The 10th hole at Newport is a par five and big hitting, left-hander, Richard Davies reached the green in two. To cap it off, he putted out for his three, enough one would have thought, to demoralise the opposing captain, John Viner, and his playing partner, Barry Williams. This was not the case in a scintillating match which was closely fought all the way. Richard had been drafted in to support ‘Deputy Derek’, allowing Idwal to pay another hospital visit.

John and Barry were constantly looking for balls, either among the fairway daisies or in the rough and they were never far from each other when they did find them. The Newport pair was one up after 17 holes, so there was a chance of salvaging a half on the 18th. Derek and Richard’s hopes were dashed when Barry found the green in two and putted out for his birdie.

Idwal may not have been there, but he had weaved a little of his magic to ensure that the temperature was warm and sultry, the wind was light to non-existent and the sun made an occasional appearance. To counteract the weather conditions, the fairways were fuzzy and the rough was punishing, more so on the upper opening nine holes. There were many sights of senior golfers, from both sides, hoping to step on their ball as they circled the rough.

Another close match in this annual fixture was the one in which Chris Beecher and John Stevenson faced Tony Bailey and John Civil. This was a match with never more than a one shot lead either way and the momentum swung from one to the other as the match progressed. Chris and John had a slender one-hole advantage after 17 holes, so it all depended on the last. The closeness of the encounter was maintained as the 18th ended as a half, giving the Tenby pair the win.

In this nine-match encounter, there were five starts on the first tee and four on the 10th. First off the 10th was Brian Waters and Roger Scholfield facing Gethin Griffiths and Tony Morris. The bottom nine was more amenable for the visiting pair as they played some good golf, winning, losing and halving a number of holes and ending up only one down. However, they lost momentum as they started the front nine and were unable to recover, losing out by five and three.

To counteract that score, David Rees and John Hancock triumphed over Dai Hunt and Paul Johns by the same margin - five and three.

Stan Hudson and Paul Bradley, on the other hand, could have retired for an early meal. They had set off with high hopes against Peter Milne and Gareth Evans and managed to hold on to a degree of hope after nine holes. The opposition and the back nine put paid to their hopes as they lost seven holes - and consequently the match - on the trot.

Des Stone lost two balls with his first three strikes on the 10th (his first). Fortunately, Steve Decosimo showed his class and won that hole for the team. Morys Rhys and Martin Rosser recovered to end their third hole all-square. The Tenby pair again took the lead and this time managed to hold on to it, ending their first nine holes three up. While Morys and Martin recovered to two down, they were unable to maintain their drive and they shook hands with two holes to play.

Jim Martin and Alan Jones found themselves five down after they had played nine. ‘That was too many for us.’ declared Jim as they unloaded their bags and retired gracefully to the clubhouse. John Collinridge and Malcolm Owen had played well enough to maintain that lead over their visitors on the back nine.

‘Don’t ask,’ said Dudley Williams as he and Adrian Palmer retired gracefully having lost to Glan Rees (whom he had beaten at Tenby) and Maurice Weaver by four and three.

That left Steve Cole and Charlie McFee (who managed to turn up this week). What a start - they found themselves six down after seven holes and struggled to get a foothold in this match against Bernard Davies and Alan Griffiths. Their struggles paid off as they turned the tables by winning a number of holes, enough to put them two ahead. Alas, they were unable to sustain the quality required and ended up four and two down. Ah well - C’est la vie!

Newport also won the raffle 6-4. It was no joke! Well, Derek did not have one to tell this week, Idwal had not provided him with one. He must be saving the best ‘til last.

