Double delight for Abbie

RISING star Abbie Moyes made it two ladies’ victories in the space of a week when she posted an excellent score of +6 to win the August Par at Tiverton.
The in-form teenager was level at the turn and then came back in +6 on a day when the younger players featured strongly, including Hannah Grant and Jessica Bradley.
Moyes reached the par-5 3^rd in two and almost chipped in for an eagle on the par-4 5^th, while her round even included a couple of four putts on the front nine which resulted in minus scores.
She saw her handicap cut from 14 to 12 as she qualified for the Kirkman Dish, to be played in April next year.
Just seven days earlier she linked up with Sue Persey to win the Ladies’ Vice-captain’s Day competition.
Tiverton High School student Moyes has been undergoing specialist coaching this year.
She said: “I haven't had a lesson since the beginning of July because I was just concentrating on working on what I had already been taught.
“I don't think I’ll be going back to my coach in Bristol because it's too inconvenient – I would much prefer to have someone more local, which would mean more lessons more regularly. My golf isn't how I want it yet – still inconsistent.”
Also coming in under their handicap in the August Par’s 66-strong field were two-handicapper Grant and Carol Scott, cut from 24 to 23, who both posted +3 and qualified for the Kirkman Dish alongside Moyes.
Ann Pearcey was cut from 28 to 27 after scoring +2 while Bradley, Jo Lloyd-Davies and Kath White all finished on +1.
Results: Silver Division – 1 Abbie Moyes (+6); 2 Hannah Grant (+3); 3 Jo Lloyd-Davies (+1). Bronze Division One – 1 Carol Scott (+3); 2 Ann Pearcey (+2); 3 Trish Bending (0); 4 Marian Stevens (0). Bronze Division Two – 1 Kath White (+1); 2 Anne Franklin (0); 3 Sue Probetts (-1); 4 Karen Allsopp (-2).

Ice-cool Frost is Chairmen’s champ

 JASON Frost shot an excellent level-par round of 71 late on to win the men’s Chairmen’s Cup on a sweltering day at Tiverton on Saturday.
The Palairet Trophy player’s nett 65 put him two ahead of Gary Aitchison, who had been eight under his handicap after nine thanks to his opening 37.
Ken Yeo’s 69 had given him the clubhouse lead before Lloyd Sampson joined him and then Frost and Aitchison stormed past.
Results: 1 Jason Frost (71-6=65); 2 Gary Aitchison (84-17=67); 3 Lloyd Sampson (86-17=69); 4 Ken Yeo (82-13=69); 5 Roy Ireland (84-14=70); 6 Gerry Franklin (78-7=71); 7 Ben Wessely (77-6=71); 8 Alan Snow (82-11=71); 9 Noel Thomas (82-11=71); 10 John Phripp (81-9=72).

Rhys Cruse and Lloyd Sampson will go head to head with Ben Wessely and his son Will in the Summer Foursomes final after both pairs overcame late scares in the last four.
Teenager Cruse and ex-Tiverton rugby star Sampson, two of the most consistent players in competitions this season and at the top end of the men's Order of Merit, were four up with four to play against Ken Kidd and Norman Ford on Tuesday night.
But they lost the 15^th to a birdie, then the 16^th to a seven and their opponents took them up the last after a dramatic chip-in on the 17^th.
Cruse then breathed a sigh of relief as he holed from 10 feet for a bogey on the 18^th to secure a 1 up victory.
The Wesselys would normally have received five shots from Jim Bray and Gary Aitchison but with Blundell's School student Will having to play off 24 rather than his usual, very dangerous 27, they were only given three.
It didn't matter at all as, despite going one down after two, they won six of the next seven holes to be five up at the turn, before unexpectedly parring the 11^th with a shot to go six ahead.
Bray and Aitchison had been at least two down in each of their four previous rounds, and on one occasion were five adrift.
But despite winning the next three holes on Thursday to have an outside chance at three down with four to play, they left it too late this time and the Wesselys eased home deservedly 4 and 3.

Mike Jewell and Karen Allsopp won the mixed Garnham Trophy after a countback victory over Malcolm Eden and Tracy Banbury on Bank Holiday Monday.
Both pairs scored 36 stableford points in the greensomes event, for which partners are drawn out. Eden and Banbury had the only two of the day, on the 4^th.
It was 16 years since Jewell won the trophy alongside Lesley Crossley. It was their first meeting and they have been partners ever since.
The next mixed competition at the club is The Chalices, another greensomes stableford, which will be staged on Sunday, September 16.

