The weather did its dreadful worst on Sunday, as over 100 players, from all over South Wales, gathered at Trefloyne Park for the Inaugural Sarahjayne Harrison Memorial Golf Day. The weather forecasters had it spot on, the heavens opened, and the continuous rain was to stay for the whole day. On any normal competition day, there would have been a lot of withdrawals, but this wasn't just any other day, or any other competition. This was the Inaugural Sarahjayne Memorial Golf Day, which was taking place to remember a very special young lady, and at the same time raise charitable funds for CLIC Sargent, a charity who are very dear to the family of Sarahjayne. Although it was wet and miserable, there was a smiling ray of sunshine to greet everyone on arrival in the clubhouse; Sarahjayne's beautiful photograph sat next to a huge bouquet of flowers, and touched everyone's heart. It was very poignant, and it brought a lump to the throat, to know that Sarahjayne would be smiling down on everyone, on what was effectively, her day. It would have meant a lot to Sarahjayne to know that her Mum and sister had travelled down from Swansea to show their support, on a day that would be filled with their memories and special thoughts. It is a tribute to Sarahjayne's father Barry Harrison, that not only was there a huge turnout of golfers, but there had also been overwhelming support from both local and national businesses, with prizes and donations. The playing of a competition in Sarahjayne's memory was first put to Barry, when Sarahjayne was so tragically taken from her family in 1997. Understandably, Barry didn't feel the time was then right Barry was Trefloyne Golf Club's first secretary, when the club opened in 1997, so it was fitting that Trefloyne's first club captains, Graham Wilcocks and Jo Walsh-Morgan, who had been of immense support to Barry, were at Trefloyne to be with him and his family, on an emotionally charged day. Despite having not been very well over the past few weeks, Brian Cowley turned out to start everyone off with his dulcet tones. Play began from the first and 10th tees, in high spirits and a very heavy drizzle, that stubbornly refused to relent all day. The Beynon family, Trefloyne's proprietors, who had very kindly donated all the green fees to CLIC Sargent, turned out in force and Joan, Sophie and Sarah Beynon with Jane Merrick were the first team out from the first tee. The scoring was always going to be low in such dreadful conditions, but they were almost irrelevant. There must have been a lot of players who would have made for the clubhouse after the first nine holes on any other Sunday, but everyone, although soaked from head to foot, battled on. The weather might have done its worst, but nobody was going to let it spoil the day. Amid the gloom of the weather, there were the inevitable lighter moments. Gareth Knight, amid shouts of fore, was jumping up and down as though mortar fire was coming in on the 12th tee, much to the amusement of his startled playing partners. Approaching the 15th green, he then decided to play 'Now you see me, Now you don't' with playing partner Meurig Evans, as he disappeared into the drainage ditch, bag, clubs and all! Tiger Davies must have met with some severe water during his round. By the time he had reached the clubhouse, his trousers were a good deal shorter than they were when he teed off, or was it fashion sense? As the damp brave heroes finished their rounds, there was a welcoming barbeque that had been superbly prepared by Dorritt Parry, Liz Crockford and Carmen Hopkins. The potato salad was particularly enjoyable, but no manner of persuasion could get the recipe out of Dorritt; it belonged to her dear grandmother and was going to remain a family secret. Once the soggy scorecards had been handed in, the winners were announced, on a day when there was only ever going to be one winner. The day wasn't about prizes, but the memory of a very special and well thought of little girl. Mickey Barratt won for the gents, with a score of 40 points, in second place was Gareth Evans with 39, and third was Trefloyne's very own Brian Norman with 37 - his medal round the day before had proved to be good practice for Brian. Jane Merrick, who had some lovely words to say about Sarahjayne, was the ladies winner with 30 points, followed by Pat Fletcher with 29 and Caroline Fletcher in third place with 27 on count back. Tom Burkat, resembling Gary Player in his all black outfit, won the juniors competition with a very impressive 39 points. Ben Price was runner-up with 37, and it has to be said, he was a sheer joy to be with; he never once complained about the weather, and his smile lit up a damp, dank day. Sam Fletcher took third place with 30 points. The team prize went to Trefloyne's Mel Beeley, Tom Burkat, Danny Brown and Brian Norman, with a total of 106 points. Mel Beeley inspired and encouraged his team, leading by example from the front, like the true champ that he is. There