Rich pickings for Colman

RICHARD Colman hit a tremendous eight-under nett 63 to seal a comfortable victory in the prestigious Millennium Trophy at Tiverton on Sunday.
Colman even started with a seven on the 1^st and had a six on the par-3 14^th on his way to a gross 84 off his 21 handicap, which has initially been cut to 18 but will be subject to a further revision this week.
Birdies on the 15^th and 16^th put him in an unassailable position, and he finished up four shots clear of Charlotte Snow. Ian Loudon and Dave Cottrell were among a small group on 68.
The competition was introduced at the start of the millennium and is contested by the highest ranked men, ladies, veterans and juniors over the course of their respective seasons.
Lloyd Sampson had earlier clinched the men’s Order of Merit after a superb breakthrough campaign.
The 34-year-old former rugby player, who saw his handicap come down from 20 to 14 over the summer, finished 28 points clear of another up-and-comer, Gary Aitchison.
Men’s Order of Merit (final positions): 1 Lloyd Sampson (202); 2 Gary Aitchison (174); 3 Rhys Cruse (127); 4 Keith Williams (124); 5 Jason Frost (119); 6 Jim Bray (114); 7= Nigel Horobin (113); 7= Matt Woodgate (113); 9 Tony Allsopp (108); 10 Gerry Franklin (97).

 Tiverton won the Past Captains’ MET Shield on Saturday, to add to the three titles they already took at the hands of Enmore Park and Minehead earlier in September.
In a change to the original format, the three sides each fielded 10 players and their best six stableford scores counted.
Neil ‘Ace’ Carthew led the way for Tiverton with 38, followed by Nick Lear (37), while Mike Jewell (36), Mark Sangster (36), Derek Aldridge (34) and Dave Ashworth (34) also played their part.
Tiverton ended up on 215 points, with Enmore on 204 and hosts Minehead on 202.
Tiverton also won the A team, B team and junior titles in the annual triangular match three weeks earlier, and it is believed it is the first time a club has held all four trophies in one year.

 Two of the men’s summer knock-out tournaments reached a conclusion at the weekend, and it was Palairet Trophy players Tony Allsopp and Jason Frost who were left celebrating.
Allsopp added to his Club Championship title by winning the Tommy Tucker Scratch Cup on Saturday.
He dropped a couple of shots on the first two holes in the final against club general manager Richard Jessop but then played the rest of the round two-under-par to seal a convincing 6 and 4 victory.
The 36-hole Captain’s Prize final on Sunday proved to be an epic encounter as Frost recovered from two down to beat Bob Pulsford on the 38^th.
The Summer Foursomes final is due to be played this coming Sunday, with Lloyd Sampson and teenager Rhys Cruse going head to head with Ben and Will Wessely.

 Sue Persey chipped in twice as she and partner Jackie Leonard surged ahead in the final of the ladies' Spring Foursomes summer knock-out tournament, and they went on to record a 4 and 2 victory over Annette Cardwell and Anne Warne.

Rachel on a high

RACHEL Bray got her handicap below her husband Ian once again after winning the ladies’ LGU Pendant Medal at Tiverton on Wednesday.
Bray shot a nett 75, one over par but two under the standard scratch on the day, to get cut from 16 to 15 – one below her husband.
Carol Scott maintained her excellent run to take the Bronze Division One prize after a 78.
Results: Silver Division – 1 Rachel Bray (91-16=75); 2 Jackie Leonard (94-17=77); 3 Teresa Birchmore (91-14=77).
Bronze Division One – 1 Carol Scott (99-21=78); 2 Joan Reed (104-23=81); 3 Julie Sampson (103-21=82).
Bronze Division Two – 1 Kathleen White (112-31=81); 2 Anne Franklin (116-30=86); 3 June Carver (120-30=90).

