The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
DRIVING TO VICTORY: Spalding Golf Club’s Edward Brand made his mark at the latest monthly medal. Photo supplied
Talented junior member Edward Brand shot a stunning nett 64 to win Spalding Golf Club’s monthly medal competition.
In difficult, breezy, conditions 15-year-old Brand (76-12=64) topped the 0-14 handicap category by four strokes at the Surfleet course.
Behind him, Chas Lacey (71-3=68) and Chris Moxon (74-6=68) both carding a nett 68, while Keith Hearne (71-2=69) and Carl Sewell (82-13=69) completed the leaderboard on nett 69.
Other leading scores were: 70 – Wayne Wallace, Martin Paddison; 71 – Gary Palmer, Simon Richardson, Mark Mitchell; 72 – Lloyd Chatham, Andy Warnes and Vic Davis.
In-form Simon Richardson won the category lowest gross score prize with his 67, which included seven birdies.
Stephen Thompson (87-22=65) came out on top in the 15-28 handicap category with a nett 65 ahead of Monty Brittain (88-19=69) in second place with a nett 69.
Third place was awarded to Mark Crozier on countback from Mike Murphy and Andrew Elms. All carded a nett 70.
Other leading scores in this category were: 71 – John Carrott; 72 – Bryn Chappell; 73 – Greg Wright.
Elms won the lowest gross score prize with his 86, while Mark Dodds holed out with a six iron for an eagle two on the par four tenth hole – but just failed to make the leaderboard.
- Spalding’s 2nd team kept their South Lincs Scratch League title hopes alive by beating one of their main rivals, Blankney GC, 4.5-1.5 at the Surfleet course.
Early convincing wins came from Mark Jones and Simon Richardson (8&6), and Lawrie Haley and Chris Hancock (5&4), but with the four remaining games all down going into the back nine it did not look good.
However, narrow late wins from Mark Dodds and Mark Mitchell (2up) and Phil Tweddell and Paul Johnson (2up) sealed the win, with Chris Ward and Steve Camm also halving.
With two games to play, Spalding now top the league alongside Blankney – with Sleaford also very much in contention.
- The Spalding junior team finished just six points behind the winners of the English junior champion club tournament after scoring an impressive 66 points at the Woodhall Spa event.
As county champions, a title they won last year, the team of Ollie Mitchell (1 handicap), Harry Hunt (6) and Calum Walker (7) competed against 33 other county champion clubs in a Stableford format over two days – with the best two individual scores to count.
On day one, Hunt (36pts), Walker (30pts) and Mitchell (27pts) left them nicely placed.
But adverse weather conditions before play on the second day saw the championship abandoned, with the results from day one to determine the winner.
Cosby (Leicester) won the competition with 72 points, with Tiverton (Devon) in second place with 71 points.
- Keith Hearne was the pick of the 61 entries in the 13-hole Wednesday evening Stableford competition, scoring 31 points despite the windy conditions.
Other leading scores: 29pts – Ben Harris, Richard Thorold; 28pts – Richard Parker, Calum Lewis, Mark Cooley; 27pts – Andy Cunnington, Mark Payne, Simon Brand and Calum Walker.
