Gorleston GC

The sun has really shone on Gorleston Golf Club and its members over a fantastic few days.

The Ladies team have reached the quarter-finals of the Mail on Sunday Classic with a superb 4-1 victory at St Neots last Saturday. The ladies had to contend with oppressive heat in their bid to overcome the home team who had themselves been finalists in previous years.

The team members had travelled to St Neots prior to matchday to familiarise themselves as much as possible with the course and this paid off with Anne Amos, Myra Lane, Chris Knappett and Tanya McGregor all winning their matches with only Jan Parsons suffering a narrow defeat in the second match.

The quarter-finals will be held at the Marriott Worsley Park, Manchester on Monday, September 24.

Also in the hunt for national honours are David James and James Chadd in the Howdidido National Pairs competition.

Club manager David had to delay a week’s leave in the Lake District by a day to enable him to partner James to a 4 & 3 victory over the Middleton Hall pairing of Adam Garford and Chris Bamfield over the West Norfolk club’s course.

The duo will travel to St Clements near Ipswich, seeking the victory they need to reach the regional final stage of the competition.

At the Junior Club Championships, Jamie Bool became the Scratch Champion after scoring an 81, continuing the fine form and progress he has shown throughout the year. Callum Potter retained the Handicap Cup after a nett 65, which resulted in a well-deserved three stroke handicap reduction.

David Marshall notched up a memorable double on Sunday with victory in the Silver Jubilee Cup with a score of 43 points and adding this cup to the Golden Jubilee Cup won earlier in the season.

David also won Division Three of the Monthly Stableford held in conjunction and earned himself a two stroke reduction in handicap. Other divisional winners were Arthur Fellingham in Division One with 41 points and Neil Carter with 42 points in Division Two.

A hole-in-one from Keith Adams at the 7th in the Midweek Stableford helped his score to 40 points on the day but was not enough as Gerry Eagling was in top form to record 44 points to take the first division prize, but even this score could not match the 46 of Rae McKinley in the second division.

The 4th Richard Hunt Memorial Day was also held in the week with Tom Reeve winning the Stableford event with a score of 41 points and the day raised a fantastic sum of �606 toward the junior coaching fund.

Ladies’ Captain Chris Knappett saw more success as the Gorleston team won the second leg of the annual Howlett Smith Trophy contest with neighbours Caister and retained the silverware by 17-13 matches over the two legs.

Chris’s recent Ladies’ Captain’s Day competition was restricted to four clubs and a putter and saw a victory for Sheena Emrick with 38 points to claim the Division One prize with Margaret Woodrow winning Division Two with 36 points.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend the club stages the Sir John Drughorn Trophy, the event having previously been abandoned following torrential rain in July whilst on Monday, teams of four will compete in a Texas Scramble for the DinahMac Trophy.