3 clubs and a putter September 29th 2022. Report from Mike Healey

I am starting with an advert. In Tony Harcombe's absence, there have been a number of cry offs for next week's Open at Oswestry. Alan Pocklington very kindly stepped in for one of the slots today but we are still one place short. If you can play next Wednesday (5th October) please let Stuart Leyland know as soon as possible. Also, the October calendar will be posted later on this evening. Today's Golf - 31 tallies were placed on the board today for a Three Clubs and a Putter event. The BBC forecast gave sun with cloud and the possibility of light showers after 12.00 noon. Some very fine spots did appear but they were insignificant and the whole group came in dry. Looking through the cards, there was a distinct mix of results. I believe some of us struggle with the 3 club concept and cards at the bottom end reflected this with relatively poor scores. The top end, however, was tight and quite a few countbacks were required in the resolving. There were two cards on 32 points and five cards on 30 points - all of them were just outside the six prizes on offer. Read on to see who won, yet again! He is beginning to make a habit of 3 clubs, having won the two previous events. Well done Mick!! Three Clubs and a Putter: First: Mick Carnell 37 points Second: Peter Taylor 34 points (c/b) Third: Tom McGrady 34 points (c/b) Fourth: Alan Barnsdale 33 points (c/b) Fifth: Stan Roberts 33 points (c/b) Sixth: Mike Scott 33 points (c/b)

Individual Stableford September 27th 2022. Results via Mike Healey

It was lucky for those with medical appointments this morning! At least they stayed dry. All credit to the 18 seniors who made the tally draw. They braved the forecast, which was initially "intermittent showers" but it transpired that they were at best, frequent and some leaned towards the heavy side. Conditions were not easy but the troops stuck to their guns in today's qualifier. There were four prizes with two players just missing out and the results were: Individual Stableford Results: First: Ernie Williams 37 points Second: Mick Carnell 36 points Third: Alan Barnsdale 35 points (c/b) Fourth: Tom McGrady 35 points (c/b) Both Richard Collier and Graham Bryne just missed out with 34 points each.

Mile End Seniors Open results via Mike Healey September 21st 2022

Mike Healey reports on the results from the Mile End Senior Open held on Wednesday this week. We don't always report the Opens except for the times when Clay's members produce a winning score - read on for some incredible returns. It was almost a clean sweep!! First: Mike Hollings & Stewart Poole 48 Points (Clays) Second: Chris Andrews & Graham Wood 46 Points Third: Stephen Porter & Tom Price 45 Points (Back 3) Fourth: George Hughes & Feter Fraser 45 Points (Back 9) (Clays) Fifth: Ernie Williams & Andrew Mitchell 45 Points (Back 9) (Clays) LONGEST DRIVE (10th Hole) Andrew Mitchell (Clays) NEAREST THE PIN (3rd Hole) Les Williams (4.10m) (Clays) NEAREST THE PIN (17th Hole) Richard Collier (2.81m) (Clays) NEAREST THE PIN IN TWO SHOTS (18th HOLE) Steve Porter (58cm ) BALL SWEEP - 2'S Bill Kelleher 7th Hole (Clays) Paul Jeffs 17th Hole (Clays)

Mold match away result September 22nd 2022.Report via Malcolm Williams

Unfortunately, our 15 match unbeaten run came to an end today at Mold! We started playing in bright sunshine but about 1.00pm the rains arrived and as you can imagine on the hills of Mold it was heavy and unpleasant. £ of the groups finished early with an agreed result, whereas 3 other groups battled to the bitter end! ( In 2 of those matches we lost on the last hole!). The welcome, food and course were excellent so despite the weather, a good time was enjoyed by all.

Individual Stableford September 22nd 2022. Report via Mike Healey

- This communication is starting with a reminder about next week's competitions. Tuesday is down as a stableford qualifier but the course today was too short for it to be a qualifier. Panic not - Mark was protecting the tees in preparation for the DGU competition on Sunday and he is leaving the course at qualifyinfg length for the Seniors next Tuesday. Thursday will be 3 clubs and a putter as advertised. Today's Report - Malcolm Williams took the senior, unbeaten team for a match with Mold GC today (match result to follow), leaving numbers thin on the ground back at Clays. 13 members went into the tally draw and because of the odd number, we played a straightforward individual stableford. The forecast was rain around 2.00pm and thankfully the BBC got it right. We began slightly earlier than usual and all players were back in the clubhouse for coffee and presentations before the rain started. There were three prizes in total with 2 members just missing out on countback: Individual Stableford: First: Mike Healey (46 points) Second: Irwin Elkin (40 points) Third: Ian Ketland (35 points c/b) Peter Taylor (35 points c/b) Andy Mitchell (35 points c/b)