Britton booster for Ken and Bob

KEN Yeo and Bob Pincombe rolled back the years to shoot a nett 63 and win the men’s Britton Fourball on a countback at Tiverton on Saturday.
Simon ‘Early To Bed’ Budden missed out on the chance to lift the trophy for the second time in three years as he and birthday boy Lloyd Sampson were made to regret some short putts that got away in their 63.
Yeo and Pincombe had a back nine of 30 compared with Budden and Sampson’s 33.
Past captain Neil Carthew and Lee Scott were the best of a handful of pairs on 64 thanks to their strong inward nine, with Bill Tobin and Graham Dyson behind them in fourth.
Simon Greaves was nearest the pin on the 9^th while Chem Austin took that honour on the 18^th.

 The finalists in all the major men’s summer knock-out competitions are now known.
In the Captain’s Prize, Jason Frost beat Palairet Trophy squad-mate Gerry Franklin to book a spot in the final against Bob Pulsford, who saw off Keith Williams in the semis.
The Tommy Tucker Scratch Cup will see last year’s beaten finalist Richard Jessop go head to head with club champion Tony Allsopp.
The Summer Foursomes is also due for completion soon, with Lloyd Sampson and Rhys Cruse preparing for battle against Ben Wessely and his son Will.

John Phillips is the early leader in the men’s eclectic, played throughout September and October, and he has already set a very competitive target.
With all five of his nominated rounds completed, the 18-handicapper’s best scores on each hole give him a total of 56.50, with a gross aggregate of 70. 

Sue Persey chipped in twice as she and partner Jackie Leonard surged ahead in the final of the ladies' Spring Foursomes summer knock-out tournament on Saturday, and they went on to record a 4 and 2 victory over Annette Cardwell and Anne Warne.

Scott’s hot streak

 CAROL Scott continued her winning streak by picking up the top prize in the ladies’ September stableford at Tiverton on Wednesday.
She scored 41 points to earn a handicap reduction from 23 to 21 and qualify for the Goodwin Trophy.
Just three days earlier Scott linked up with her husband Gavin to win The Chalices.
Results: Silver Division – 1 Rachel Bray (39); 2 Sue Norris (37); 3 Bridget Holland (36).
Bronze Division One – 1 Carol Scott (41); 2 Tracy Banbury (38); 3 Marian Stevens (34).
Bronze Division Two – 1 June Carver (36); 2 Anne Franklin (36); 3 Janice Haynes (33).

The veterans’ stableford was won by Michael Boote, who carded 39 points to beat out Derrick Barrett (38), David Neilson (37), Duncan Ferrier (37), Ted Littlejohns (36) and Eddie Baker (35).

David edges it

DAVID Neilson hit a four-under nett 67 to win a tightly-contested John Goggs Bowl at Tiverton on Saturday.
The Scot was cut from 13 to 12 after pipping five men by one shot – Terry Barwell, in-form Lloyd Sampson, Gary Taylor, left-handed youngster Harry Callahan and Steve Cox.
Nathan ‘Shoulders’ Whitehouse had the lowest gross score of the day with his 75.
The competition was the final qualifier for the Blundell’s Trophy, awarded for the best three scratch scores combined in medals over the year.
Leader and Old Blundellian Jim Bray was sweating on the results while holidaying in Portugal but nearest challenger Jason Frost didn’t play and a poorly club general manager Richard Jessop could only card an 80 after being one over after nine.
Bray’s rounds of 71, 74 and 75 gave him a winning total of 220, beating Frost (71+75+75=221) by one and Jessop (72+74+76=222) by two.
Results: Division One – 1 David Neilson (80-13=67); 2 Terry Barwell (80-12=68); 3 Lloyd Sampson (82-14=68); 4 Andy Frankum (81-12=69); 5 Steve Buchanan (80-11=69); 6 Rick Thorne (83-13=70). Division Two – 1 Gary Taylor (85-17=68); 2 Harry Callahan (92-24=68); 3 Steve Cox (85-17=68); 4 Les Hartley (84-15=69); 5 Ricky Cruse (89-20=69); 6 Nick Lear (89-19=70).
 Carol Scott partnered her husband Gavin to victory as she won The Chalices for the third successive year.
They posted 40 points in the mixed greensomes stableford to fend off Coronation Cup champions James Lambden and Jane Walton (39) and Shaun Vickery and Sharron Quick (38).
Junior organiser Mark Sangster and youngster Abbie Moyes had a two on the 4^th.
The Scotts teamed up to win The Chalices last summer and in 2005 Carol was victorious playing alongside her son Callum.