Gail force win for Abbie and Sue

TEENAGER Abbie Moyes (14) and Sue Persey (14) fired 38 points to comfortably win the Ladies’ Vice-Captain’s Day competition at Tiverton on Wednesday.
A total of 72 ladies played in Gail Stuckey’s fourball better-ball stableford off ¾ handicap.
The event had a shotgun start and the players enjoyed tea and cakes afterwards.
Prizes were provided by the vice-captain and the entry fee takings of £80 were donated to Breast Cancer Research.
Results: 1 Abbie Moyes (14) and Sue Persey (14), 38; 2 Jo Lloyd-Davies (14) and Helen Scriven (11), 34; 3 Maggie Knowlman (19) and Pearl Harvey (27), 34; 4 Joan Reed (23) and Sheila Marwood (20), 33; 5 Val Walker (13) and Charlotte Snow (14), 33; 6 Antonina Hajduk (26) and Shirley Turner (26), 32.
Nearest the pin: 4th – Ann Pearcey; 14th – Pat Batchelor. Twos (9 balls): Sue Persey (4th); Val Walker (9th).

It’s a Cruse for Rhys

PROMISING teenager Rhys Cruse delivered the low round he had been threatening to win the men’s August Midweek Stableford at Tiverton on Monday.
The Cullompton youngster’s handicap was cut from 11 to an exact of 9.5 after he put together 41 points, which was good enough to beat Division Two winner Nick Lear by one and John Lyon and Martin Mountstevens by two.
Cruse has also reached the semi-finals of the Summer Foursomes with his in-form partner Lloyd Sampson, and they are due to do battle with Ken Kidd and Norman Ford on Tuesday.
Ben Wessely and his son William are due to take on Jim Bray and Gary Aitchison in the other semi-final on Thursday.
Midweek Stableford results: Division One – 1 Rhys Cruse (41); 2 JW Walker (37); 3 Bob Pulsford (37); 4 Graham Dyson (36); 5 Andy Brown (36); 6 S Price (36). Division Two – 1 Nick Lear (40); 2 John Lyon (39); 3 Martin Mountstevens (39); 4 Michael Boote (38); 5 Cedric Gibbons (38); 6 Dean Farmer (36).

Tony and Karen Allsopp posted 38 points in windy conditions to win the Brooch and Tie Pin mixed foursomes stableford by a comfortable margin on Sunday.
James Lambden and Jane Walton scored 32 to be second on a countback from Joe and Linda Knowles.
The Ladies’ Stableford on Wednesday was abandoned due to heavy rain but the men were in action on Saturday, albeit in wet conditions as they comfortably beat Minehead in a friendly match.

Family fortunes go on

MOTHER and daughter Joan Reed and Alison Kelland kept the flag flying for Tiverton Golf Club when they saw off a pair from the links of West Cornwall to reach the final stages of the national Daily Mail Foursomes tournament.
Reed and Kelland continued their brilliant progress in the ladies’ knock-out showpiece by overcoming Debbie Bassett-Harding and Christine Matthews 2 and 1 in a nail-biting encounter at home on Thursday.
They have got through six regional rounds since March – three at home and three away – and now face a trip to the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire for a shot at national glory if they can win one more match.
The Tiverton pair, spurred on by a number of home supporters, lost the 1^st on Thursday but hit back after five straight halves to be 1 up at the turn.
A win at the 11^th put them 2 up and in charge before Bassett-Harding, off 12, and Matthews, off 16, took the 12^th and 13^th to make it all-square.
Reed and Kelland regained the lead with a birdie two on the 14^th and they sealed the match with wins on the 16^th and 17^th, where a six nett five was good enough as Bassett-Harding’s 12-footer stayed above ground.
“My legs went like jelly at the end,” said Reed, who lives within a nine-iron of the golf club in Post Hill. “It was such a pressure match.”
Reed, a 23-handicapper, and Kelland, off 22, were Tiverton’s representatives in the competition by virtue of winning the ladies’ Spring Foursomes at the club last year.
They started their Daily Mail campaign back in March with a 2 up win at Ilfracombe in the first round before another victory on their travels in April, 2 and 1 at Teign Valley.
Back on home turf they proved unstoppable, as they beat East Devon 5 and 3 in the third round in May and then thrashed Worlebury 6 and 4 in June.
Their greatest challenge came at Teignmouth in the fifth round, when they were three down after 11 to a home pair featuring five-handicapper Vicky Holloway.
Reed and Kelland bounced back to make it all-square after 18 and then holed a 15-foot putt on the first play-off hole to maintain their winning streak.
“We thought it was all over then but we came back,“ said Reed. “It was marvellous.”
Reed, 69, ran the former Green Headland Hotel in Sampford Peverell for 23 years with her husband Derek before they retired in 1986 while Kelland, 47, is a mobile hairdresser who lives at Appledore, near Burlescombe.
Golf runs in the family as Derek is a club and county stalwart with a handicap of eight while Kelland’s twin sons Nick, off seven, and Simon, off six, are both keen players.
But what have the ladies’ secrets of success been this year?
Reed said: “We just went out and said ‘it’s only a game – let’s try to enjoy it’, and we’ve played the same way since. I’ve always driven off the 1^st and we’ve stuck to that.”
Now the duo can’t wait for the final stages, but do they have a gameplan? “We’ll just carry on the same and pray,” joked Reed.
She added: “The people who supported us on Thursday said that wherever we go, they’re going to come up with us and stay the night.”

