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BUNGS Tour 2007 - Lytham
10th, 11th & 12th June 2007

This year saw the Society visiting Lytham for the very first time. Lytham, a name synonymous with Championship golf and 3 top quality courses lined up for this year’s annual match play challenge between the Captain’s team, led by Karl Hughes and the Challengers’ team led by Mike (Foxy) Fox.

The two teams in full were :

Captain's Team Handicap Challenger's Team Handicap
Karl Hughes, capt 9 Mike Fox, capt 16
Neil Smith, vice capt 20 Bobby Ho, vice capt 13
Adam Thompson 5 Graham Bilsland 2
John Shaw 6 Martyn Dodwell 6
Steve Lloyd 7 Howard Holliday 6
Ian Talboys 8 Gordon Galloway 7
Adrian Marchant 10 James Shipman 8
Steve Booth 11 John Bayliss 13
Tim Thacker 13 Paul Weston 13
Bill Hancock 15 Paul Herrmann 14
Les Poultney 21 Ivan Heathcote 14
Alan Tolley 18 Jamie Moore 20
Darren Weston 18 Barry Whitmore 20
Tom Harris 19 Brian Keates 24
Richard Stevens 21 Gordon Sullivan 24
Graeme Black 22 Mike Thacker 27
John Mansell 21 Dave Grubb 26

 

Saturday 9th June

The weather for this year’s Tour promised to be glorious and for those who travelled a day early to get some golf in they weren’t disappointed and it proved an ideal opportunity to give those shorts a much needed airing! We stayed at the Best Western Glendower Hotel on the North Promenade in Lytham, just a stone’s throw from the night spots (and flesh pots) of nearby Blackpool. After Mike Thacker had fallen off a broken chair (contrary to popular belief, not the dirty work of his weekend opponent, Richard Stevens) a flotilla of taxis arrived right on cue at 7pm to whisk the more ‘serious’ members of the Society away for an evening of gaiety – and loads of alcohol of course. The ‘Laddos’ found Blackpool packed with under 18s and littered with hen parties - most of the participants dressed either as the builder from the Village People or sexy police women although we aren’t sure how many Society members were lucky enough to have their particulars taken down! Ironically, Adam Thompson who was among those who declined the chance to get legless (or a leg over) in Blackpool, was seen ‘retiring’ early with a box of tissues – was this a touch of hay fever or perhaps something a little more ‘interesting’ that we ought to know about ?

 

Sunday 10th June 2007 - morning
Blackpool North Shore Golf Club
8 x foursomes matches (over 9 holes)

1 x singles match (over 18 holes)

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel it was a mere 20 minute drive along the prom in Blackpool to find North Shore Golf Club. Quite a hilly course with rolling fairways and large greens and a strong breeze to greet us so a testing day in prospect. It had been a cloudy start but the sun soon made an appearance and it promised to be a day for sun cream and hats that’s for sure. Those wanting more information to guide them around the course were sold what was surely the oldest course planner still in circulation. Printed in 1987 it contained adverts for such modern cars as the Sierra Estate or the Rover Vitesse – oh, and a picture of a youthful looking Eamonn Darcy promoting sales of the ‘new’ Saab 9000i which, as James points out, probably pre-dates Gordon Sullivan passing his driving test!
 

Tim Thacker & Darren Weston

beat Paul Herrmann & Jamie Moore 1up
None of the players in this match provided any match information so no report available.

Tom Harris & Graeme Black

beat Ivan Heathcote & John Bayliss 2/1

Victory for the Captain’s team was mostly down to Harris and Black being able to find their ball on any fairway but their own and then finding the green much to the annoyance of their opponents. 50  yard lob wedge shots to within 5 yards didn’t go down too well either, especially with the Blue pair receiving a number of shots!

John Shaw & Karl Hughes

half Barry Whitmore & Brian Keates A/S

Karl and John had to give their opponents 8 shots on 9 holes but still managed a half point. It was a good tight match - never more then one in it. The Blue pair were one up on the 8th tee and fully expecting to win 2 and 1 but on the only hole where the Challengers didn’t get a shot , Brian managed to play an exquisite chip from back of the green stone dead for a ‘gimme’ five - Karl fluffed a putt half way from the back of the green and John then  missed a 15 footer so the hole was halved.  Brian then hit a great shot to ten feet at the last and although John had a birdie putt to win he missed, giving Brian and Barry the hole and squaring the match

Mike Fox & Paul Weston

beat Adrian Marchant & Steve Booth 3/2

The first morning, and Adrian and Paul already drawn against each other in a ‘revenge’ match. The first 2 holes were halved but Paul’s outstanding drive at the 3rd helped them win the hole to go 1up. On the 6th, Steve and Paul walked forward to look out for their partners tee shots. Unfortunately Steve ended up walking back 100yds as Adrian promptly duffed his tee shot into the rough not far in front of the tee. More scrappy play from the Captain’s team saw their opponents go 2up. Foxy and Paul had a shot on the 7th, so a  4 nett 3 was good enough to close the match out. Apparently a thoroughly enjoyable match with good banter between the pairings.