Results: D Cole/R Davies lost to John Viner/B Williams 2 down; S Hudson/P Bradley lost to P Milne/G Evans 7 & 6; C Beecher/J Stevenson beat T Bailey/J Civil 1 up; D Rees/J Hancock beat D Hunt/P Johns 5 & 3; J Martin/A Jones lost to J Collinridge/M Owen 5 &4; B Waters/R Scholfield lost to G Griffiths/T Morris 5 & 3; D Stone/S Decosimo beat M Rhys/M Rosser 3 & 2; D Williams/A Palmer lost to G Rees/M Weaver 5 & 3; S Cole/C McFee lost to B Davies/A Griffiths 4 & 3.

Busy Time For Ladies

Summer golfing continues to be busy for the Tenby Ladies with Thursday, May 17, being a ’Jubilee Three’ competition with a draw for partners and the best two scores from the three team members counting for each hole.

Seven teams took part, with only 10 points between the winners and the lowest score. Top team consisted of Rebecca Naden, Pat Fox and Maura Gunning with an impressive 80 points, one clear of the runners-up, who were Sue Shooter, Louise Hill and Barbara Williams on 79, with the team of Pam Cole, Sue Ensor and Nesta Hart third on 75.

More than a dozen ‘experienced in life’ Tenby Ladies travelled to Haverfordwest to take part in the C & P Seniors Stableford on Wednesday the 23rd on a warm sunny day. There were some successes, with Julie Tordoff winning Division Two with 36 points, Liz Storey coming third in the same division with 32 points and Denise Edwards winning her age category with 31 points. Well done all.

Seventeen players entered the Yorkshire Cup stableford competition on Thursday, May 24, with Mary Lewis coming out on top after her excellent 37 points, Rebecca Naden was runner-up on 36 and Helen Hughes third on 35 - her birdie on the 17th being the only two of the day.

On Friday the 25th, the C & P League team played away at Haverfordwest - their second match of the season. It’s a match that’s always very well contested and on the day it was humid, showery and breezy on times, with Sophie Lovatt having to collect the lady captain’s umbrella which was venturing off on its own! However, it was a very pleasing away result, with the final score being a ‘half’ 2.5-2.5. Well done to everyone who played.

There was a Sunday Salver stableford competition on May 27, with nine playing and Mary continued her good form by scoring a best-of-the-day 40 points (which cut her handicap from 26 to 25), ahead of Irene Gilman in second after her score of 38, with Sophie Lovatt coming third with 35, pipping Pam Cole on countback - with Pam having the only two of the day on the 12th.

The salver was presented to Mary by Ann Marsden, who donated the salver many years ago to help to bring the Thursday and Sunday groups of players together.

The field would have been larger, but for the (subsequently incorrect) weather forecast and for the fact that some of the ladies had ventured abroad for a golfing trip to Portugal - however, they discovered on landing that their clubs were still back in Bristol Airport, although it all turned out well in the end and they had a lovely time!

On Wednesday the 30th, the West Wales Ladies Golfing Association held their Singles Championship and Presidents Cup competition at Derllys Court, which several Tenby ladies entered.

Denise Edwards won the Presidents Cup for the lowest gross score of 80 and with a nett 73 Linda Tordoff-Evans was the winner in Division Four (despite a number of us looking it up on the website, we’re not exactly sure what Division Four is, but well done!?).

The final home competition for the month was the first of three Hill Lowe Bogey contests of the season on Thursday the 31st. Seventeen players tackled the course, with six managing to ‘beat the course’.

Two up was a popular score, with four players getting this - Liz Storey, Angie Gottwaltz, Laura McQueen and Heather Morgan filling places from sixth to third in that order on countback. Second was Denise Edwards with a good score of 4 up, but going one better with an impressive 5 up and having her handicap cut from 18 to 17 was Linda Tordoff-Evans, who played very consistently (I know because I marked her card!).

P. C.

Back To Winning Ways

Tenby entertained Glynhir B from Carmarthenshire on Saturday. It was a beautiful afternoon with little or no wind throughout.

Several regulars were missing from the home side but the team was still strong, having only five players who were not single figure handicap.