Wales vs Rest of the world September 20th 2022. Report via Mike Healey

Given Clays' proximity to the English border, it was decided to advertise a Senior Wales v England competition towards the end of our Summer season trophies. Problem - there is quite an eclectic mix of nations amongst the membership, so we decided on Wales v Rest of the World for our "Not Quite the Ryder Cup" event held this morning. Nigel Davies (Wales) and Dave Palferman (RotW) volunteered to stand as team captains and did a splendid job, not only with pairs selection, but even better in not revealing selection until the day. Club Captain, Don Wraight somehow managed to inveigle an unused trophy and with a couple of accoutriments added to the front, produced our very own "Ryder Cup" for the presentation. 48 members, resplendent in their reds and blues, arrived before the set time for team photographs and pairs announcements. The banter was free flowing and there was an enthusiastic buzz before the first ball was struck. Multiple tees allowed all to get away reasonably spaced and from time to time, both jingoistic calls and singing were heard across the fairways. The competition was intense and then the results started to come in. The team captains oversaw the pairs results coming back into the clubhouse and Senior Captain, Chris Jacques gathered the troops together for the overall presentation. There are too many individual winners to name, but the final result ended in Wales (5 matches won), two matches halved and RotW (5 matches won). It couldn't have ended any better. There were minor prizes purchased for the winning side and because of the result, these were presented to every winning pair. Everybody agreed that the event created a buzz, there was a lot of enjoyment and it will most definitely appear on the calendar for 2023. There are photos to be added to this report and thank you to everyone who participated.

Captains Newsletter September 2022

Captains Newsletter September 2022 It saddens me greatly to have to start this September newsletter with the sad loss of our Queen. A truly great woman, who took on the duties of a Monarch at such a young age, and carried these on with an outstanding dedication to not only our country but the Commonwealth, Bless you Ma’am. At the club September saw the finals day go ahead in nice weather and a fantastic course, which is getting better all the time. Congratulations to all the finalists for getting to that day and further congratulations to the winners. Commiserations to the losers who put up a good fight I’m sure. The atmosphere in the clubhouse afterwards was amazing to see and hear, to see so many members enjoying themselves were a sight to see. Long many it continue. A reminder that Presentation Day is on the 15th October and all the winners and runners-up will be expected to attend to receive their prizes and trophies, which unfortunately will not be permitted to leave the clubhouse. This will follow a Texas Scramble and should be around the 3pm time. Entry for the scramble is on the noticeboard at the bottom of the stairs. The Ladies Section are an inspiration to the club, I have never known this section prosper so much. They have finished top of their league in the Challenge Shield and therefore get promoted next year. Jakki Moxon and Jane Evans have made it to the finals weekend of the Daily Mail, we wish them well. Angela Thomas-Williams is continuing her good form by winning both the Welsh Dragon Brooch and the President’s Day ladies prize. Let’s hope she can continue to do well when she accompanies the rest of the Ping mixed team comprising of Jane Evans, Beverley Hood, Dave Palferman, Nigel Davies and myself at Llanishen Golf club, Cardiff in a few days time. Mike Drake and Steve Monk will also be representing Clays in the Seniors Greensomes a couple of days earlier. Good luck to both and let’s hope they can follow last year’s winners and keep the trophy at Clays. Clays are proud to present the DGU Autumn Meeting on the 25th September where there will be a large representation from the various Union clubs. I hope as many from the club support and Mark assures me that the Greens Staff will be pulling out all stops to present the course in a fantastic condition. With this in mind can I PLEASE ask that should you visit a bunker would you PLEASE rake it after. Even if you walk pass and see that there are footprints, take a few seconds to rake which not only helps players behind but also the staff. Happy golfing Don

Multiplier results September 15th 2022 via Mike Healey

31 members came out of the tally draw this morning, so the Multiplier was split into Four- and Threeballs. We have moved into autumn quickly so the ball didn't carry quite as far this morning and putting was not quite so fast after the recent rain. The weather was warm enough but a couple of very light showers just put a dampener on affairs. There was one prize for fourballs (two reported because of countback) and two prizes for the Threeballs: Multiplier Result - Fourball First: Reg Peacock, Ian Ketland, Brian Beaton, Irwin Elkin 121 points (c/b) Second: Mike Holings, Bill Kelleher, Peter Fraser, Colin Evans 121 points (c/b) Multiplier Result - Threeball First: Peter Taylor, Chris Jacques, Alan Bottomley 120 points Second: Les Williams, Mick Carnell, Mike Griffiths 108 points

Clays Seniors match vs Hawarden September 12th 2022. Report from Malcolm Williams

We continued our winning streak which dates back to July 2019!! We have now won 15 matches in succession. Of course Covid interrupted much of this time but it’s still a phenominal feat! Well done to all involved. We won 5and a half to 2and a half today against Hawarden at home. It was a very enjoyable morning with great company , the course in very good condition and an excellent meal from Hayley once again. Our final match of the season is away against Mold a week on Thursday, 22nd. Malcolm Williams

