With the deadline upon us for returning your self- assessment tax form, Steve Davies took a week off from the Divots League to finalise his and to also to give the others a small chance of catching up! He may have regretted that decision on such a gorgeous winter morning with perfect conditions for golf. Richard Chapman and The Walrus were to take full advantage of the missing league leader by posting a fantastic score of 41 points. The score could have been even better if they hadn't dropped points on three holes, including a blob on the 16th. No such problems on the new holes, with five points between the two thanks to a par and three points on the ninth by Gavin. A birdie three and four points on the 11th by Richard was the icing on the cake. Second best score of the day came from Nigel Ayers and Rick Lewis with 38 points. The new holes caused the damage for this pair with a mass total of two points. The second blob of the day came on the 17th hole and their challenge was over. Three points behind were playing partners Viv James and Gareth Rees. The pair scored on every hole, but failed to produce any big scores. Three- pointers on the fourth and sixth were cancelled out by three single pointers, while Viv had to do all the work on both the eighth and ninth, with Gareth making a visit to the new large bunker on the ninth hole. One point behind second place were captain Clive Law and Rob 'Corbett' Hall, the pair being drawn together once again. Knowing each other's game so well now, they were hot favourites before play commenced, but with only 16 points on the front nine they left themselves with too much to do on the back. Twenty-one points on the way in was a gallant effort, but the damage had been done. With odd numbers, Gareth Morgan found himself playing with a blind partner on only his second outing with the Divots. To date, no one playing with a blind partner has managed to take the winnings. Whilst a tough challenge on your own, it's made worthwhile knowing you get to take all the loot home. For Gareth, it was made a little easier as his blind partner, Clive Law, was in the same playing group. However, with a slow start on the first two holes, Gareth was to find it hard to recover the lost ground. A total of 33 points was disappointing, taking away the shine of his three net birdies. Not so good for John Stevenson and Loz Phillips, who carded the same score as Gareth Morgan, 33 points, despite there being two of them. Two in body only, according to John, who returned to the clubhouse shattered, having carried Loz and his own clubs for the full 18 holes. Apparently Loz was unable to concentrate on his own game, only having time to marvel at the golf being played by The Walrus, Gavin Field-Thomas. Results: R. Chapman and G. Field-Thomas 41 pts; N. Ayers and R. Lewis 38; R. Hall and C. Law 37; V. James and G. Rees 35; G. Morgan 33; L. Phillips and J. Stevenson 33. Negotiations are still underway for the Rabbits v Divots re-match. Rabbits captain, Bill Beynon, feels that his team of bunnies are still in need of some fine tuning, although he is fearful that his captaincy may have finished by the time they are ready! For those going on this year's trip, a kind reminder that the balance of payment is due and can be passed to either Clive or Bill.

Nerves jangle in Rabbits League

Is the pressure beginning to tell in the Rabbits Winter League? It certainly seems so, after Sunday's programme of matches produced a whole host of shocks and surprises. And now with the league entering its final week, it's still all to play for at both the top and bottom of the table. Indeed, the destination of the silverware - and the spoon - could all well be down to who holds their nerve the better during what will surely be a nail- biting finale this Sunday. First of the shocks last weekend came in the very first match out, with joint league leaders, section captain Bill Beynon and Macky Harts, finally succumbing on the 18th to Dafydd Evans and Mike Munro. And the victorious pair should now know all about nerve-jangling last green finishes, as it was the fourth week in succession that their match had gone right down to the wire... winning two and losing two. It was a similar story for other joint leaders and title aspirants Mark Edwards and Dorian Thomas. Before last weekend they were the only pair still unbeaten - now there are none. Their match also went to the last hole before Steve Watkins and Steve Harries dented their championship hopes with a 1 up win. It also raised their own hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon, as the victory saw them claw their way up the table. They are still not safe, however, and are one of five pairs who could still end up with an unwanted item in their trophy cabinet. Indeed, depending on results, it could all come down to a four-way play- off. Phew. Similarly at the top; last weekend's defeat of the two leaders has left the door slightly ajar and now one of three pairs could end up taking the title. Among them are dark horses Ron Murphy and Anthony Allen, who are now just a point adrift after tasting victory in another close contest against Dave Morgan and Chris Smith - again it went to the last hole before finally being decided. Indeed, their destiny could be in their own hands, as they face Beynon and Harts in a final week showdown. Victory could see them as champions, should Edwards and Thomas fail to overcome Evans and Munro - and don't forget they sprang a major surprise last Sunday. Could they do it again? Among the other shocks was another defeat - the biggest of the day - for Mike Hale and Joe Hewitt, who went down to spoon contenders, George Pegg and Tony Hopkins, while a hard-earned half for Fred Adlam and John Murphy against Dave Moran and Glyn Price was not enough to see them off the bottom of the table. Adlam and Murphy and Pegg and Hopkins face each other on Sunday in another knee-knocker. Victory for the former could see them escape the ignominy of last place, but it looks like being a real dogfight amongst all the basement battlers. Yes, it promises to be a thrilling climax to yet another memorable Rabbits Winter League. Watch this space! Sundays results: Bill Beynon and Macky Harts lost to Dafydd Evans and Mike Munro 2 down; Mark Edwards and Dorian Thomas lost to Steve Watkins and Stephen Harries 1 down; Mike Hale and Joe Hewitt lost George Pegg and Tony Hopkins 3 and 2; Fred Adlam and John Murphy halved with Dave Moran and Glyn Price; Dave Morgan and Chris Smith lost to Ron Murphy and Anthony Allen 1 down.