Neil Smith & Steve Lloyd

half Graham Bilsland & Gordon Galloway A/S

Giving away five shots over nine holes was never going to be easy for Graham & Gordon, (especially with Graham in a definite state of hangover following the previous night’s exploits) and Steve & Neil went quickly ahead. Graham was putting well, but had to make a couple of long putts just to halve holes. By the 6th the Blue pair were 2up and with Steve on the back edge in 2 and their opponents in trouble short right it looked like they would go dormie 3.The Challengers somehow managed to get up and down and the Blue team 3 putted (Steve missing a ‘tiddler’) so there was only one in it going to the 7th and this proved to be the turning point. Steve & Neil had a shot but it was wasted when their tee shot found the greenside bunker and with a second successive 3 putts, Steve & Neil could only make five, allowing Graham & Gordon to level the match with a par. Neil topped his drive at the 8th and missed another testy three footer on the green to put the Blue team one down. Both teams subsequently missed the ninth green, and with Graham and Gordon both making a mess of the hole Steve was left with 2 putts for the half but duly rolled in a fifteen footer to square the match. Incredibly, the Black pair only dropped 2 shots and still ended up sharing the spoils !

Les Poultney & John Mansell beat Howard Holliday & Martyn Dodwell 3/2
None of the players in this match provided any match information so no report available.
Bobby Ho & James Shipman beat Ian Talboys & Adam Thompson 2/1

This was always going to be a tough match for the Captain’s team having to give James & Bobby 2 shots over 9 holes, and so it proved.  Bobby drove and putted exceptionally well holing a couple of crucial 6-8 footers.  James was also very steady.  The match was kept alive until the 8th largely down to some terrific scrambling from the Blue pair but when Ian’s great drive at the penultimate hole found a really poor lie, a par 4 for the Black team closed out the match. The defeat at least maintained Tally and Thommo’s 100% (losing ) record together in this format !

Dave Grubb & Gordon Sullivan beat Bill Hancock & Alan Tolley 2/1

The Captain’s team were up against it from the off giving their opponents 5 shots over just 9 holes – and with ‘Grubby’ the recent BUNGS Championship winner Bill and Alan would have had to have played out of their skins to get something from this one. Gordon, one of the last bastions of decency, good taste and a high regard for doing things the ’right way’ still isn’t averse to a little ‘sledging’ when the mood takes him. Standing on the 4th tee Alan turned to Bill and asked him which direction the fairway went. Gordon piped up “Just hit it on the line of the tower”. Alan duly drove towards the water tower on top of the hill to the left but, as they left the tee it was clear that Alan’s drive had found the left hand rough and was nowhere near the fairway itself. “I thought you said the line was the tower” Alan said to Gordon, who then pointed out the famous ‘Blackpool’ tower in the distance – but with a wry smile on his face at the same time !  Surprisingly  the match was still all square on the 7th tee despite some terrific long iron play from Dave and the odd (although expected) bout of scrambling from Gordon, but Bill’s tee shot found the front bunker and Alan’s escape from the sand came up short giving the Black team a one hole advantage with 2 to play. Grubby’s tee shot at the 8th was way to the left but, instead of allowing the Blue team to gain any advantage Gordon then pulled out his 15-wood and promptly put it to 8 feet where they 2 putted for the win.

Richard Stevens beat Mike Thacker 3/2

Richard had allegedly not played at all since Christmas (must be hard work delivering all those sacks I suppose) but, by all accounts, played a blinder and won quite convincingly giving Mike no chance at all.

Captain’s Blue team 5           Challenger’s Black team 4

 

Sunday 10th June 2007 - afternoon
Blackpool North Shore Golf Club
8 x fourball-betterball matches (over 18 holes)

Tim Thacker & Karl Hughes

beat Paul Herrmann & Bobby Ho 2/1
None of the players in this match provided any match information so no report available.

Graeme Black & John Shaw

half Howard Holliday & Gordon Sullivan A/S

Despite Graeme only scoring on three holes the Captain’s team found themselves 3 up after 13 mainly thanks to some fine play from John. Howard and Gordon gradually began to chip away at their lead though, and when John missed a  2 footer on 15 for a bogey the match was all square. Gordon got a bit excited at this point and must have thought the Blue team were ripe for the taking but on the last two holes it was the Captain’s team who had chances to take the match - Graeme missing a short putt on 17 and then John’s fifteen foot birdie putt on the 18th stopped agonisingly on the edge of the hole - match halved. A superb game and John’s reward for his excellent form ? Two nearest the pin prizes !

Mike Fox & James Shipman

beat Tom Harris & Darren Weston 6/5

The pairing of Tom and Darren, receiving 8 shots looked on paper to have a great chance of victory but apparently Mickleson and Woods wouldn’t have beaten the Black pair on this form. However the writing was on the wall when Tom needed a nett birdie to halve James’s gross birdie to remain only 2 down after just 3 holes. Having temporarily halted the slide Tom stepped up on the 4th tee to launch a big drive only to almost miss entirely and see the ball dribble about 5 yards. Anyone who’s met Tom would understand why neither James or Foxy were going to let him know about the ”dick’s out” rule for not reaching the ladies tee ! Darren had to compose himself by removing the tears and grin from his face to hastily advise Tom to play the ball as it lay. Tom, totally unphased by his handbag shot despatched the ball down the fairway and eventually secured a very creditable bogey. That was still not enough though as James managed yet another par. Continued steady play from James and Foxy extended their lead and, despite a 40 foot putt from Tom at the 13th James sealed the match with a par and their better ball score stood at an amazing one over par.

