Round 2 winter league November 20th 2021. Report from Mike Healey

We successfully completed Round 2 of the Winter League today, albeit only 31 members. Ten points were up for grabs but only six cash prizes. Alas, four holes were closed and we thought it might have been overnight rain but the course was remarkably dry and closures were probably down to a dozen or so trees being removed, following the weekend storms. The ground staff have already made a brilliant job of removing toppled trees from the holes that remained open. Par for the 14 hole course was around the 28 mark and quite a few cards came back with 27, 28, 29. One card came in with 30 but lost out on countback - Here are the results (League points in brackets): Winter League - Round 2 First: Mike Healey 33 points (10 pts) £9.00 Second: Alan Bottomley 32 points c/b (9 pts) £7.00 Third: Mick Carnell 32 points c/b (8 pts) £6.00 Fourth: Graham Bryne 31 points c/b (7 pts) £4.00 Fifth: Richard Collier 31 points c/b (6 pts) £3.00 Sixth: Mike Hollings 30 points c/b (5 pts) £2.00 Seventh: Bill Kelleher 30 points c/b (4 pts) Eighth: Frank Rodenhurst 30 points c/b (3 pts) Nineth: Tony Jackson 30 points c/b (2 pts) Tenth: Les Williams 30 points c/b (1 pt)

Pairs Betterball November 23rd. Report from Mike Healey

Pairs Betterball November 23rd. Report from Mike Healey What a fantastic competition we had today. Exactly 36 members turned up which made it perfect for Pairs Betterball. 9 groups set off in the fine rain, which persisted for a while and a cool breeze did not help conditions. Both fairways and semi had been or was being cut throughout and the general playing area remained sticky but the results came through nevertheless. Quite a number of cards returned between 37 and 40 points. 3 cards showed 42 points and countback went into operation but none of them were quite good enough at the end of the day. Four prizes were up for grabs - read on for the winners - Pairs Betterball First: Richard Collier and Colin Evans 48 points £7.00 each Second: Stuart Leyland and Peter Thomas 45 points c/b £5.00 each Third: Mick Carnell and Tony Jackson 45 points c/b £4.00 each Fourth: Dave Palferman and Steve Monk 43 points £2.00 each

Tango kitty competition result November 18th 2021 from Mike Healey

Another mild, if not warm day for one of our kitty comps. We have all played a "Waltz" during the course of our calendar year but I think this was our first "Tango" to date. There appeared to be a little confusion at the outset but the troops soon got into the scoring and it all became somewhat frenetic over the last three holes, when all four members of the team needed to contribute a score. 44 seniors set out in fourballs and it was calculated that around about 100 points were required to be in the frame at the end. No fewer than six teams returned 100+ - the remaining five were not far behind, but there were only three prizes!! Please find result below: Tango - Fourballs First: Stewart Poole, Barry Dare, Dave Jones, Peter Taylor 109 points £6.00 each Second: Jon Falcus, Tom Blackshaw, Malcolm Williams, Tony Jackson 105 points £3.00 each Third: Mike Healey, Nigel Harris, John Slater, Richard Collier 103 points c/b £2.00 each Footnote - The November calendar has disappeared from the board so I am attaching another copy. Mike Healey

Poppy day appeal final donations from Don Wraight------Vice Captain

A big thank you to all those who donated to the Poppy Day Appeal. In total we raised £560 last week. Arrangement are being made to present the Royal British Legion with a cheque for £1028. Last year the Seniors raised £468 which, due to the pandemic was unable to be presented to them. Hopefully we can present them at the Seniors AGM on the 7th December Once again thanks to all who generously gave. Don wraight Vice Captain

Round one Winter league result November 16th from Mike Healey

There was cracking turn out for Round 1 of the Clays Senior Winter League - no fewer than 48 members appeared for the tally draw at 8.45am. Twelve fourballs headed out and although the course remains damp in places, it did not stop some very good scoring. League points were up for grabs (1 to 10) and a kitty comp was run simultaneously (1st 8 positions only). Anybody coming in around the 36 points mark or below was heading for disappointment and even some 37 points lost out on countback. There will be an updated table after each round, starting after Round 2 on the 30th November. Please find results below with points and cash prizes - (League points in brackets): First: Frank Rodenhurst 42 points (10pts) £10.00 Second: Bill Kelleher 41 points c/b (9pts) £8.00 Third: Liam Roddis 41 points c/b (8pts) £7.00 Fourth: Richard Collier 39 points (7pts) £6.00 Fifth: Stevev Monk 38 points c/b (6pts) £5.00 Sixth: Mick Carnell 38 points c/b (5pts) £4.00 Seventh: Tom McGrady 37 points c/b (4pts) £3.00 Eighth: Tony Jackson 37 pointds c/b (3pts) £1.00 Ninth: Ralph Hardy 37 pointds c/b (2pts) Tenth: Nigel Davies 37 points c/b (1pt)