Prior to the match, Tenby had failed to win any of their top games and this unfortunately continued. Richard Morton and Andrew Cope were not at their best when they lost four and three to Dylan Howells and Gethin Harries.

Ben Childs and David Webb edged a tight encounter, beating Martin Jones and Robbie Roberts by one up. Ben played steady golf.

Mikey Harries and Alan Webster were one down after 12 holes against Matthew Jones and Alun Davies. Mikey’s birdie on the 13th levelled matters and they went on to win by one up.

Rhys Davies and Kyran Lewis were one down for most of their game against Darren Rees and young Taylor Harries and that is how the game ended. Consequently, after four games, the match was tied at two-all.

Chris Hughes and Rob Willcox returned to two down against Stan Davies and Ellis Hanner when Ellis eagled the 13th holing his pitch. However, the home pair won the next three holes and eventually the game by one up.

Darren Thomas and his favourite playing partner, Loz Phillips, took a three-hole lead early on against Glynhir’s skipper Ray Davies and Graham Gunnell. They maintained this margin and were victorious by three and two.

Gary McNeilly and Dai Cope were four up after six holes against Wayne Davies and Steve Price. The lead was increased and they were dormie seven up, but lost the 12th and 13th. A half on the 14th made them five and four winners.

In the final game, John Stenson got off to a flyer with seven straight pars. He and Neil Webb were six up after eight holes against Grant Thomason and Tim Hendre who they defeated by seven and six.

Fortunately, Tenby’s tail wagged and they won the match by six games to two.

Tenby have now reached the halfway stage in their Dyfed League season and will not play again for another eight weeks. To date, Tenby have played five matches, two home and three away, and have won three of them.

As reported previously, Machynys are favourites for the Division Two title, but Tenby remain in contention as do a few other clubs.

Despite a break in league fixtures, Tenby will host Aberystwyth in the Jeff Harries Bowl quarter-final on Sunday, June 17.

Gents Mid-Week White Box Stableford

Eighteen players entered the Gents Mid-Week White Box Stableford last week, when leading scores and prize winners were as follows:

1. Philip Goodridge 38 pts (£24); 2. David Blackmore 36 (£15); 3. Roy Edwards 35 (£8); 4. Steven?Court 34 (£4).

Twos: Roger Schooling, Steven Court, Roy?Edwards (£6 each).

Bag draw: Paul Hoyland, Terry?Davies and Roger Schooling (£6 each).

Pro Draw: Jeremy Peters (Ping Sport glove).