Adrian Marchant & Neil Smith

beat Jamie Moore & Dave Grubb 3/1

The 1st tee at any course is a challenge for any golfer but it should be a reasonably safe place to watch – unless Dave Grubb is around, of course ! Not many have the skill and talent to ‘shank’ a driver but Grubby put us all to shame, leaving everyone in hysterics (and even a couple of the local club members wondering just what in hell they had let onto their course). Most of us had, jokingly, wondered whether a good old fashioned slice from the 1st tee would be good enough to pierce the upstairs window of the adjoining club house. Dave had different ideas however; his tee shot not only a shank but bouncing once on the hard path and then actually clearing the club house itself by a matter of inches – some shot Dave ! Playing partner Jamie wasn’t phased however and the black pair made 7, with a shot and were 1up. By the turn, a string of pars from the Captain’s team saw them 1up and this quickly became 2up at the 10th (after Dave had again sent several local  members diving for cover). A superb nett 3 by Jamie on the 11th, again reduced the lead to 1 but the black pair kept up their ‘target practice’ by  forcing yet more locals to take evasive action as the match tee’d off on 12. By the 15th, the Blues were dormie three and although the 16th was given to Jamie as the only one on the green, the reprieve was only temporary as a great 2 on the 17th from Adrian was enough to close out the match..

Steve Lloyd & John Mansell

beat Martyn Dodwell & Barry Whitmore 1up

Both pairings looked very evenly matched and this proved to be the case. The Black pair went one up at the first thanks to a par from Martyn and John’s 5 nett 4 secured a half to another par from Martyn at the second. The next three holes went to the Blues putting them 2up and then Steve and Martyn went on a par spree, halving the next six holes. The group had to wait on the 10th tee for a young mother and her 2 children to cross the fairway. The one, a brat, was acting up so badly the mother simply left him to bawl his head off and marched on ahead. Seconds later, a drive from the 11th tee whistled past the kid’s head nearly decapitating him denying us what would have been a ‘first’ – a BUNGS member charged with manslaughter at one of our events! Back to the match and Barry’s contribution had been minimal up to this point (mainly due to Martyn’s excellent scoring) but a par at the 12th after Steve and John both found sand,  reduced the deficit to one. Another par from Baz at the next secured a half but a par from Steve at the 14th (after smashing a huge drive over the head of Foxy in the match in front) restored the 2up advantage. The par 5 15th was halved in par and then Martyn’s birdie 3 took the 16th. When Martyn rolled in another putt for a birdie 2 at 17, Steve followed him in with a 2 of his own. The 18th was a tense affair, with Steve safely on the green in two and Barry’s second finishing short and left, it looked like the match was the Blues. However, Barry hit a spectacular third to five feet and had a putt to halve the match but unfortunately for Baz, his putt just sneaked past the hole meaning the Blue’s took the match 1up. A half would probably have been a fair result in this great game as Barry had numerous putts just shave the edge of the hole and both Steve and Martyn went round in 3 over par, Steve’s solitary shot at the 5th being pivotal.

Steve Booth & Les Poultney beat Graham Bilsland & John Bayliss 3/1

The only thing we know about this match is that on one hole Les, playing his 2nd from a divot had an ‘air’ shot ; his 3rd only went about 50 yards and the 4th still 80 yards from the green. Les then played a chip and run shot with his partner Steve saying “that’s going to be quite close, that’s going to be very close, that’s going to be really close …. Its f***ing well in ! A 4 nett 3 for Les, but Graham still holed a downhill 20 footer to halve the hole.

Ian Talboys & Alan Tolley beat Gordon Galloway & Brian Keates 1up

This was a close match which went all the way to the eighteenth. Ian didn’t disappoint, losing two balls in the first two holes and the Captain’s pair were soon 2down but they held it together, winning the 6th and the 8th to level the match. Alan’s perfect tee shot at the short 9th saw the Blues go 1up at the turn but the Challengers came into their own at this point with some solid play from Gordon, and from Brian making good use of his extra shots. When Gordon birdied the par five fifteenth with a fifty foot putt to put them two up Ian and Alan looked dead and buried. True to form Ian let out a string of expletives as he left the green, but when Brian, in an attempt to console his work colleague uttered the words, “you can still win, you know”, he couldn’t have realised the enormity of his statement. Ian somehow managed to compose himself and promptly almost drove the 304 yard sixteenth, reducing the deficit to one down and two to play. Brian was the only one with a shot at the par three seventeenth and, as he also had a shot at the last, it was still looking difficult for Ian and Alan. All four made a mess of the par 3 17th but Ian managed to get up and down for par and the match was all square. Alan then hit his best drive of the day at the last, straight out of the straps, and followed it with a punched 7 wood,  pin high but just off to the right of the green some 30 feet away. Ian was also over the back in two but Brian and Gordon had both made a hash of their approach shots so 2 putts from either of the Blue pair would be enough. Ian sent his first putt some 8 feet past and missed the return. In the meantime Alan had putted to 6 feet but was left with a tricky right to lefter up and across the slope. Hpwever, with the clubhouse clock showing 7.47pm and the BUNGS Secretary sitting behind the green with one eye on his watch worried that they were all going to be late for dinner in the hotel,  Alan’s par putt was similar to Seve’s Open winning putt at St Andrew’s in 1984 and dropped in the side door for what was a magnificent four at the last to win the match.

