Magic Mal Drives his way to Spalding Stableford win

A super score of 40 points was enough for handicap and competition’s secretary Mal Wray to see off 141 other players and clinch Spalding Golf Club’s Captain’s Drive In competition.

Wray (5 handicap) just edged the Surfleet Stableford event on countback from Garry Harrison (9), with both players finishing on the same score on a fine day of golf.

Third place went to Robin Exley (13), also on countback from Andy Thomas (9) after both came up just shy of top spot on 39 points.

Other leading scores came from: 38pts – Phil Tweddell, Chris Hancock; 37pts – Phil Wakefield, Chris Brooks, Bill Main, John Camm, Richard Thorold; 36pts – Neil West, Martin Johnson, Mark Payne, Stephen Thompson and Raich Growdridge.

The event also served as the first official day of duty for newly-elected club captain Ray Harrison. The competition concluded with the incoming skipper driving off the first tee in the honoured tradition, thus starting his year of office.

• The Gold Medal trophy, a strokeplay competition limited only to this year’s monthly medal winners from both handicap categories, was won by this month’s medal winner, junior member Lewis Wright (88-15=73) with a nett 73.

Dan Hines (74-0=74) was second with a nett 74, while Lawrie Haley (82-6=76) just pushed Ed Brand (82-6=76) into fourth place on countback after both shot a nett 76.

Other leading scores came from: Nett 77 – Stephen Thompson, Andy Grimwood, Simon Goemans; 78 – John Carrott, John Reynolds.

• In another of Spalding’s summer knock-out competition, Simon Richardson (-4 handicap) is now the club’s individual scratch matchplay champion with a 3&2 victory over James Crampton (-1).

As was expected from two of the best golfers ever to represent the Surfleet club, it was a high quality final with plenty of birdies, despite the very windy conditions on course.

Richardson was 3up at the turn and, despite Crampton winning a couple of holes with birdies early on the back nine, it was Richardson who was the more consistent and won at the 16th to take the much coveted Landale Scragg trophy.

The losing semi-finalists this year were Oliver Mitchell and Lloyd Chatham.