This weekend's matches: Dave Morgan and Chris Smith v Dave Moran and Glyn Price; Bill Beynon and Macky Harts v Ron Murphy and Anthony Allen; Mark Edwards and Dorian Thomas v Dafydd Evans and Mike Munro; Mike Hale and Joe Hewitt v Steve Watkins and Stephen Harries; Fred Adlam and John Murphy v George Pegg and Tony Hopkins.

Contented Seniors

Thirty-three happy Seniors took to the course on Tuesday. Though cold, the conditions were ideal for a morning on the golf course. As the round progressed, or regressed as the case may be, so the joy of being on a splendid course with wonderful scenery increased. And then they hit the eighth and ninth holes! These are holes on which most are capable of scoring a par, but accuracy and club choice hold the key. While seniors continue to be frustrated by the exacting nature of these holes, rarely managing to score on both and with numerous lost balls, reports still percolate in of pars, bogeys and the occasional birdie. Hywel Probert was one who suffered there this week; he lost his ball on the eighth and saw his second ball off the tee on the ninth hit the path and shoot off at right angles to land on the eighth fairway. Coming behind him, both Des Stone and Paul Nixon lost a ball on the eighth, allowing Stan Hudson to play out the hole on his own. Stan and Des recovered to score a par each on the ninth. Hywel trailed in his group, with Roy Morgan being the leader in the clubhouse on 30. Brian Waters could only manage 24 - his two-stroke penalty was too much of a burden, that and not scoring on the last four holes. Thirty was not going to be enough and Roy's glory was soon overtaken as Bart Youll handed in his card with a score of 34. Dave Miller came in and was pleased to announce that he had scored better than last week when he picked up the booby with 16. This week he was 11 points better. Roy Gundry, on steady form, was unable to come close to the leaders, while Clifton John managed a 29 also, but was unable to repeat his form or score of three weeks ago. Last week's winner, Bob Howse, would have been in contention but for his three-stroke penalty. Alan Yates, Dudley Williams and Ron Murphy all carded 34 points to equal Bart Youll's score, but had to concede to Bart's better back nine score. That put Bart in third place behind the two front runners -Owen Monaghan and Martin Neilan. Owen stole the honours with a better back nine, but both he and Martin will reap the reward of penalty points in the next Eclectic competition. There were no twos this week, so the pot is carried over to next week. With plenty to say for himself, this week's rear gunner was Richard Morgan all on his own with 20 points. Next week, the Seniors will enjoy a Texas Scramble, before returning to stableford competition the week after.

Amos and Maher like it, Upham!