Adam Thompson & Bill Hancock beat Paul Weston & Ivan Heathcote 4/3

Adam and Bill were fast out of the traps and after being handed the 1st, they then won the 2nd & 3rd with birdies to go 3up. Adam’s iron play was notable in the early stages but, not to be outdone, Paul’s putter suddenly became 'white hot'.  He sunk a 14 footer to win the 4th and followed that with 10 footers to half both the 5th and 6th.  On the short 7th he then holed from long range (45 feet according to Adam – Paul more modestly says 30 feet) for a 2 and when he faced another 30 footer on the 9th Bill commented that this was “just your range” and Paul promptly rolled in another peach of a putt to make the match all square at the turn. ‘Bungalow' Bill used the adage of an old head on ‘old’ shoulders to respond by rolling in a monster putt of his own for birdie at the short 12th and when Adam followed this up with a birdie at 13, successive pars at 14 and 15 were enough to seal the match. This being the far end of the course it was obvious that Ivan and Paul had failed to sparkle as a pair as Paul bemoaned the ‘bloody walk back to the clubhouse’

Captain’s Blue team 11.5           Challenger’s Black team 5.5

A terrific start for the Blue Team and the Challengers with it all to do. In the evening, those who had sampled the delights of Blackpool on Saturday night declined to venture out again and instead opted for a more ‘sobering’ experience in the hotel bar. Les Poultney, a tour ‘virgin’ appeared to be the only one, apart from John Mansell (anything but a virgin) up for the challenge of another night out. There were one or two grumbles at dinner when Alan Tolley was the last to sit down and then somehow got served first - but hey, you’ve either got it or you haven’t !

 

Monday 11th June 2007 - morning
St. Annes Old Links Golf Club
8 x foursomes matches (over 18 holes)

1 x singles match (over 18 holes)

Martyn Dodwell & Graham Bilsland

beat Adrian Marchant & Darren Weston 3/2
None of the players in this match provided any match information so no report available.

Tim Thacker & Neil Smith

beat Bobby Ho & Paul Weston 7/6

A tight match in prospect although it was anything but that as the Blue team played the first 7 holes in just  2 over par gross leaving them 7 up after 7. The prospect of a real drubbing got to Paul on the 8th when Neil mistakenly called him by his brother’s name,  “Darren” and promptly had a strip torn off him. Neil then asked Paul what was worse, being called Darren or being 7 down after 7 but, unfortunately, the reply is unprintable !  It certainly got Paul fired up though and the black pair came back to win the 8th and 9th leaving the score 5 up at the turn. Two pars by the blues were enough to win the 10th and 11th however, leaving them dormie 7. A half on the 12th was enough for the 7/6 win. Tim and Neil decided to walk in and had the pleasure of passing all their team  mates still playing,  on their “victory march”. For Paul, it was another long walk back for the 2nd time in as many days but, as he says, at least it kept him fit !

Ian Talboys & Steve Booth

beat Barry Whitmore & John Bayliss 4/3

The Blue pair started fast to be 2up through 3 holes, however, by the 5th the lead was gone, and without a great putt from Steve, the Black team would have assumed the lead at the 6th.The match was still all square at the turn, but by the 12th, the Blues had restored their 2up lead, getting up and down at the 10th and following that with a birdie on the par 4 11th after a good drive from Ian. The black team battled bravely to prevent going further behind but with Blues winning both 14 and 15,the victory was sealed.

James Shipman & Gordon Galloway

beat Karl Hughes & John Mansell 1up

This match went all the way to the 18th. Early on it looked as if the black team were going to walk it, with Gordon’s sublime putting and James’s approach play on fire. Indeed, Gordon even found time to do some stretching (and scratching) exercises in the middle of the fairway on one occasion! 3 down with 5 to play and time for the blues to at least make a game of it by winning the 15th . On the very next hole John Mansell had finally sobered up from the previous night’s exploits and he found the green with a majestic strike. The pressure got to Gordon as his tee shot ended in the greenside trap. James’s  bunker shot  was not close enough for the feisty Scotsman to convert and Blues now just one down. A solid par 5 from Karl at the 17th brought the match all square and should have set up a storming finale down the last hole, but the sun, sand, sea air (and too much clubbing the night before) must have sapped John’s energy at the crucial moment and he could only duff his drive at 18 into thick grass about 20 yards in front of the tee. Blacks almost contrived to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory when James hit his second perilously close to the OB but a par was good enough for the win.

Les Poultney & Graeme Black

beat Jamie Moore & Dave Grubb 1up

None of the players in this match provided any match information so no report available.

Tom Harris & John Shaw beat Howard Holliday & Paul Herrmann 2/1

Unusually for John, as he was partnered with Tom he found himself with  three shots! Despite losing the first the blue pair used their shots to good effect and were soon 3up. Paul didn’t help black’s cause by continually saying he hadn’t won a match in the last 3 tours and so didn't think he would win. Well, he didn’t, and the match eventually closed out on the 17th meaning an easy walk back to the clubhouse.

Brian Keates & Gordon Sullivan beat Bill Hancock & Alan Tolley 1up

For the 2nd successive day the more ‘experienced’ (age wise) Bill and Alan were paired together and, just like the previous day, ended up giving their opponents a number of shots, 8 this time. After 4 holes however, steady play from blues put them 2 up and coasting, and they certainly seem to have got under the skin of their higher handicap opponents as Gordon twice walked off with Brian’s trolley as his partner was about to play his shot. However, at the next 3 holes blacks made full use of their extra shots and managed to turn the match in their favour by the 7th. When they also won the 8th and 10th to go 3 up the writing must have been on the wall and Gordon couldn’t resist trying to niggle the opposition even further by telling Bill to tuck his shirt in ! Blues, desperate not to be beaten for the 2nd successive day rallied brilliantly, winning 12 and 13 and then squaring the match with a 3 at the short 16th with Gordon ‘pretending’ to have lost count of the number of shots taken. Going up the last it was all down to the approach shots. Alan’s 5 wood second didn’t quite clear the huge mound in front of the green and Brian took full advantage, belying his 24 handicap, hitting a glorious 6 iron from all of 180 yards onto the green. Alan had a curling 12 footer across the slope for a half but it missed on the high side and a par 4 was good enough to seal victory for the blacks.

