The past few months have not been kind weather-wise. The course has been closed or reduced to 9 holes on as many occasions as it’s been open fully for play. This played havoc with the fixture list in the group stages of the Senior Men Pairs Winter League. It was around St Valentine’s Day that the final group matches were played and the knockout stages could begin.
For Dave Ellerton and Dave Jackson, it had been a long wait as they had completed their group matches in double-quick time. For Keith Plowman and Ian Woosey, defending champions, the weather gods had disrupted their golf schedule. Yet, here were both pairs contesting the Final on a bright if chilly April morning having enjoyed titanic semi-final wins.
The match was a tight affair with never more than one hole in it until the 16th. Dave Jackson made the most of the six shots he received on Ian and eight shots on Keith, winning several holes with a net par or, in the case of the 4th, net birdie. His ability to drive the ball further than his opponents and playing partner was a telling factor, even if his short game needed work. Yet, Ian and Keith kept themselves in the match and, indeed, at the 7th, took the lead only for it to be overturned by the turn. Back to all-square at the 11th, the tide seemed to be turning only for Dave E to grab the limelight with halves at the 13th and 14th before a net par from Dave J restored the one-hole advantage. It was soon dormie as Dave E parred the 16th. A brace of pars at the 17th meant that the two Daves had triumphed 2&1.
So, for the second successive year, the champions had been unable to defend their title. The two Daves will collect their trophy at the Presentation Evening later in the year. By that time Dave Jackson’s handicap should have come tumbling down.
Deryck Hall
Co-ordinator