobs but remains on a handy mark. The 4^th & 7^th provided good scoring chances all weekend and Jon Holmes was another to seize the opportunities with pars on both in his 16 points. Men’s Captain Davey Boyce had pars on the 1^st and the 9^th but an indifferent middle section left him struggling with 14 points. Alan Eastwood couldn’t carry his form from the Christmas comp into this but had the consolation of a par on the seventh in his 14. Joan Myers carries the lowest handicap of all the women, just 17. As mentioned before this is a tough course for ladies and Joan struggled over both days here, her best being 14 points on Saturday which included two blanks. Pars for 3 points on the sixth and seventh showed what she’s really capable of. It was a rare appearance in the Natterjacks for George Farquar whose consolation was the company of good pals, a par on the third and a point for Utd.

Anyone thinking they’ve had a bad day might take solace from Ged McGrath’s weekend, which he has given me permission to write about. Saturday was particularly bad, bringing just 6 points after scoring on only four holes. What is worth remarking on here is that he came back on Sunday and tried again. Things got a little better but not much, 11 points and four blanks. We’ve all known bad days on the course but as we all know and Ged was keen to point out, you put it behind you and move on.

Order of Merit

Thanks to your support we’re able to extend the prizes for the men’s event to include 1^st 2^nd & 3^rd and fund a separate prize and trophy for the winner of the women’s. We will also be adding prizes of balls for 2s as of the next round. Just to clarify; it is all one comp on the weekends but two comps, men’s and women’s for the Order of Merit.

1^st Sue Bilgri 24 points

2^nd Doug Myers 24 points [Countback]

3^rd Brad Steel 20 points [Countback]

Antony Holmes and Iain Maclardie take us on their journey through the Titleist Match-play 2021.

Making their way through the match-play maze has always brought success for Iain Maclardie and Antony Holmes, in fact, both having fathers who play and encourage them, you could say it’s built into their DNA; so when Antony saw a competition being launched by Titleist on Howdidido early last year it was only natural that he would ring golfing partner and best mate Iain and mention it to him. Iain and AJ go back a long way, all the way to school in fact but it wasn’t until AJ started playing in his twenties that the two became golf partners and very soon found they played well together. Iain had already followed in dad Dave’s footsteps and, as we all know, playing with good players is like free lessons. “Me and dad won the Grouse Foursomes one year,” Iain tells me,” I had the long game, and he had the short game.” And it wasn’t long before AJ got to grips with the game by playing with his dad Alan. Match-play turned out to be natural to them, each winning while playing with their respective dads and things went well for Iain playing with AJ almost from the start. “Playing with your best mate is good,” Iain says, “because we have a laugh. The golf is serious though.” On one particular weekend they won the Famous Grouse Foursomes on the Saturday and The Silecroft Open on the Sunday. The foursomes must have been a magic fit, with them going on to win it four times on the trot. “I like foursomes,” Iain jokes, “You don’t lose as many balls.” Obviously, they were a match made in golfing heaven and a win at The Inshore Rescue at Dunnerholme was soon to follow.

 So, the Titleist Match-play looked right up their street; pairs playing match-play against pairs? Could have been designed for them! But would they get in? The advent of Covid meant fewer numbers being able to enter and they very soon found themselves representing Silecroft in round 1, against two blokes from Brampton, at their place. Iain would be playing off 13 and AJ 7.

“We got away really well and were five up after six, but they fought their way back and it all came down to the last where Iain had a strong par to edge them out. The most memorable thing that happened was on the 200-yard par three. One of their blokes landed on the green and the three of us were nowhere near. I was stuck behind a bunker in some thick stuff, but I was fortunate enough to hit a good chip to within three feet. Their bloke on the green let it get to him and three putted while I sank the putt, and we won the hole. That’s match play. You’ve got to keep your head together. Round two we were drawn at home against a pair from Workington. It was a typical Silecroft day with a strong breeze, which brings out the best in us.” Iain takes up the story: “On the fourth I was nowhere in the running, but Antony was through the back in two. I watched him practice methodically in his routine for the chip. The ball left the face on a true line, bounced, then rolls toward the hole before dropping in! I said, ‘Get in there, fantastic shot.’ Yes, I was relieved because he’d done it again.” “And we were reasonably comfortable winners 3 & 2.” Antony sums up.

 “Round 3 we were home again to a very good couple from Silloth. The wind was up again, and we started well, going two up and never falling behind after that. Then Iain birdied the 16^th to seal the deal 3 & 2.” Covid was playing havoc and the organizers decided to go straight from Round 3 to the final, which was eventually played at Bromborough GC on the Wirral in 2021. “It was cancelled a few times,” Antony continues, “and then re-arranged for July this year, the week before the Blackpool trip. It was a scorching hot day of 29 degrees and was won by two local lads, one off + 3 and the other off 20 ‘but should have been lower’, as some folk told us. Four pairs progressed to the National Final and 43 points won it, we were joint fifth with 38 points.” A near miss then but it all served to give them a thirst for more and this year they entered again. “You meet some great blokes, play some good courses and we really are suited to match-play, so we were always going to go again.”