Individual Kitty Competition results September 13th 2022 Via Mike Healey

Quite a few members were involved in the match versus Hawarden at home today. That result and match report will follow via Malcolm Williams. Meanwhile 8 others decided to book early tees and in benign conditions they organised themselves for an individual stableford kitty competition with the following result: Individual Stableford: First: Bob Brown 41 points. Bob informed Derek that in his last 3 rounds he was 6 under par. Today he was 5 under Second: Graham Bryne 34 points

Finals results of Honours Board Competitions

The finals of the Honours Board Competitions The results are as follows… Scratch Cup - Josh Green beat Paul Lloyd Challenge Cup - Tom Pierce beat Mike Jones JCB Shield - Gareth Roberts beat Damien Atkin Senior Matchplay – Alan Barnsdale beat Mick Carnell Abershield – Barry Dare beat Alan Pocklington Aber Rose Bowl – Marian Williams beat Jakki Moxon Gem Trophy – Justin Bull & Andi Jones were crowned winners! Mixed Foursomes - Jakki Moxon & Richard Collier beat Sue Falcus & Iwan Bonds Flick Cup – Anthony Mcallister & Phil Jones beat Kevin Wyn Jones & Dan Goodall Ladies Betterball – Angela Thomas Williams & Jayne Gibson beat Jane Evans & Julie Hanmer Price Senior Pairs – Richard Collier & Malcom Williams beat Les Williams & Peter Thomas

2 Day challenge results from Mike Healey

The Day 2 Day Challenge has now been completed andv the following results resolved: Day 1 (Division 1): 1st: Alan Barnsdale 40pts (c/b) 2nd: David Jones 40pts (c/b) 3rd: Richard Collier 39pts Day 1 (Division 2): 1st: Peter Fraser 37pts (c/b) 2nd: Bill Kelleher 37pts (c/b) 3rd: Colin Brown 34pts Day 2 (Division 1): 1st: Ernie Williams 42pts 2nd Richard Collier 39pts 3rd Jon Falcus 35pts Day 2 (Division 2): 1st: Stuart Leyland 38pts 2nd: Colin Brown 37pts 3rd: Tom Pierce 35pts Once the scores had been totalled the following aggregate scores read as follows: Division 1 Winner: Ernie Williams 78pts (c/b) Runner Up: Richard Collier 78pts (c/b) Division 2 Winner: Colin Brown 71pts (c/b) Runner Up: Peter Fraser 71pts (c/b) There was also a 9-hole result for this week: 1st: Irwin Elkin 19pts 2nd: Mike Parks 18pts 3rd Mike Kalka 12pts

Seniors Medal September 1st 2022

HowDidiDo Competition Results Seniors Monthly Medal 01/09/2022 Division 1 Pos Name Result 1 David Jones 83 - 16 = 67 2 Jonathan Falcus 81 - 13 = 68 3 Chris Jacques 78 - 9 = 69 Division 2 Pos Name Result 1 Tom McGrady 90 - 24 = 66 2 Brian Beaton 92 - 25 = 67 3 Stuart Holloway Miles 93 - 24 = 69 Division 3 Pos Name Result 1 Liam Roddis 95 - 31 = 64 2 Colin Evans 100 - 34 = 66 3 Michael Drake 97 - 29 = 68

Match vs Holywell report via Malcolm Williams August 31st 2022

Our above match was, as usual at Holywell, played as an AmAm with 2 players from each Club in the teams. The winners were:- George Hughes and Stuart Leyland and their Partners with a score of 90. Runners up were Alan Barnsdale and Alan Bottomley and their partners on countback! A most enjoyable day for all involved! Our final matches of the season are:- Hawarden (home) – Tuesday, 13th Sept. and Mold (away) – Thursday, 22nd Sept. Signing up sheets are on the Club Notice Board.

Recent seniors results via Mike Healey August 2022

In Mike's absence, there have been two results not reported - please find below: Tuesday 16th August - Yellow Ball. While 32 members were contesting the Senior Open at Priors Hayes 16 seniors played out a Yellow Ball competition back at Clays. I would like to thank Don and Chris for organising the draw/resolving cards and Irwin for pinging on the result. Because of numbers, there was only one prize on the day. Yellow Ball First: Bob Brown, Chris Jacques, Alan Barnsdale, Mike Parks 198 points Tuesday 30th August - Individual Stableford Qualifier Again 16 seniors made their way over to Holywell Golf Club for an am/am match - please find result elsewhere. Back at base 21 seniors contested an individual Stableford Qualifier with the following leading results: Stableford Qualifier First: Gareth Thomas 43 points Second: Peter Taylor 42 points Third: Mike Kalka 39 points Fourth: Royan Anthony 38 points Fifth: Bob Brown 36 points