Steve Lloyd & Adam Thompson beat Mike Fox and Ivan Heathcote 7/6

Ivan's game that went missing on the North Shore the day before failed to find its way to the Old Links as well. There must have been major road works as Foxy's game didn't show either.  This made for a one-sided contest , especially with Adam and Steve 2 over gross for the 12 holes played. Things started ominously when a par was good enough for Blues at the first. Three putts from Steve/Adam resulted in a half at the second and when Ivan put his tee shots in bushes at the par three third, the Blacks were two down. This was reduced to one with an excellent nett birdie at the stoke index 1 next but the advantage was restored when Steve and Adam birdied the next. Mike and Ivan again reduced the deficit to one with another nett birdie at the 6th, but then things started to go horribly wrong. The 7th and 8th were lost to par and when Foxy had to play off the path high above the 9th green, this hole was also lost and they were 4 down at the turn. With both Mike and Ivan hacking their way down the rough on the left hand side of 10, this was four in a row to the Blues and 5up. A birdie 3 followed at the 11th making it 6up. The match was secured with a steady par by the Blues at the 12th for a 7/6 victory. Mike and Ivan would be the first to admit that their golf was not quite ‘up to scratch’ but with Adam and Steve in scintillating form, the Blue pair would have been very difficult for anyone to beat.

Mike Thacker beat Richard Stevens 2up

Mike gained revenge for his first day defeat – not as comprehensive as Richard’s victory at Blackpool North Shore but enough to ‘square’ things between these 2 experienced (well, we’re not allowed to make ‘ageist’ comments anymore) campaigners.

Captain’s Blue team 16.5           Challenger’s Black team 9.5

 

Monday 11th June 2007 - afternoon
St. Annes Old Links Golf Club
8 x fourball-betterball matches (over 18 holes)

Howard Holliday & Jamie Moore

beat Tim Thacker & Adrian Marchant 3/2
None of the players in this match provided any match information so no report available.

Darren Weston & Ian Talboys

half Paul Weston & Martyn Dodwell A/S

After a miserable couple of appearances for Paul so far he at least had the added incentive of playing against his brother. The match was tight at the start but a good bunker tip from Martyn to Paul at the 4th saw them go 1up only for blues to level a few holes later. A good up and down from Ian on the 9th, gave the Blue team a 1 up lead at the turn. However, a fine birdie from Martyn on the 10th, brought the match back to all square. Fine use of Darren's shot brought a surprise win for the Blues at 13, which Ian extended further with a birdie 3 at the 14th which saw them 2up with 4 to play. Paul reduced the Blues lead to one at the next and looked sure to bring the match back to all square at 16 with a great tee shot in the strong cross-wind, finding the heart of the green. However, Ian produced a great chip and holed a curling 10 footer to maintain the Blues’ slender lead. The 17th saw some of the best golf of the weekend, with Martyn putting his second to around 20 feet on the par 5. Ian's second was just off the edge of the green, and he then produced a good chip to 6 feet. Martyn's eagle attempt slipped by, and Ian bravely holed his birdie putt for a half in birdie 4. However the Blues could not hang on to their lead at 18, as Paul played a superb third shot from the front bunker,(no doubt aided by Martyn’s tip earlier on),and although Darren had a chance to take the match, his 8 footer stayed above ground and his brother Paul had 2 putts  to win the hole and halve the match.

Neil Smith & Karl Hughes

beat Bobby Ho & Ivan Heathcote 3/2

The Captain and Vice captain teamed up for this match and with Bobby still in shock from being given the proverbial ‘dog licence’ in the morning, the Blues fancied their chances. After a half on the first the blues won the next two holes  to go 2 up. On the 4th Bobby guided Ivan to his ball who then hit a cracking shot towards the green, only to discover it was Graham Bilsland’s wayward drive he had hit instead (that wouldn’t be the last “wrong ball” Ivan would play!) Bobby went on to halve the hole but a nett eagle on the par five 5th by Neil and a par from Karl on the 6th was enough to put the blues 4 up. The blacks managed to win the 8th leaving blues 3 up at the turn. The 4 hole advantage was restored at the 10th but blacks again reduced the deficit at the 12th after Neil duffed a chip after claiming of being distracted by the smell of chips from Blackpool pleasure beach - over a mile away ! A bit of to and fro’ing followed but by the 16th tee it was dormie 3 to blues and a half at the par 3 hole saw the match over.

Alan Tolley & Steve Booth

beat James Shipman & John Bayliss 6/5

Steve and Alan were simply unstoppable. They got off to a flying start with a par from Alan at the first and another one from Steve at the short 3rd put them 2 up. Alan was driving well and could do no wrong from the tee, using his shots well. James and John could do nothing to counter the solid play of their opponents and were decidedly second best, as the Booth/Tolley pairing (also successful at Ormskirk in 2006) drove the nail in further by winning the 5th and then completing the rout with 3 in a row from the 8th putting them 6 up with 8 to play. Steve’s greater experience made sure the Blues played ‘safe’ for the next 3 holes  and by the 13th the Black team felt they had been well and truly duffed 6/5. As a measure of the margin of victory the Captain’s pair were 2 over par nett better ball at the finish and didn’t concede one single hole to their opponents throughout. 