Hannah is a record breaker

YOUNGSTER Hannah Grant set a new course record for a Tiverton lady player as she retained the Scratch Challenge Bowl by a whopping 26 shots on Wednesday.
Grant hit four birdies – on the 1^st, 2^nd, 10^th and 18^th – on her way to a brilliant two-under-par 72 in the ladies’ Autumn Meeting.
She had been playing off a handicap of two but has now been cut to one for the first time in her career.
Ladies’ competitions secretary Rosemary Perry described Grant’s round as ‘a wonderful achievement’.
The Scratch Challenge Bowl combines the scores from the Spring and Autumn Meetings and Grant’s earlier round of 80 meant an aggregate of 152 – two better than when she won it last year.
The runner-up was 14-handicapper Charlotte Snow, who had gross scores of 90 and 88 for a total of 178.

It was also a memorable day for Trish Bending, who picked up all the other three trophies on offer.
The 24-handicapper claimed the Bronze Scratch Cup, for the best aggregate gross score in the Bronze Division, the Pertwee Cup, for the best aggregate nett score in all divisions, and the Kyle Trophy, for the best aggregate nett score in all divisions for ladies over the age of 60.
In the Bronze Scratch Cup her gross rounds of 97 and 95 for a 192 total gave her victory over ladies’ vice-captain Gail Stuckey, who had identical rounds of 95 and 97 but was pipped on a countback.
In the Pertwee Cup Bending’s nett 74 and 71 for a 145 aggregate left her two ahead of runner-up Grant, who had scores of 77 and 70.
Her nearest challenger in the Kyle Trophy was Annette Cardwell, who also came in two adrift after rounds of 72 and 75.
Bending’s handicap was cut to 23 afterwards while Grant was the qualifier for the Hamilton Cup.
Autumn Meeting results: Silver Division –1 Hannah Grant (72-2=70); 2 Phyllida Dunn (84-13=71); 3 June Dymond (88-16=72). Bronze Division One – 1 Trish Bending (95-24=71); 2 Shirley Ward (96-23=73); 3 Gail Stuckey (97-22=75). Bronze Division Two – 1 Kathryn Hall (107-35=72); 2 Jean Granger (106-34=72); 3 Maureen Williams (102-29=73).

 Graham Dyson and Richard Archer both fired 40 points to top their divisions in the men’s September midweek stableford on Monday.
Results: Division One – 1 Graham Dyson (40); 2 Mike Hurley (39); 3 Noel Thomas (38); 4 Keith Williams (37); 5 Kelvin Woodgate (35); 6 Heath Ellis (34). Division Two – 1 Richard Archer (40); 2 Dean Farmer (39); 3 Martin Mountstevens (37); 4 Norman Fleet (35); 5 Michael Boote (34); 6 Shaun White (34).

MET maestros

TIVERTON’S men finally got their hands on the MET Shield after three wins out of three in their triangular match with Minehead and Enmore Park on Saturday.
The A team were successful at home, the B side edged a tight match at Minehead and the juniors came up trumps at Enmore in a dramatic finale.
In the penultimate B team singles match, Dave Horn chipped stone dead from 30 yards on the tough par-3 18^th at Minehead to claim a half and give Tiverton 42 points – crucially one ahead of the hosts.
It all came down to the last hole at Enmore also as, with the scores level, junior Mike Bradley birdied the downhill par-5 in the final match to swing it Tiverton’s way.
The victories for all the teams and the superior points difference meant Tiverton lifted the overall trophy.
Meanwhile, the juniors completed their East Devon League season with a 4-2 defeat at Downes Crediton, on the back of a 4-2 win over Sidmouth and a 4½-1½ reverse at Axe Cliff.
In-form Rhys Cruse won at Crediton while there were halves for Matthew Woodgate and Harry Callahan. 