Ken Lawrence Memorial Trophy November 11th 2021. Report from Mike Healey

The Ken Lawrence Memorial Trophy was added to our fixture list years ago following Ken's demise, firstly, in memory of a longstanding Captain and legend in the senior section. Secondly, it is always placed in the November calendar in conjunction with our section's Poppy Day Appeal and our contribution to the Royal British Legion. Club Vice-Captain, Don Wraight has advertised this year's event for some while now and a variety of posters have adorned the clubhouse. Today extra posters appeared on the first tee so that other club members might also want to contribute to the cause. Don then proceeded to the first tee with a camera and became David Bailey in order to record the Seniors as a group, early drives and the presentation at the end of the day. Today it was an honour and pleasure to take part in the competition. No fewer than 48 seniors placed their tallies on the board and 12 fourballs set out to do battle. Apart from some light drizzle around 10.00am the weather conditions were benign and although the surface is still a little sticky, players were finding the extra distance in reaching the greens. It didn't matter what the individual scores were at 11.00am - a siren went off and the entire course stood still for the scheduled two minutes in memory. Apart from the Seniors who knew what to expect, it was also commendable that younger playing members followed suit and honoured the tradition. The troops returned to the clubhouse and the entry fee had been set at £5.00, to be returned with completed cards. The generosity of the Seniors knows no bounds, as most members threw £10.00 into the collection. Seniors apart, added contributions were being taken by Andy in reception and the box will remain there until Tuesday of next week but suffice it to say that over £400.00 was donated by the Senior section alone on the day. Steve Monk (Hon Treasurer) will release a final figure sometime next week and the sum total will be presented by the Senior Captain, Barry Dare in the future to the British Legion. What about a result? No fewer than 3 cards returned showed 36 points, which were commendable but not good enough on the day. Richard Collier returned a very good 39 points, only to find himself in Runners Up position. Today's winner was Alan Barnsdale with 40 points and following a short speech, Barry presented Alan with the Ken Lawrence Memorial Trophy and first and only prize of a bottle of Penderyn Legend. A good day had by our members and a brilliant response from the Seniors in their Poppy Day generosity Don Wraight, Club Vice Captain supplied lots of photos of the day and they can be seen below. Thanks Don

Mexican texas scramble result November 9th 2021 from Mike Healey

Seniors - Before you read on for today's reasult - another reminder about this Thursday's forthcoming competition. Appropriately this year, we are playing in the Ken Lawrence Memorial Trophy on the 11th November. Traditionally we raise money for the Royal British Legion and Don has produced posters around the club to promote this event. There is no kitty comp as such - we turn up, as usual, for a tally draw and all play individual stableford. It will cost £5.00 to enter (money collected at the end by Mike Healey and Steve Monk) and feel free to put more more in if you so wish!! There is only one winner on the day in playing terms and (s)he receives a trophy plus a bottle of malt whisky. Of course, the real winners, with your generosity, will be the Royal British Legion. 38 brethren turned up this morning and the day developed into a 5 x fourball Mexican Scramble and 6 x threeball Texas Scramble. There was a slight wind but nothing to trouble the majority. There were showers promised but they did not materialise. Scoring was tight in both groups but the final handicaps sorted the wheat from the chaff. Fourball Mexican Scramble - Result First: Richard Collier, John Kelty, Nigel Harris, Alan Pocklington 55.7 £4.00 each Second: Stewart Poole, Barry Dare, Bob Jarvis, Dave A Jones 56.7 £1.00 each Threeball Texas Scramble - Result First: Stuart Leyland, Tom McGrady, Alan Bottomley 61.1 £4.00 each Second: Alan Barnsdale, Mike Kalka, Irwin Elkin 61.2 £2.00 each