John Mansell & Graeme Black

beat Mike Fox & Barry Whitmore 5/4
None of the players in this match provided any match information so no report available.
John Shaw & Les Poultney beat Graham Bilsland & Gordon Sullivan 3/2

Les and John combined well to be 4up after eight but with Gordon using both his shots on the next 2 holes the arrears were reduced to 2.  Tour ‘virgin’ Les came into the match with a 100% record and didn’t disappoint, playing well and apparently even carrying his more illustrious partner, (who had lost his swing in the afternoon sunshine) for most of the way.

Steve Lloyd & Bill Hancock beat Dave Grubb & Brian Keates 3/2

A great start was made to this match by the Blacks when Brian drained a 30 footer at the first for a win and the Blues were dismayed when Brian did it again, holing from 25 feet at the second to put Blacks 2up. A par from Bill at the third and another from Steve at the fourth quickly squared the match but the pivotal point came around the turn when Bill made superb birdies at the 8thand 9th and after he had commented “I’ve never birdied three in a row before”, with the par secured by Steve at the 10th Bill duly rolled-in from 20 feet for a superb hat-trick of birdies to put him and Steve 5up. That made it four birdies in five holes by the Blues and might have been enough to see off most opponents but, to their credit, Black’s didn’t give up and Brian’s 3 nett 2 at the 13th reduced the deficit. Grubby then took the 15th to reduce the Blues’ advantage to just three and with both Steve and Bill missing the green at the short 16th, the chance was there for Blacks but Grubby proceeded to 3 putt and a half was good enough for the 3/2 victory in Bill and Steve’s favour.

Adam Thompson & Tom Harris beat Paul Herrmann & Gordon Galloway 4/3

The pairing of Tom and Thommo pitched against two opponents struggling with their game.  Gordon was suffering with his back and Paul was just suffering & playing like a man destined to lose 9 tour matches on the bounce. For a Tour ‘virgin’ Tom played with a steady head ignoring his driver most of the time and keeping the ball in play instead and he proved to be a very useful ally, more or less coming in on every hole where he had a shot. For Adam, being last out in the fourballs is like some sort of golfing water torture, but he shouldn’t complain because at least it gave him the chance to top up his tan. At one point the prospect of 9 tour defeats in a row got to Paul as he had a nosebleed. This surprised Gordon who felt he must have been getting used to this position by now.

NB Overheard near the 1st tee before this match started : "Thommo’s always swapping from pink to brown". Anyone thinking this relates to anything other than Adam changing his footwear from pink shoes in the morning to brown in the afternoon has got a very dirty mind – mind you, we still don’t know what that box of tissues was for do we ?

Captain’s Blue team 23           Challenger’s Black team 11

A real uphill battle for the Challengers tomorrow if they are to even come close such has been the dominance of the Captain’s team over the first 2 days. In the evening, after another excellent meal at the hotel, 8 ‘hardy’ members decided to venture into Blackpool yet again for more fun and frolicks. Trouble was it was so quiet they almost doubled the numbers in some of the bars and clubs. John Mansell, whose mission appeared to be more about ‘scoring’ off the field instead of on the golf course tried chatting to 2 Canadian girls (looking for a ‘Mountie’ perhaps ?). The group then entered a lap dancing club but business was so bad they were told to come back in half an hour so they could send out for some girls. They ended up in one nightclub where an 11 year old boy appeared to be dancing with a 50 year old bleached blonde granny. This didn’t stop a certain BUNGS member from trying to chat her up though! Such was the absence of any real ‘talent’ James Shipman ended up ‘boogie’ing on down’  –  only with himself in the middle of the dance floor. The party eventually crashed out back at the hotel around 3am.


Face pixelated to protect the guilty (from his wife)!

 

Tuesday 12th June 2007
Fairhaven Golf Club
17 x singles matches (over 18 holes)

Known as one of the best Open Championship qualifying courses Fairhaven was in perfect condition when we arrived. Trouble was, the rain had started to fall as well so conditions might have been a little more testing than previous days for the early starters.

Karl Hughes

beat Mike Fox 2/1
Neither player in this match provided any match information so no report available.

Adam Thompson

beat Howard Holliday 3/2

Howard arrived on the tee fresh from a night enjoying the 'delights' that Blackpool had to offer.  Despite this he went 1up at the 2nd but Adam won the 4th, 5th & 6th as Howard’s hangover kicked in but he managed to level the match with  birdies on 9 and 11. Not to be outdone, Adam  then went par, par, birdie to go 3up and he  closed the match out at the 16th at which point he was only 1 over gross.

Ian Talboys

beat Graham Bilsland 3/2

A few hours after Graham emerged from one of Blackpool's lap dancing establishments he faced Ian in the battle of BUNGS biggest moaners. Things looked ominous for Ian, after Graham holed his birdie putt at the first, and Ian left his 5 footer for birdie short. Ian then proceeded to make a hash of the 2nd, leaving Graham, a notorious front-runner, 2 up after 2. Ian holed a long putt at 3 to reduce Graham's lead to 1, and then brought the match back to all square after a par, nett birdie at the 4th. At the 7th both players were just short of the short par 4 with their tee shots, however, a thinned second from Graham, handed Ian the hole. Ian seized control of the match with an up and down for another nett birdie at 8, and a comfortable par 4 at the 9th. Graham again reduced the arrears to 2 at the 10th with a solid par 3 but, just when Graham appeared to getting back into the match, 3 tee shots out of bounds allowed Ian to win the11th and 12th. Graham made a good par 4 to win the 13th and followed that with a great approach to 10 feet at the next but missed the putt, and Ian managed to hole a curling 5 footer for par, nett birdie and an unlikely win, to put him dormie 4. Ian handed Graham the 15th, but a great  tee shot down the 16th, lead to Ian closing out the victory in what was the first halved hole of the match.