was a special prize awarded for Best Endeavour, which went to Maureen Gwyther who battled around the course, refusing to give up for a score of three points. Club secretary Tony Hopkins, who played absolutely abysmal golf, wasn't too far from claiming the prize with a paltry 15 points - his game has deteriorated beyond all reason since his outing with the 2 Mels! Following the prize-giving, Barry Harrison gave a moving speech, which must have been extremely difficult for him; only briefly did he give way to what only he knew was in his heart. He said it was a very proud day for both himself and his family, who had all made the journey to Trefloyne. Amongst his many words of gratitude, there were special thanks for Graham Wilcocks, who had first mooted the idea of a Sarahjayne Memorial Day as long ago as 1997, and for whom there is a clear bond of long lasting friendship. Trefloyne's professional, Christine Burton, was thanked for all the hard work in organising the day, which thanks to her endeavours, had been an overwhelming success. A special debt of gratitude and appreciation went to all the sponsors, far too numerous to mention, for all the donations and prizes. Chris Banting, CLIC Sargents community fund- raising manager for Wales and The West, spoke for a few minutes to a hushed clubhouse, thanking Barry in particular for organising the event, which looks to have raised in excess of £2,500 for CLIC Sargent. He added that every 48 hours, 10 children are diagnosed with cancer and leukaemia in the United Kingdom. CLIC Sargent acts as a lifeline keeping families together when the unimaginable happens. It provides clinical, psychosocial, emotional and financial care and support to them and their families. These services are expensive but vital to the families, which is why the charity needs the funds that this event has generated. It was a long and emotional day that will live long in the memory; there were a lot of people who had never met Sarahjayne, but by the end of the day she had somehow touched them, and they felt they knew her - it was that kind of day. Everyone who took part can feel very proud of themselves, for their tremendous spirit of goodwill and generosity, and making it such a special day for Barry Harrison and his family. The Sarahjayne Memorial Day will now be a permanent fixture in the Trefloyne calendar, and will be played on the nearest Sunday to June 7, Sarahjayne's birthday. Arrangements for next year's event start as of now, with the hope of making next year bigger and better, with hopefully some sunshine. The lovely winner's trophy, which resembles the British Open's Claret Jug, will now be on permanent display in the Pam Pam Restaurant. EXPLOSIVE HITTING IN MONTHLY MEDAL
The June Monthly Medal took place on Saturday, in unseasonal cold, overcast and very windy conditions. This, however, didn't prevent Chris Thompson from giving a demonstration of how to drive a golf ball prodigious distances. Along with some wonderfully executed iron shots, it was to add up to a clinical round of golf. His drive of 360 yards down the seventh, was followed by an iron shot that went 170 yards through the green, described by Chris as a little wedge. The stroke index one eighth, proved no match, with a driver into the wind, followed by a short iron which had him sitting on the green with his second shot. Unfortunately, the putter wasn't hot, which resulted in the ball either frequently lipping out, or coming up fractionally short, which was to cost him dear and add at least six shots to his round. After a birdie-three on the 389-yard ninth, the turn was to see further destruction of the course. The quarry at the 13th causes most much food for thought, but not for Tommo when the mood takes him. Out of bounds wasn't taken into consideration, as he fired his tee shot clean and straight over the quarry to within pitching distance of the green. Even by his standards the 363-yard 14th was something special and the shot of the round, with his drive landing on the back of the green, the resulting chip almost registering a birdie-two! It was an inspiring round of golf by any standards, and a privilege to watch. It is quite remarkable how Chris can maintain his concentration, even during slow play, and at the same time encourage his playing partners to bring the best out of themselves. Dyfed League captain Steve Wedlake had one of his frustrating, inconsistent rounds of golf. His driver sometimes fared better off the fairway than the tee box, of which the fifth was a prime example. His driver off the fifth tee didn't even make the ladies' tee box, but this was followed by a huge drive off the turf, which arrowed straight down the middle towards the distant green. He prospered better at the seventh, using a strange combination of a driver off the tee, followed by another driver off the fairway, but it worked well to take him just short of the green. There are not many players who have confidence with the driver