Millett’s magical day

 JEREMY Millett continued his good run of form to lift the men’s Kennard Cup on a scorching day at Tiverton on Saturday.
Millett, who just missed out on Tiverton’s Brayne Baker Open title three weeks ago, came in with a nett 66 to earn a handicap cut from 14 to 12 and win the event, which had to be rescheduled after the first staging was cancelled due to heavy rain.
Neal Gibson finished one behind on 67, with Simon Young and Ollie Taylor on 68. Gary Aitchison birdied the first three holes but in the end had to settle for a 69 and seventh place.
Results: 1 Jeremy Millett (80-14=66); 2 Neal Gibson (78-11=67); 3 Simon Young (78-10=68); 4 Ollie Taylor (75-7=68); 5 Rhys Cruse (80-11=69); 6 Graham Dyson (85-16=69); 7 Gary Aitchison (86-17=69); 8 Jim Bray (74-4=70); 9 Mark Sanders (80-10=70); 10 Bob Pincombe (84-13=71).

Jess retains ladies’ title

Jessica Bradley

GOLDEN girl Jessica Bradley successfully defended her ladies’ Club Championship title at Tiverton with a comprehensive 12-shot victory on Wednesday.
The 15-year-old fired six birdies as she followed up her morning 86 with an improved 81 in the afternoon for a 36-hole total of 167.
That gave the Devon ladies star a comfortable margin over former champion Val Walker.
“I was very pleased to have retained the title,” said five-handicapper Bradley, who birdied the 2^nd in the morning and the 2^nd, 3^rd, 7^th, 15^th and 16^th in the afternoon, just missing out on an eagle on 16 when her third shot from 80 yards hit the pin.
Walker, playing off 13, was in contention after a first-round 88 but her challenge faded with a 91 in the afternoon, leaving her on 179.
Behind her were Jo Lloyd-Davies (90+91=181), Sue Persey (93+91=184), Carolyn Maynard (95+93=188) and Charlotte Snow (93+95=188).

Val Walker and Jo Lloyd-Davies

The 22 entrants in the championship also played for the Rose Bowl, for the lowest nett aggregate.
Competition was very strong and there was a tie on 153 between Walker and Lloyd-Davies. Walker had scores of 75 and 78 to put her level with 14-handicapper Lloyd-Davies, who posted rounds of 76 and 77.
Under the rules of the competition, an 18-hole play-off will be required in the next month to determine the winner.
Also featuring in the top six were Maynard (78+76=154), Bradley (81+76=157), Persey (80+78=158) and Sheila Ball (80+79=159).
The August LGU Medal was played over 18 holes alongside the championship and was won by Ivy Radford, who carded a nett 70 to earn a handicap cut from 21 to 20 and qualify for the Hamilton Cup.
She finished four shots clear of Annette Cardwell, who was cut from 18 to 17, and Janet Simpson.
The championship win completed a good week for South Molton student Bradley, who also claimed the girls’ scratch prize in Tiverton’s Junior Open last Sunday.
On the back of winning the ladies’ title last year, she has made it through to the fifth round of the Glenmuir club champion scratch competition and only has one more stage to go before the final at The Belfry.
Meanwhile, the youngster finished ninth out of 75 girls at the English Girls Under-15s Championship with scores of 78, 81, 82 and 78 at Brickendon Grange in Hertfordshire.
This week she is playing for Devon juniors in the inter-county matchplay event at Launceston.
LGU Medal results: Silver Division – 1 Annette Cardwell (92-18=74); 2 Val Walker (88-13=75); 3 Jo Lloyd-Davies (90-14=76). Bronze Division One – 1 Ivy Radford (91-21=70); 2 Janet Simpson (99-25=74); 3 Pearl Harvey (102-27=75). Bronze Division Two – 1 Kathryn Hall (113-35=78); 2 Elizabeth Marriott (109-29=80); 3 Maureen Williams (110-29=81).