For round one this time around, they were drawn away at Kendal and when they met their opponents they were in for a surprise. Gary [Rambo] Billington “Does actually look like Rambo!” Antony says. “A big burly bloke and a larger-than-life character, Gary took driver out of the rough at one point and he chipped one handed! Playing partner Simeon Barsby’s handicap had only recently gone up from 3 to 5 and he hit a very, very long ball, more than 300 yards off the tee, so we were up against it a lot of the time.” But the Silecroft pair stepped on to the 18^th tee one hole up and AJ would par the last for a half and the match. “So, it was back to the jungle for Rambo!” He quips.

 “Round two turned out to be a repeat of the year before as we were drawn at home against a couple of lads from Workington but not the same lads, Simon Frazer was off 15 and Philip Sorfleet off 5. It was a windy day, and they couldn’t handle it or the long grass.” AJ tells me. “But we went one down on the first and we weren’t used to that, we’d always got off to a strong start before, so this was a test of our metal. We got it back on the fourth and it was a tight game from there, but we kept our noses in front all the way and ran out winners by 2 & 1.”

The next round saw them drawn away to a pair from Furness. “The day dawned clear and sunny but with a howling wind,” AJ says. “One of those days when keeping your head together will win it for you. We were matched against a bloke I knew from the yard called Kev Turner who was playing off 11 and his mate Jan Elliott who was off 8. We halved the first; then Kev messed up his chip to the green from the rough into more rough but chipped in from there for a half. So, you never know.” But after taking the lead by winning the third it was time for another memorable moment, or rather several glorious moments from Iain Maclardie. “Iain put the match away with three birdies on the trot on 4,5 & 6. The one on the 6^th – a long par four that runs near to the beach – was especially brilliant. The heavy wind was straight into our faces and after a good drive Iain hit a spectacular 4 iron to within eight feet and then sank the putt! We were always well in front after that and by the time we won on the 13^th [6 & 5] we were three under par and at the finish were just +1! On their turf too!” And for the second year running they faced just one more hurdle if they were to reach the final.

Standing in their way were two older players from Lancaster, Michael Gornall playing off 5 and Dave Rimmer who was off 9. But it was to be played at Silecroft. “It was a calm beautiful day for a change and all the way round both of them raved about the views and they were astounded to learn that a course this good was maintained by volunteers. We found ourselves one down after the first, but we managed to get back to level on the fourth and from then on it was up and down the whole way. They were telling us about this new football craze they played in ‘Walking Football’ which is for seniors and how clubs like Everton were starting their own. Those lads had played it at Wembley!” Maybe engaging in conversation was part of their tactical plan? I ask. “Well, it is easy to get distracted but we kept our heads again and went on to win by 3 & 2 after a ding-dong battle.” It was off to the Regional Final yet again which would be played at Sand Moor GC near Leeds. This time around they were able to get a practice round in and traveled with Clive Mathie and Neil Robertson the week before. “It’s close to Roundhay Manor where there’s a lot of Red Kites flying and we got to see them, which is quite a sight.”

On the day there were 24 pairs participating and only the first four would go through to the National Final. “It was Stableford 4BB again and we were up against two local players who really made it a test for us. We started well with three pointers on 1,2,3 & 4 but then blobbed 5 before another three pointer on 6. But they kept pace with us the whole way until it came to the last where they had a par and we missed out altogether. So, they beat us by two points, 40 to 38. The winners had an exceptional 48 points and 4^th place was 43 so we hadn’t disgraced ourselves – but those blank holes cost us dear!” “We’ve come a long way,” Iain adds, “But we must improve on the Stableford rounds.”

We fall into a discussion about match-play. I’m curious as to how a match-play partnership works during the match. There’s a Native American saying: ‘When two men row a canoe one must sit in the front.’ I mention it. “I don’t think we have a leader,” AJ tells me,” We share ideas and thoughts throughout the match.” I’m also curious about those moments when they fluff something easy, as it seems a key psychological moment in the game.” When we miss a relatively easy shot we just move on and don’t dwell on it.” Another piece of good advice comes from Iain when he tells me: “We haven’t changed the way we play, I always tee off first. Antony has a great short game, which is reflected in his handicap.” It seems one or both of any successful partnership must have a short game. Another piece of good advice comes from Iain when he tells me: “The whole match-play feels intense for me, as you’re not performing just for yourself. There’s pressure every shot and if you hit a good one it relaxes your partner. Antony thrives on pressure!” Expect pressure then. “Me and Antony gel well together too.” So, finding a partner who you get along with sounds crucial!

But what about playing individual match-play? Iain doesn’t play the Marshall Tyson at Silecroft very often, so I ask AJ how he fared in this year’s edition. “I was going well,” he tells me, “Until I met Ian Swarbrick in the semi.” “What went wrong?” I ask. “Nothing went wrong.” he replies and then takes a moment to think before answering. “Ian played out of his skin.” He finally says. “Wasn’t he getting shots?” I ask. “That too and every time he faced a long putt, he either sank it or lagged it. I was gross four over for the round and got comfortably beat, fair play to him. Sometimes you’ve got to recognize that you’ve been beaten fair and square and there was nothing more you could have done about it, so you shake hands, say ‘well played’ and head for the bar.” And perhaps that’s another thing that Iain and Antony are renowned for, they take the notion of fair play seriously. To them sportsmanship is important. It’s that and their achievements that make all of us at Silecroft proud of them.