off the fairway, but it is something Steve, on his day, has always been comfortable with. Another good drive over the trees on the ninth, saw the hard work done, but the hole was spoilt with a poor approach, to confirm his inconsistent play. This clearly upset his play, with the 10th becoming a complete comedy of errors straight out of Keystone Cops. The tree just in front of the tee box at the 10th has proved intimidating and the downfall of many. With his driver in hand, and a solid strike on the ball, it hit the tree and shot away like a frightened game bird into the practice bunker, which is almost at right angles to the tee box; he was overcome by a look of complete shock and horror. A somewhat perplexed Steve wandered away contemplating his misfortune, but worse was to follow, a couple of strikes into the wet sand had the ball flying down the valley below the tee box at the Glorious 12th. There was now a severe danger of the battery on his trolley going flat, due to the distance it was travelling! He was to eventually card a triple bogey seven, with his playing partner Brian Norman commenting, 'Was that all' - there is no sympathy asked or given in golf. By the 14th hole, Steve had started to play like the Dyfed League captain that he is. With his game at last coming together, albeit too late, he played some good golf over the closing holes. Brian Norman, who was making up a three with Steve Wedlake and Chris Thompson, had the setback of an injured wrist to contend with, which meant he left his woods behind and used just his irons. This makes life very difficult, and is a big disadvantage over the long Trefloyne fairways, especially with the wind blowing. A superb eight- iron on the par-three sixth saw him going through the green, but he made a good recovery for a par. A solid consistent round of golf saw the wheels coming off on the eighth and particularly the ninth. The approach down the ninth was good, but two visits into the bunker at the front of the green caused him big trouble, when it looked as though the normally placid Brian was about to dispatch his clubs into the quarry! He somehow managed to put the front nine behind him, and on the 10th tee started all over again, and had a very solid and consistent back nine. He should take great credit for playing a medal round with only irons in his bag. Gary Heesom was the winner of the Division One June Monthly Medal, carding a gross 87 net 74. Club professional Christine Burton put this down to the new driver he had purchased from the Pro Shop! Chris Thompson, playing off scratch, was runner- up with a 78. Division Two was a very closely contested. Graham Longster led the way with a gross 100 net 82, Dominic Subbiani gross 102 net 83, was second on count back from John James, who carded a gross 100 net 83.
TIGER IN SHOCK LAIDLER CUP WIN
Richard Tiger Davies must have thought himself very much the underdog in his Laidler Cup match with the big hitting Tom Burkat. Matchplay is all about putting your opponent under pressure, and into a must win situation, and Tiger did this to perfection. It was all down to Tiger's steady play, and the erratic Tom sticking with his driver, and when Tom's driver doesn't work, neither does Tom. Tiger finished a comfortable 6 and 4 winner and now plays Giles Smith, which should be one for the cameras. Adam Thomas and Ben Price contested a very close match, which had Adam coming out on top by the closest of margins 2 and 1. He now goes forward to meet Steve Wedlake, his Dyfed League captain, which is going to be a match worth watching. The Laidler singles matchplay competition is now starting to reach an exciting stage, with some interesting matches to look forward to.
DYFED LEAGUE ACTION RETURNS
The Dyfed League team returns to action on Sunday, with a visit to Pembroke Dock to play local rivals South Pembs. Trefloyne are defending a 100 per cent record in Dyfed League this season, and are sitting proudly on top of the table. A tough match is in prospect, in what looks like being a keenly fought contest. Captain Steve Wedlake is keeping his cards close to his chest with regards to his pairings, and it will be interesting to see what, if any, changes he makes to the line up.
TREFLOYNE IN FRANCE
Following this column on Friday, June 3, it has to be corrected that Mike Ansell is not going to Normandy with Liz Crockford, but with his much- loved, cherished and lovely wife Liz Ansell. Apologies to both and have a lovely holiday. Jill Wedlake has also reliably informed me, that despite bags of golf clubs being packed and prepared for action, this apparently is not a golf holiday. The gentlemen are going to be the very essence of loving attentive husbands, taking their good ladies sightseeing and shopping during the day. The evenings are going be spent in pavement cafes, drinking red wine and enjoying French food, before long romantic strolls along the beach into the distant sunset. Bliss, sheer bliss - and not a Sports Bar in sight!