March seems to have been a very busy month beginning with the social afternoon which is now a distant memory. To the golf - on the 3rd, a Stableford was played in rather indifferent weather and was won by Liz Storey with 29 points, just pipping Heather Morgan on the back nine. The following week, it seemed summer had come for the WWLGA Greensome Foursomes Qualifying round and this was won by Anne Morris and Lyn Bonar on 71, with Heather Morgan and Anne Wilks runners-up on 76.5. The weather returned to winter for the LGU Medal and not too many played and we will draw a veil over the scores! However, Ann Blackmore won the Spoon in Silver division from Heather Morgan and Ann Dassen just beat Mary Lewis in the Bronze division. The weather improved for the Sunday Salver - a competition introduced by Ann Marsden during her captaincy and now proving a popular addition to the calendar. This year, the captain, Jean Charnock, won with 34 points, on the back nine from Lyn Bonar, and Lindsey Moran was delighted to record a two. The following week, just before Easter, the annual Captain v Vice Captain match was played and this year, unusually for this event, the vice-captain's team won 9.5 to 8.5. Ann Follon was delighted with her team and both teams enjoyed the Easter eggs always presented at this match. However, the highlight was Helen Morgan's first hole-in-one - at the ninth - which resulted in the eggs being well lubricated by an over-the-moon Helen! The weather was not too kind for the first Hill Lowe Bogey of the season, but this did not affect Mary Lewis's pleasure with her first win with a very well played +3. Ann Blackmore and Jean Charnock both played to their handicaps, recording +1. The WLGU Challenge Bowls qualifying round was the first competition in April and the weather started to return to its winter mode with a northerly wind. This had no effect on Holly Watkins who played superbly for a gross 71, nett 68, reducing her handicap to two and qualifying for the Welsh final in the Silver division. Anita Davies was runner-up with nett 75. In the Bronze division, the qualifier was Mary Lewis with a nett 75 and a better back nine than Anne Wilks. Between the first Hill Lowe Bogey and the Challenge Bowls competition, 19 of the ladies went east to foreign parts - i.e. to Wiltshire! In fact, to the Wiltshire Golf and Country Club at Wootton Bassett. This visit had been arranged by Jean Charnock, our captain, who is a native of Gloucester and could not have chosen a better introduction for many of us to her old stamping ground. The hotel and all the staff were delightful and we all now need to slim after indulging in too much of the excellent catering. The course is parkland and was rather damp for the two rounds, so lack of roll and a brisk wind made scoring difficult, so even a bogey became welcome! However, the competitions were won by Linda Evans, Heather Morgan and Anita Davies on the Monday and by Anita Davies, Jean Charnock, Linda Evans and Linda Thomas on the second day. The club is run by Eddie Shah and his family and because they were involved in extending the hotel and conference facilities, which did not intrude on us in any way, he donated four vouchers to the group for a round of golf this summer at Wentworth. This spurred us on, but some of us would not have qualified to be caddies for those who were eager to offer caddying services for that day! However, the four who qualified were Anita Davies, Linda Evans, Heather Morgan and Lyn Bonar, and Jean was very pleased to be first reserve, a position we all agreed is well deserved after her excellent organisation of a very good and memorable visit. The course has numerous lakes and a sweep was run to estimate the number of balls lost each day - estimates ranged from 18 to 85 (a Rabbit's wife!), but 25 were lost on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, and the winners of the sweeps were Barbara Shaw and Heather Morgan on Monday and Barbara Morris, Lyn Bonar and Jean Charnock on Tuesday. On Tuesday evening, Barbara Morris produced a brief intelligence test which was very devious and we were all quite cross, in the nicest way, at how stupid we were. Anita Davies was the least stupid and perhaps I should say most intelligent! We must now come back to earth with the busy months ahead - the 36-hole Scratch meeting is this Sunday, April 17, and on Monday we begin the Three Counties League matches and our Scratch team has already begun with an excellent win against Haverfordwest. Holly Watkins, Heather Morgan and Pam Cole won three-nil and this will no doubt encourage the rest of us to play to our highest potential in the season ahead.

B.M.S.