James Lambden and Jane Walton won the mixed Coronation Cup summer knock-out competition after a narrow victory over Joe and Linda Knowles in the final on Thursday.
The Knowles’ took an early lead but Lambden and Walton fought back and were 2 up with two to play.
In the fading light the Knowles’ won the 17^th but the 18^th was halved in pars so Lambden and Walton came through 1 up.

 Chairman’s Cup champion Jason Frost beat Gerry Franklin on Sunday to reach the final of the men’s Captain’s Prize. He will now meet Bob Pulsford, who accounted for Keith Williams in the last four.

Mother and daughter Joan Reed and Alison Kelland were agonisingly beaten just one round short of the finals of the national Daily Mail Foursomes tournament.
The Tiverton duo had progressed through six regional rounds but were defeated by a local pair at Romsey, Hampshire, on Thursday so missed out on a spot in the showpiece at the Forest of Arden in Warwickshire.

 The men overcame the ladies by a convincing margin in their annual challenge match on Sunday, with Peter Garnsworthy and Andy Frankum taking the flak for being the only males to lose.

 The Jack Strong Cup last weekend was eventually won by Bob Cumes – and not by teenager Will Wessely as first thought.
Unknown to secretary for the day Andy Brice, Wessely had not played in enough qualifying events to be eligible for a prize so was technically disqualified under Rule 7, as was fellow high-placed Steve Luxon.

Ian is Toogood for the rest 

IAN Toogood broke 80 for only the second time in his career as he hit an amazing score of +8 to pick up the men’s Tope Trophy at Tiverton on Saturday.
Playing in the last group of the day, Toogood was +6 after nine holes and held his nerve to deliver a gross 79, nett 62 – a score he has had in his locker for a long time.
As a result Toogood, who lives near Cove and runs Toogood’s Farm Shop and Delicatessen in Tiverton, had his handicap chopped from 17 to 15, pending a further review.
Nigel Horobin finished second on +4, with Roger Higman (+4) coming third and John Phripp (+4) fourth.
Played alongside the Tope Trophy, which is for men off a handicap of 18 or less, was the Jack Strong Cup, for those over 18.
Teenager Will Wessely continued his excellent run of form to take the cup with a score of +5. Behind him were Bob Cumes (+4), Tony Wood-Wright (+2) and Steve Luxon (+2).
Wessely, playing off 27, has reached the men’s Summer Foursomes final with his father Ben and hit a nett 62 to win the juniors’ Heathcoat Cup last weekend.
Nicola Chilcott was the junior runner-up with a 66 and Rhys Cruse came third on 71 in the competition for youngsters with CONGU handicaps of 28 or less.
For those over 28, the Holland Cup was on offer and it was lifted by David Mackenzie, who put together 43 stableford points.
James Bradley finished second on 38 while Tom Mackenzie was third with 35.
Meanwhile, the Tope Trophy and Jack Strong Cup are to be separated from next year to revert to their old format, with players of all handicaps eligible for both. 

Tiverton’s mixed team lost 6-4 in their friendly match at Taunton Vale on Sunday.
The Tiverton winners were Steve and Jessica Bradley (1 hole), Steve Buchanan and Jane Walton (2 holes), Jim Walton and Tracy Banbury (5 and 4) and Richard and Amanda Moyes (4 and 3).
On the losing end were Mike Jewell and Lesley Crossley (2 and 1), Joe and Linda Knowles (1 hole), Roger and Sue Persey (6 and 5), Chris and Annette Cardwell (2 holes), David and Trish Bending (2 down) and Brian and Liz Hall (3 and 2).

David Grieve shot a level-par nett 71 to take the veterans’ Ambrose Congdon Cup on a countback from Graham Dyson.Noel Thomas and veterans’ captain David Green both finished one behind while Peter Stuckey was fifth after a 74.