Handicap changes: David Blackmore 17 to 16; Idwal David 11 to 12; Keith Dolman 26 to 27; Roger Schooling 7 to 8; Jerry Whitehouse 10 to 11.Big turnout for 39th Open WeekTenby Golf Club’s famous Annual Open Week got under way in time honoured fashion last Saturday with the captain’s reception. It has been a great turnout once again, with golfers from more than 90 separate clubs entering the 11 different competitions over the following six days.Club secretary David Hancock kicked off proceedings and then introduced club captain Mike Anthony (pictured), who welcomed everyone back to Tenby for the 39th consecutive running of this event.After Mike had run through the programme for the week, he introduced the Mayor of Tenby, Clr. Mrs. Sue Lane, who welcomed the visitors on behalf of the town.An element of refinement and culture was present throughout the evening in the form of background music provided by the Greenhill Folk Ensemble.The competitions got underway on Sunday with the Mixed Greensomes and the results of the first three days can be seen below.Sunday - MIXED GREENSOME STABLEFORD(Sponsors - TP Hughes)Visitor prizes: 1. Alan Monday and Moyanne Monday, St Pierre, 45 pts; 2. Nigel Barden and Angie Gottwaltz, Caversham Heath & Tenby, 44; 3. Shaun Carter and Jo Carter, Tehidy Park, 41.Member prizes: 1. Nick Allen and Seren Allen, Tenby GC, 48 pts; 2. David Cope and Penny Cope, Tenby GC, 46.Bag draw (£25 voucher each): Julie Davies, Coed Y Mwstrwr Golf Club; George Pawley, East Devon Golf Club; Moyanne Monday, St Pierre Golf Club; Alan Havard, Veralum Golf Club; Maura Gunning, Tenby Golf Club.Twos sweep (£9 Pro shop voucher per pair): James Leonardi and Sophie O’Connell, Neil Lovett and Sophie Lovett, Richard Ormond and Georgina Ormond, Mick Fenney and Susan Convery, Tom Stenner-Evans and Anne Wilks, Bill Sloan and Jane Sloan, David Archibald and Julie Davies, Idwal David and Sarah Waring, John Tierney and Susie de le Casas, Gary Middleton and Terri Smith, Stan Squire and Andrea Squire, David Archibald and Julie Davies, Jeff Olding and Nicola Morris, Hywel Morris and Ann Morris, Colin Hogg and Julie Bowen, Chris Hughes and Helen HughesMonday- LADIES STABLEFORD(Sponsors - Templeton Beer, Wine & Spirits Co.) 1. Jo Carter, Tehidy Park, 36 pts; 2. Clare Bolger, Ham Manor, 35; 3. Sophie O’Connell, The Nottinghamshire, 34.Bag draw (£25 voucher): Julie Davies, Coed-y Mwstwr GC.Twos sweep (£5.50 voucher per person in Pro shop): Jo Carter, Heather Morgan, Sophie O’Connell, Terri Smith.GENTS STABLEFORD(Sponsors - Templeton Beer, Wine & Spirits Co.)1. George Pawley, East Devon, 39 pts; 2. Bryan Arthur, Marlborough, 37; 3. Steve Bidmead, Druids Heath and Tenby, 37.Bag draw (£25 voucher each in Pro shop): Shaun Carter, Tehidy Park GC; Paul Tillin, Market Drayton GC; Norman Burrows, Filton GC.Twos sweep ( £5.50 voucher per person in Pro shop): Andrew Williams, George Judd, Paul Tillin, Michael Smith, James Parker, Paul Severino, Phil Goodridge, David Jones, Tom Bolger, Neville Clarke, Mick Palk, George Pawley, Keith Brockington, Brian Arthur.Tuesday - LADIES 4 BALL BETTER BALL STABLEFORD(Sponsors - G.D. Harries & Sons) 1. Terri Smith, Penn, and Heather Morgan, Tenby, 42 pts; 2. Marilyn Ford, Royal St Davids, and Jane Sloan, Market Drayton, 39; 3. Charisse Crawford, Teignmouth, and Judith Bidmead, Druids Heath/Tenby, 38Twos sweep (£6.50 voucher per person in Pro shop): Julie Davies, Coed-y-Mwstwr; Clare Bolger, Ham Manor.GENTS 4 BALL BETTER BALL STABLEFORD(Sponsors - G.D. Harries & Sons) 1. Neil Smith, Minchinhampton, and Brian Arthur, Marlborough, 45 pts; 2. Gary Middleton, Reading, and Nigel Barden, Caversham Heath, 43; 3. Rob Amphlett, Bewdley Pines, and Huw Roberts, Tenby, 43.Bag draw: (£25 each voucher in Pro shop): Mick Palk, Caversham Heath; Graeme Prance, Parc; Elvyn Beaton, Cradoc; Ian Gwinnell, Brocton Hall; Phil Wood, Barlaston; D.R. Jones, The Worcestershire.Twos sweep (£6.50 voucher per person in Pro shop): G. Olding, S. Squire, C. Tremlett, M. Hanna, J. Parker, M. Bendal, P. Basten, M. Pimm, D. Evans, G. Pawley, G. Middleton, N. Patch, J. Hill, S. Squire, M. Lloyd, K. Howe, J. Parker, G. Bridgeman, P. Bowe, C. Laidler.