Poppy day appeal from Don Wraight

Each year the Seniors raise money for the Royal British Legion by playing their Poppy Day Appeal together with the Ken Lawrence trophy, which will be on the 11th of November. This normally raises in the excess of £300. Last year we asked members of the club to help us raise more money for those who gave their lives and continue to do so for our country. For those willing to donate please see the staff at reception who will accept your donation. You can donate from now until the 14th November. Thank you Don Wraight vice Captain

Seniors Medal November 4th 2021

Div 1 1 Andrew Mitchell 38 pts 2 Tony Jackson 37 pts 3 David Jones 37 pts Div 2 1 Colin Brown 37 pts 2 Michael Carnell 36 pts 3 Tom McGrady 36 pts Div 3 1 Brian Beaton 37 pts 2 Michael Drake 37 pts 3 Peter Taylor 36 pts

3 scores to count plus 2 scores to count November 2nd 2021. Report from Mike Healey

Seniors - what a glorious day for golf. The weather was fine throughout and shirt sleeves were even on show in places. The torrential rain at the weekend left ground conditions rather soggy but at least it flattened the fallen leaves, making ball searches less formidable. We had a shortened 1st hole and both the 16th and 17th were closed, so reduced course length helped to some extent with timing. 38 members rolled up for the draw and 5 x fourballs played 3 to Count while 6 x threeballs played 2 to Count. The scoring was tight and required countback in both groups, leading to two prizes for each. Fourball - 3 to Count: First: Barry Evans, Harold Hughes, Dave Wright, Alan Bottomley 106 points (c/b) £4.00 each Second: Andy Mitchell, Stewart Poole, Bob Jarvis, Liam Roddis 106 points (c/b) £1.00 each Third: Richard Collier, Tom McGrady, Jon Falcus, Alan Barnsdale 100 points Threeball - 2 to Count: First: Graham Bryne, Barry Dare, Mike Drake 74 points £4.00 each Second: Ernie Williams, Nigel Harris, Mike Healey 73 points (c/b) £2.00 each Third: John Kelty, Ken Tieszen, Chris Jacques 73 points (c/b)

Captains Newsletter October 2021

Thankfully, the weather has been warm and relatively dry this October. This is reflected in the excellent condition of our course, especially the greens. Thanks to Mark and his team for presenting the course in excellent condition for this time of year. It is good to see the continued course improvement work primarily on and around the sixteenth green. Hopefully, this will result in more holes being in play this winter. As mentioned last month, the season continued into early October. Therefore, I start with an update on the results. The ladies won the Borders Challenge and thus retain the trophy for a further year. The Clays Past Captains trophy was won by Nigel Davies with a stableford score of 46pts. I believe Nigel is growing a moustache for in aid of the MOVEMBER charity, most appropriate! Clays performed a clean sweep in the Jubilee Plate finals held over 36 holes at Vale of Llangollen Golf Club. The winners were Aled Bonds & Kev Jones, runners-up Graham Davidson-Clarke & Paul Stevenson and third place Richard Collier & your Captain. Congratulations to all those members who won a trophy this year. Thanks to all members who participated in the Presentation Day competition prize giving. A personal thanks goes to the 31 members who supported my Captains Away Day held at Maesdu Golf Club Llandudno. A special thanks to Tom Pierce for organising the transport. The golf course was in fantastic condition and thankfully it was not too windy. The friendly conditions being reflected in the scores. The inaugural winner of the Captains Away Day trophy was Stuart Harrison with a score of 43pts that included an eagle on the par 5 18th. The best score by a lady was won by Kim Harcombe. Nearest to the pin on the 1st hole was won by Frank Rodenhurst. Of course, not everyone can be a winner, “the only way is up” trophy, otherwise known as the wooden spoon, was won, if that’s the correct terminology, by Russ Adamson. Thanks again, to everyone for being good sports and making it a special day. Although the white tees have been put away for the winter this does not mean competition are over. There are various competitions to keep members occupied during the winter months. Keep an eye out for the Turkey Trott competitions where turkeys and drinks are on offer for the winners, could save a trip to Tesco (other supermarkets are available). The 11th November is Remembrance Day when the Senior section hold their annual memorial competition. There will also be a collection, contributions welcome from all members, in aid of the Royal British Legion. Posters around the club will provide details of how you can donate. Looking further ahead, tickets are available for the members Xmas party. This event will be a soul night organised by Hayley, who has promised to do her, not to be missed, party piece! The party will be on Saturday 11th December. Get your tickets from Hayley. Until next time, take care and stay safe. Dave Palferman