In 1966 I was serving in BAOR (British Army Of the Rhine) and was deployed with 4 Guards Armoured Brigade on a major NATO exercise, which involved moving close to the East German border and rattling our sabres at the massed USSR divisions stationed there. The insertion phase clashed with the football world cup match taking place between England and Germany, so that as we drove along the autobahns to our destination, the British soldiers held up hastily scrawled placards saying 'England 5 Germany 0' to passing German motorists - who responded with similar notices saying 'Deutschland 6 England 0'. Well we all know how that turned out! All above has absolutely nothing at all to do with golf, but merely proves that my memory is not totally impaired - even though I forgot to email the Tenby Seniors v Newport Seniors article to our beloved Editor last week! I apologise profusely - but on the bright side, dear reader, you now get two scintillatingly interesting pieces of golf memorabilia for the price of one. So, starting with last week's forgotten burst of prose; - Taking full advantage of a burst of warm sunny weather, Tenby Seniors hosted the seniors from Newport Links on Tuesday, April 15, and it was a pleasure to see golfers wearing just shirts and the odd light sweater - windproofs and body warmers are officially a thing of the past. Seven four-balls hit the course, starting at 10.45, headed up by Newport's captain Langley Forrest and his partner Alan Griffiths, and their opponents, Tenby captain Allen Watts and his very serious looking partner Brian Jones. Pausing only to pose for the mandatory photograph (, they quickly sent excellent drives soaring down the first fairway - and the match was on! The remaining competitors followed without delay, enjoying the sunshine, slightly disappointed by the gradual increase in wind speed, but remaining competitive and hoping to play their best golf for the glory of their club. As ever, some did and some did not, but it was not until all the matches were back in the clubhouse, first drink downed and a really tasty match meal consumed that the captains rose to address the players and announce the result. This week there were no winners or losers - just an honourable half! There are a couple of Tenby players who deserve a mention. First, vice-president Idwal David played his inaugural match for the seniors, partnered by the redoubtable Derek Bath. They won their match of course, which is just as well, because Idwal has reduced his working hours in order to be free to play every week. He assures me that although this has cost him roughly £200 a month - he is a much happier bunny! Second is our events secretary and computer aficionado Jim Martin, who scored a remarkable three on the fourth hole -a rare event and deserving of a high-five and a well done from those of us who struggled to make a bogey! Now, read on to get an eye witness account of the annual seniors Captain versus Vice-Captain match held on April 22 - more of a civil war really, no quarter asked or given. Six teams of two players represented the Captain, Allen Watts, and the Vice, Bart Youll. Both leaders had devoted many weeks to studying form and watching results before making their selections, and the result should have been two closely matched teams with comparable players. Unfortunately, at the selection meeting - disaster! Bart forgot his glasses and had only a rough idea of who he had chosen! On the day, which was a wee bit cloudy with the constant threat of drizzle, both contestants, accompanied by their selected partners, started confidently - as did the rest of the teams, and it was not until the match was over, Bart was preparing to leave for an appointment with a cardiac consultant and the players had quaffed a couple of tinctures that the shocking truth was announced - Captain 5, Vice-Captain 1. A stunned silence fell over the clubhouse, grown golfers could be heard sobbing and, as can be seen from the photograph, 10 strong could not prise the wide grin from captain Allen's face. Congratulations Allen, commiserations Bart - perhaps next year...

M.F.