Martyn Dodwell

beat Steve Lloyd 6/4

An eagerly awaited contest got off to a good quality start. Steve’s birdie putt at the first shaved the edge of the hole and then Martyn’s excellent tee shot at the par 3 second resulted in a two, putting him 1up but Steve levelled the match utilising his solitary shot at the third. The next two were halved in bogey but then Martyn went on a fine run, parring seven of the next eight holes, and with Steve finding too many of the fairway and greenside bunkers, this was enough to put Martyn 5up after 13. The match was secured with yet another par from Martyn at the 14th for a deserved 6/4 victory. Steve was disappointed that his game wasn’t at its best, so couldn’t give Martyn a decent contest , but consoled himself that after playing in, Martyn was only 1 over par for the round, so he would have been very difficult for anyone to beat on that form.

James Shipman

beat John Shaw 2up

This was always going to be a good battle with the two GPs determined to put one over each other. Holes were exchanged rapidly with John’s birdie at the first being negated by James’s par 3 at the next. James parred the 3rd after carving his drive way right then striking a magnificent 5 wood onto the lawn to leave John no chance. The 4th went John’s way with a par, then 3 pars and a bogie from James took him to 3up after 8. John won the 9th with a bogie but a birdie at 11 and par at 12 put James 4 up. John duly demonstrated his Northern charm (or lack of) after finding a bunker. John then spotted that his hands were behind the ball at address and, after rectifying the problem won the next 3 holes to stand on the 18th tee with a real chance of squaring the match and preserving his unbeaten record so far. His drive just missed the left hand traps and ended up in the tall wispy grass. James pushed his drive right into the trees and then tried to ‘play safe’ but his attempted 5 iron ‘punch’ clipped a tree and richocheted back across the fairway about 10 yards behind John’s drive. At this stage John must surely have thought the half was well and truly on, but James proceeded to pull out a 5 wood and smacked it fully 236 yards to 18 inches. As a result, John was stunned and could only carve his approach out of bounds. He won 4 out of the last 6 holes and still ended up losing !

Neil Smith beat Barry Whitmore 7/6

A tight match was expected, especially with no shots given. Neil went 1up on the first and was lucky to half the second after spotting a member putting his ball in his pocket ; he soon returned the ball to it’s original position when he spotted the figure of Neil striding down the fairway towards him! Neil’s play was too good for Barry and by the turn he was 5up. The match was eventually closed out at the 12th.

Steve Booth beat Ivan Heathcote 3/2
Neither player in this match provided any match information so no report available.
Paul Weston beat Tim Thacker 5/3

Paul refers to this match as ‘TAMING THE TIM’. Paul got his nose in front at the 3rd after Tim went in the trees and found a bad lie.1up quickly became 2 as Tim found a gorse bush off the next tee. Paul’s tee shot at the fifth found the right hand bunker, and with Tim just short and with the best opportunity all Paul was looking to do was find the green which he duly did and then sank a 12ft putt for par after a thinned chip by Tim. Paul then played steady and Tim lost a few balls and with a birdie at the 9th Paul found himself 6up and clearly smelling victory. At the 10th with Paul bunkered, Martyn’s tip from the previous day came in handy yet again as Paul splashed out to 2 inches and when Tim’s first putt raced past, he missed the return and Paul was suddenly in the commanding position of 7up with 8 to play. Tim promptly won 2 out of the next 3 but Paul still had the advantage playing the 15th. Both hit good tee shots up the 15th, and although Paul’s second found the greenside bunker, once again with Martyn’s tip ringing in his ears Paul splashed out close enough for a concession and It was all over. At last Paul had got one over on Tim instead of the other way round ! Oh, and Paul definitely owes Martyn a pint (or two) after that bunker tip.

Gordon Sullivan beat Richard Stevens 3/2
Neither player in this match provided any match information so no report available.
Brian Keates beat Tom Harris 3/2

If it had been medal play Tom reckons he would have won as Brian allegedly took ‘74’ on one hole (His playing partners reckon it was more like 11 but just goes to show that Brain still doesn’t realise he has to ‘pick up’ when he is out of a hole !) Brian’s overall steady play, number of shots, Tom falling over (and with a hangover), meant that even with one of his favourite sausage sandwiches halfway round Tom still couldn't manage it.  Well done Brian.

Gordon Galloway beat Adrian Marchant 7/6

Adrian was struggling with his tee shots allowing Gordon to go 2up after 7. They both had 3 footers for par at the eighth and Gordon (nice man that he is) offered a half  which Adrian surprisingly declined. Gordon then holed and Adrian missed to go 3down. Things went from bad to worse for Adrian with Gordon winning the 10th, 11th and 12th. And the result was never in doubt.

John Mansell beat Dave Grubb 5/3
Neither player in this match provided any match information so no report available.
Bill Hancock half Bobby Ho A/S

This was a rematch of last year's singles when Bobby lost a close game on the 18th. Bobby, out for revenge, played some excellent golf and parred six of the first ten holes to be 4up. He made a mistake on the 11 tee however, pushing his tee shot out of bounds, and that gave Bill the opportunity he was looking for. Bill duly won five of the next six holes, they halved the 17th so Bill stood on the last tee 1up after being 4 down just after the turn. This time it was Bill who made a mistake, messing up his approach to the green. Bobby holed a four footer to win the hole and halve the match. The right result to another closely fought match.