Last Saturday, the Saturday Swingers held their first ever Texas Scramble. On a glorious afternoon, 13 teams of three took to the links, which included the two new holes at the southern end of the course. Due to the fairness of the scoring system, most of the scores were fairly bunched. However, the team of Eamon Maher, Tony Upham and Steve Amos were clear winners. Their gross score of level par 70 was something Tony had previously only dreamed about, but his and Eamon's wonderful putting carried Steve through the round. On the back nine they bagged a brace of twos, and there were only three of these all day. In second place were the consistent trio of John Stenson, Geoff Aston and Dave Llewellyn. Joint third came the teams of Simon Toy, Bill Davies plus Gary McKeown and Clive Webb, Dai Skyrme and Mike Wainwright. It was noted that a few teams failed to sign their cards, albeit the committee have decided to be lenient on this occasion. Neil Webb signed his twice, but he was probably in shock after his team scored two double bogeys on the back nine - if these had been a par and a bogey they would have won the event. Teams were able to deduct 20 per cent of their combined handicaps from their gross scores and the results were as follows: Maher, Upham and Amos 70-11.2-58.8; Stenson, Aston and Llewellyn 68-7.6-60.4; Toy, Davies and McKeown 69-8.2-60.8; Webb (Clive), Skyrme and Wainwright 70-9.2-60.8; Morris, Rees and Keating (Simon) 69-8-61; Rossie, Goodridge and Webb (Neil) 72-8.6-61.4; McNeilly, Ormond and Anthony 68-6.2-61.8; Hoyland, Court and James 71-7.2 -63.8; John, Schooling and Frayne 71-6.4-64.6; Lovatt, Mumford and Keating (Steve) 71-6.4-64.6; Murphy, Sigsworth and Roberts (Dr.) 72-6.4-65.6; Cope, Keating (Phil) and Keating (Alan) 76-8.6-67.4 and Diment, Gillespie and Rogers 80-9.9-70.1. Swingers are reminded to keep their yellow balls warm for the competition on Saturday, March 3, and this will be followed by Ladies Night which is being organised by Barrie Frayne who is now seeking payment. Finally, those intending to take part in the Swingers' Annual Tour to North Wales in September should ensure that Richard Ormond receives their deposits without further delay.

Junior golf

Last Sunday saw another excellent turnout of around 24 keen junior golfers, with the older ones eager to take part in the February monthly medal, and the younger ones looking to put in cards for their handicaps. With some lovely winter sunshine and no wind for a change, scoring was predicted to be good, and we weren't to be disappointed. Best score on the day came from Jack Guerreiro with an excellent gross 75, nett 72, despite finishing with a pair of sixes! Second place went to Sophie Rees with gross 85, nett 76, who would have probably just nicked the medal if it hadn't been for a two-shot penalty for playing the wrong ball! Third place went to James Maxwell with a fine gross 79, nett 75. It was also nice to see some of the other older junior members turn out in force and appreciate the quality of the course we have! Out of the younger players, Kristen Clark produced a fine gross 53 in her quest for handicapping, with Matthew Webb also putting in a great performance with a 59. All the younger golfers will be given their handicaps ready for the March fixtures, and will be playing in the Division Two competitions until they move up to CONGU handicaps. The season's fixture list is almost complete, and as soon as the last remaining dates and venues are confirmed, copies will be available for everyone. This Sunday sees a stableford competition being played, with tee-off at the usual time of 10.25 am.

Hijacked Chickens

Call the police! Tenby's Chicken Trotters were literally hijacked on Friday morning. Flying in after a long absence from this happy brood, was one Steve Cole, who took no prisoners as he proceeded to cop the loot. It was daylight robbery, someone was heard to say. And indeed it was. Missing from the Chickens for so long, there was not even a card to be found in the coop for him. "I'll have to use my club handicap," said Steve. Not any more! After the Chicken choppers have finished with him, he will be in for a big shock the next time he turns out. You don't ruffle the feathers of the Chief Chicken and Co and get away with it. Oh no, a stiff sentence served in the sin-bin will be well deserved. For the record, Steve soared to success with a more than useful score of 33 points on what was an ideal day for golf. So ideal, in fact, that numbers taking part rose to a healthy 21, including two first-time chicks. Left trailing in the winner's wake was runner-up David Henry, who was some three points adrift on 30, while Ken Gouldsbrough also claimed a podium perch for his 29 points. In fact, Ken strutted off with a tidy sum as he also pocketed an extra quid for bagging the only two of the day on the sixth. The previous week's booby winner, Neil Dickinson, was looking to make it two in a row as he maintained his consistency to return exactly the same score as before (we won't say how many!), but was somewhat relieved - or was he? - to hear on the clubhouse steps that he had been pipped at the post by Tony Morgan. What some people will do for a free game, eh! Results were: 1. Steve Cole 33 pts (£2.50); 2. David Henry 30 (£1.25); 3. Ken Gouldbrough 29 (80p). Twos: Ken Gouldsbrough - on the 6th (£1). Booby: Tony Morgan 14 pts (30p).