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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