Les Poultney beat Paul Herrmann 2/1
Neither player in this match provided any match information so no report available.
Jamie Moore beat Graeme Black 2/1
Neither player in this match provided any match information so no report available.
Darren Weston half John Bayliss A/S
Neither player in this match provided any match information so no report available.
Alan Tolley beat Mike Thacker 6/4

Although Alan had to concede 9 shots to Mike, the fact that Fairhaven didn’t provide any golf buggies meant that, if Alan played to his potential it could be a difficult afternoon for Mike and so it proved. Alan carried on where he had left off the previous afternoon by driving superbly throughout giving his opponent very few chances at all. A par 5 at the 1st saw Alan go 1up and when he won the 3rd and 4th to go 3up the tone of the match was set, Mike always having to try and ‘force’ the issue to catch up. He did reduce the arrears at the short 5th with a great par 3 but Alan immediately won the 6th to restore his 3 hole lead. A rare wayward drive from Alan at the 9th saw Mike win with a 5 but after Alan had hit out of bounds at the 11th (how many of us did that ?) Mike, with a shot, failed to capitalise and made a complete mess of the hole. Having taken 3 off the tee Alan played solidly to the green and then rolled in a 15 footer for a 7 to go 3up. Mike had shots on two of the next three holes but, without a buggy was clearly beginning to tire. Alan, playing steady golf and still driving the ball well, won the 12th, 13th and14th to make it four holes in a row and seal the match

Captain’s Blue team 32           Challenger’s Black team 19

There’s no real way of putting this other than to say it was a right drubbing for the Black team. The Captain’s team clearly played the better golf for most of the weekend but, to his credit, Foxy took it all in good spirit and was full of praise for Karl and his team at the presentation of the trophy.

Conclusion

Another successful tour, so a big thank you to Steve for putting it all together and to everyone who came along, played their heart out and joined in the spirit (on and ‘off’ the field). Karl was ably assisted by Neil Smith  and Bobby Ho did his best to keep Foxy’s sprits up as the score gradually went from bad to worse for the Challengers throughout the weekend. Mind you, Foxy’s mood can’t have been helped by the appearance of well known comedian Frank Carson on the 1st tee at St Anne’s on Monday afternoon. I know it’s usually the “way you tell ‘em” Frank but, surely there were already enough comedians in Foxy’s team without one more adding to his woes ?

Everyone looks forward now to the 2008 Tour and, for those who enjoyed the lap dancing clubs and fleshpots of Blackpool, remember you might just find everything shuts at 11pm in Scarborough!

Thanks to Alan Tolley for putting this together. Alan would also like to thank the following who also contributed :
John Shaw, James Shipman, Bill Hancock, Neil Smith, Adam Thompson, Steve Lloyd, Les Poultney, Tom Harris, Ian Tallboys, Paul Weston, Gordon Galloway, and Mike Thacker

Final individual totals

Blue Team   Black Team  
Les Poultney 5 points James Shipman 4 points
Neil Smith 4.5 points Gordon Sullivan 3.5 points
Steve Booth 4 points Gordon Galloway 3 points
John Mansell 4 points Martyn Dodwell 2.5 points
Adam Thompson 4 points Brian Keates 2.5 points
Graeme Black 3.5 points Paul Weston 2.5 points
Karl Hughes 3.5 points Mike Fox 2 points
Steve Lloyd 3.5 points Jamie Moore 2 points
Ian Talboys 3.5 points Graham Bilsland 1.5 points
Tom Harris 3 points Bobby Ho 1.5 points
John Shaw 3 points Howard Holliday 1.5 points
Tim Thacker 3 points Dave Grubb 1 point
Alan Tolley 3 points Mike Thacker 1 point*
Bill Hancock 2.5 points John Bayliss 0.5 point
Darren Weston 2 points Barry Whitmore 0.5 point
Adrian Marchant 1 point Ivan Heathcote 0 point
Richard Stevens 1 point* Paul Herrmann 0 point

* From only three matches played

 


Current BUNGS tour win percentages
     
  TOUR WIN PERCENTAGE No of tours attended
Poultney, Les 100.0% 1
Vale, Craig 80.0% 1
Lloyd, Steve 70.0% 9
Dodwell, Martyn 70.0% 9
Smith, Neil 70.0% 2
Shaw, John 68.4% 8
Hughes, Karl 65.0% 9
Sullivan, Gordon 63.8% 8
Booth, Steve 63.3% 3
Newton, John 63.2% 7
Talboys, Ian 61.9% 9
Galloway, Gordon 60.0% 2
Harris, Tom 60.0% 1
Thacker, Jeff 60.0% 1
Holliday, Howard 59.6% 6
Weston, Paul 55.0% 6
Moore, Jamie 53.3% 3
Shipman, James 51.6% 8
Bayliss, John 50.7% 7
Marchant, Adrian 50.0% 3
Thacker, Tim 49.6% 7
Tolley, Alan 47.9% 6
Weston, Darren 45.0% 5
Black, Graeme 44.0% 5
Bilsland, Graham 42.9% 7
Fox, Mike 42.8% 8
Heathcote, Ivan 42.1% 7
Smith, Andy 40.6% 8
Mansell, John 40.5% 5
Craddy, Chris 40.0% 3
Thompson, Adam 40.0% 3
Hancock, Bill 40.0% 2
Herrmann, Paul 40.0% 5
Ho, Bobby 37.9% 7
Keates, Brian 37.9% 7
Stevens, Richard 36.8% 6
Thacker, Mike 34.7% 5
Jackson, Anthony 30.0% 4
Whitmore, Barry 27.1% 7
Grubb, Dave 20.0% 2
Adams, Graham 10.0% 2

 

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