Sheila has a Ball

SHEILA Ball returned a three-under nett 71 to win the ladies' August LGU Medal on a day of very high scores at Tiverton on Wednesday.
She was helped on the way by a birdie four at the 3^rd while she chipped in for a birdie three at the 17^th.
The CSS went up to 77 and counted for reduction only, and Ball’s handicap was cut from 20 to 18.
Ball now qualifies to play in the Hamilton Cup while Teresa Birchmore had the lowest gross with her 90.
Results: Silver Division – 1 Sheila Ball (91-20=71); 2 Teresa Birchmore (90-13=77); 3 Jackie Leonard (94-17=77). Bronze Division One – 1 Tracy Banbury (100-24=76), 2 Gina Churchill (103-26=77); 3 Marian Stevens (105-27=78). Bronze Division Two – 1 Karen Allsopp (114-36=78); 2 Beryl Walters (111-31=80); 3 Brenda MacDonald (116-36=80).

Tiverton’s ladies enjoyed a fine 4-2 victory over Great Torrington in the Devon League on Friday.
Shirley Ward (2 and 1), Shirley Turner (1 up), Antonina Hajduk (2 up) and Marian Stevens (3 and 1) were the victors while Janet Simpson (2 and 1) and ladies’ captain Chris Williams (4 and 3) lost.
The ladies halved their Devon League home match 3-3 against Holsworthy, but because of the scoring system the visitors picked up nine points compared to the hosts’ six.
Hajduk (3 and 2) and Stevens (10 and 8) won, Linda Knowles and Simpson halved and Ward (1 down) and Shirley Turner (1 down) lost. 

The ladies’ President’s Trophy II team were on home ground but were unable to overcome a very strong East Devon side, who won 4-3.
Sheila Ball, Pat Higgins and Alison Kelland were victorious over their opponents but the away players were too strong for Rosemary Perry, Sheila Marwood, Chris Bacon and Liz Hall.
East Devon have won nine out of their 10 matches and are anxiously waiting to hear whether they will progress to the semi-finals.

St Enodoc youngster Joe Cruse fired a superb one-under gross 70 to win the scratch prize in Tiverton’s Junior Open on Sunday.
The five-handicapper, who is related to the Cruse family at Tiverton, finished ahead of Exeter’s Ryan Mapp (72) and Yeovil’s Darryl McMahon (75).
The nett prize went to 17-handicapper Lucy Greenberry, of Exeter, with her 66, which put her one ahead of Hele Park’s Scott Jessop (67), son of Tiverton general manager Richard Jessop, and Exeter’s Ben Stevens (68).
In the 11-hole competition, Tiverton players dominated as Darren Noble (25) took the top prize ahead of James Bradley (25) and Tom Mackenzie (22).
Josh Martin was nearest the pin on the 4^th, Greenberry took that accolade on the 5^th and new Tiverton member Will Blundell had the longest drive on the 10^th.
Tiverton’s Jess Bradley shot a gross 79 to be the lowest girl in the scratch competition and claim the Daily Telegraph prize, while Cruse was the boys’ winner.

Tim Durrant compiled 43 stableford points to clinch the men’s Martell Bowl on Saturday, beating Richard Moyes by three.
Results: Division One – 1 Tim Durrant (43); 2 Richard Moyes (40); 3 Andy Pryce (39); 4 Paul Bayley (38); 5 Matt Woodgate (38); 6 Andy Brown (37). Division Two – 1 Lloyd Sampson (37); 2 Andy Bolt (36); 3 Laurie Lindsay-Carl (36); 4 Steve Hosford (36); 5 Dave Hunt (35); 6 Keith Chilcott (35).