The Christmas Dinner and Presentation Evening was the climax of a very successful year for the Junior Section of Tenby Golf Club.

Liz Storey, our lady captain, started the evening by saying grace and then we all tucked into yet another Christmas dinner.

Olivia Bradbury, the outgoing Junior captain introduced the new captain, Sophie Lovatt, and wished her a successful year.

Ian Thomas talked about the highlights of the year, mainly how well the Juniors, Dave Webb, Luke Harries, Billy Truman, Sophie Lovatt, Megan Guerreiro, Amber Thomas and Georgia Thomas had fared in representing the county and Welsh schools.

The club vice-captain, Tony Key, and ladies' captain, Liz Storey, who were special guests, presented the junior medals and trophies. I never realised just how much silverware had been contested.

Some performances are worthy of special mention David Webb defended the Junior Open Championship ( 2013 the Tenby Open will be an order of merit), Jack Harries defended the Adams /Dassen Stableford Cup, and for the first time a girl, Sophie Lovett, won the Ian Thomas Medal Cup.

Luke Harries was the boy player of the year, Sophie Lovatt the girl player of the year and Kasumi Tran was the most improved golfer.

I must mention a new Junior member, Angus James, who was half of the Argent Cup winners team. Angus, together with his brother and parents, travelled straight from school in the Vale of Glamorgan, to attend the dinner.

Congratulations to all the trophy winners of 2012 and good luck for 2013.

After the prize-giving, Ian Thomas thanked the committee members and caterers. He also thanked Neil Webb for looking after the Junior accounts.

This is my last year with the Juniors and I have felt honoured to be part of Tenby Junior golf section. Thank you all very much for the flowers, wine and present, which I have been told not to open until Christmas.

Olivia has been a very active captain and it has been a pleasure to work with her. She also had a few surprises, wine for Ian and Neil and a beautiful flower basket for myself, thank you very much Olivia.

Ben Price will be the new Junior co-ordinator and welfare officer and you will find him in the Pro Shop. I hope that you will give him the same support that you have afforded myself.

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

A.D.

Stone succeeds on seniors' sunny seventh

Thirty-eight warmly dressed gentlemen could be seen milling around the first and 15th tees on Tuesday, December 11, preparing to try and improve their eclectic score on this the seventh round of the competition. The weather was cold but fine, hoar frost on the greens for the first few holes, but with a gradual thaw progressing as the sun ascended in the east, lifting the temperature to four or five degrees, with a chilly breeze.

The scoring ranged from an excellent three strokes below CSS to a disappointing 19 strokes over - but the pleasure derived from just being out on the links was way above par, at least until the results were published.

The three top places were covered by just three strokes. Robin Hagley turned in a very good score of 39 points to secure third place. This performance drops Robin back to a playing handicap of 14 and lifts him up the Order of Merit.

In second place was the consistently high scoring Bob Howse, with a fine score of 40. I have noticed over the past weeks that whatever winnings Bob attracts, either for top scores or for twos, the cash never makes it out of the club - he invariably passes it direct to Brian 'Charity' Morgan to provide raffle prizes. Father Christmas has been watching Bob; a full stocking is confidently predicted!

In top spot, enjoying one of those all too rare days when drives are long and straight, putts smack into the centre of the hole and the rough never comes into play - Des Stone. Affectionately known as 'The Buggy Man', Des achieved a really excellent 41 points while cunningly just managing to hold on to his playing handicap of 16.

Other notable achievers this week were the three short hole specialists; Graham Jenkins, Brian Morgan and Mel Neale, All three scored twos, Brian and Mel on the 17th hole and Graham on the far more difficult (according to him!) 12th.

The last of the winners this week was Meurig Jones, who skilfully chose ball number 27 in the raffle, somehow guessing that it would match the number of the National Lottery bonus ball. Meurig is having some rather nasty treatment for an eye complaint, so we are having a collection for a Get Well Soon card - it won't be too long now Meurig!

Spare a thought for Allen Watts. Unable to play because of a damaged leg, he still dragged himself from his sick bed to carry out his treasurer's duties - and even worse - to appear in the photograph awarding the top prize to Des Stone. Please note the gritted teeth!

To finish off the day's business on a jocular note, the draw for the Christmas Texas Scramble provided its usual hilarious moments before the teams and times were finally allocated, and then all the seniors dispersed for a well-earned rest.

M.F.

Particularly pleasant poultry party

Contrary to previous predictions, the Chickens did not trot on Friday, December 14, because the weather was fowl! Instead, a happy band of Trotters and their guests gathered in the clubhouse for the Christmas lunch - and a splendid affair it turned out to be!

Nattily dressed Chickens began to congregate in the bar for pre-lunch drinks well in advance of the appointed hour and there was a great deal of banter and chit-chat as more and more Trotters arrived to swell the flock. Our ever-efficient secretary, Steve Cole, was kept busy sorting out the pecking order and collecting the generous contributions of raffle prizes donated by all those attending, while the assembled diners turned their attention to the problem of what to do with the Roger and Mary Trophy.

After glasses were charged, the Trotters repaired to the dining room and lunch was served. Conversation waned slightly as turkey with all the trimmings was consumed, and the pleasant chink of cutlery on crockery was all that could be heard for a while, until plates were cleared and mince pies and coffee were laid out. This signalled the beginning of a spontaneous and impromptu exchange of jokes and tall stories around the table, resulting in much mirth and hilarity. A high point of the entertainment was an interesting aria from that well-known tenor David Henry - today Tenby, tomorrow the Albert Hall!

Next on the agenda was the Trotters' Christmas raffle, quite unique in that everybody provides a prize and everybody wins a prize - more of a Christmas gift exchange really. Nobody was disappointed, nobody left with the prize that they contributed - a masterpiece of organisation to be sure.

Chief Trotter Mickey Johnston wished the company a merry Christmas and confirmed that the Roger and Mary Trophy would be competed for on Friday, December 21 - the decision was greeted with a mixture of tumultuous apathy and ribald repartee, but the impressive presentation piece must have a home for the summer!

This very pleasant occasion was wrapped up by club captain Chris Beecher thanking the Chicken Trotters for their hospitality and wishing them well for Christmas and the New Year.

On behalf of all the Chicken Trotters I would like to wish all our readers a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

M.F.