No. 39 Captain: Alf Selby Sept. 2003
Record-breaker Rowbotham Wins Four Majors.
Paul Rowbotham capped a remarkable couple of weeks by winning no fewer than four Majors, and finishing runner-up in the men’s foursomes – a major in all but name.
In addition, the three-handicapper earlier came second to Vice Captain Kevin Roberts when competing for the Captain’s prize – another board competition – losing at the 42nd after a six-hole play-off
Eldest son Lee, the current Oldham and District Champion, previously won the Grasshopper Trophy with a course record 61 and, not to be outdone, youngest son Adam (79-15-74), won the Lady Captain’s prize and his brother Aaran posted the best gross score.
The successes of Team Rowbotham tended to overshadow the Challenge Cup victory of Ivan Slater, who beat Paul Egan by 2 and 1.
Paul Rowbotham’s record-breaking four wins were as follows:
Hetherington Cup – Partnered by John Armstrong (13), defeated veteran Les Lawton (7) and Alan Baddeley (19) by 3 and 2.
Mellor Cup – Began with three birdies against Mark Routledge (8), scored two more at the 9th and 10th, and eventually overwhelmed his opponent by 7 and 6 with yet another birdie on the 12th.
Fairway Cup – Posted a gross five-under par 63 to take the title with David Whittingham (74-13-61), the unfortunate runner-up.
Mixed Foursomes – Teamed with Angela Whaley beat Vice Captain-elect John Yemm and Yvonne Evans by 3 and 2.
Again partnered by John Armstong in the men’s foursomes, he lost out to Saul Slater (6) and Steve Hamer (7) at the 19th – a match played on the same day as his Mellor Cup victory.
Paul’s amazing run of success in the club’s premier competitions meant that it was impossible to stage all the finals on one day, as is the custom.
His biggest problem now is to draft four victory speeches in time for Presentation Night on Saturday, October 11!
Apathy Threatens Seniors’ Section.
Seniors’ chairman Albert Kingham has appealed to all members of the section to attend the annual general meeting on Friday, October 10, when its future will be decided.
There is a serious threat of disbandment due to lack of support for inter-club and Lawrence Batley matches, he warned.
Said Mr Kingham: "We have had to cancel two friendly matches against other local clubs because too few members were prepared to play, and selecting teams for Lawrence Batley League matches has been an absolute nightmare."
One major problem, he says, is the proliferation of Seniors’ Open competitions, which have proved hugely popular with members.
"Serious decisions will have to be made at the AGM," he added. "We need firm commitments from sufficient members if we are to continue in the Batley League.
"Equally there must be greater support for our friendly matches if they are to continue – perhaps we should reduce the number of players required from 16 to 12."
He also expressed disappointment that some members fail to stay for a meal when visitors are being entertained.
The AGM will follow the conclusion of the annual Chairman’s Day competition
Bill Riley’s Surprise Shot.
Bill Riley received a shot he was certainly not expecting when playing the 11th hole recently – he was hit by an airgun pellet fired by a mystery sniper from outside the course.
The missile hit him on the leg, causing a nasty bruise, but did not pierce his trousers.
Police have been informed.
Death Of Two Well-known Ladies.
The deaths have occurred of two ladies well-known to thousands of Oldhamers – ex-Lady Captain Ada Threlfall, aged 94, who used to run a dress shop on Hollins Road, and Harry Butterworth’s Polish wife, Olga – the couple ran a chip shop on Union Street for many years.
Take Your Partners For Dinner Dance.
The annual dinner dance will be held at the Avant Hotel on Saturday, October 25th, with music provided by Heavy Weather.
Please indicate how many tickets you require (£20 each), on the list in the lounge.
Ex-captain’s Serious Illness.
Brian Cross, club captain in 1987-88, who now lives in St Helens, is seriously ill after suffering a brain haemorrhage.
Meanwhile, Lady Captain Isabel Wright continues to make slow progress following her serious operation.
We wish them both a full and speedy recovery.
Charity Event Raises £670.
The Beer Sellers’ Charity event attracted a huge field, including several who appeared never to have played golf before, and proved to be a five-hour marathon for many of the later starters.
But patience was amply rewarded with free drinks and food at the 19th – and a raffle which raised £670 for the Captain’s designated charity, The Macmillan Nurses.
Visitors filled the first two places in the four-man team event but two Werneth quartets came third and fourth – Terry Marner, John Stockley, Roy Garforth, and Steve Hamer (88 pts), closely followed by Roger Buckley, Shaun Rattigan, John Clark, and Albert Kingham.
…And Ladies Raise Another £302.
Thanks largely to the efforts of Betty Keating and Joyce Bielby, the ladies’ LGU Charity Day raised £302 for Cancer Research.
The winner was Joan Hughes with a score of 92-23-69.
Sisters-in-law Madge Griffiths and Marilyn Griffin teamed up to win the Daily Mail Foursomes qualifier with a score of 92-22-70.
Two LGU events were won respectively by Sheila Waterhouse, with a net 65, and Brenda Jarvis with a net 69 – two fine scores.
Pauline Seville triumphed in a Stableford comp. with 41 pts.
Fine Scores On Invitation Day.
John Littleford, partnered by Crompton and Royton’s Stuart Boss, took the honours on closing invitation day with 47 Stableford points, two better than Lawrence Boswell and Steve Pilling, also from C and R.
Other prizewinners:
3rd – Mike Carr and D. Moores (Brookdale).
4th - Duncan Hough and Mike Arnfield (Brookdale).
5th - Ross Rosengrove and Harry Phillips (Brookdale).
6th – Noel Brown and Phil Hitchen (Brookdale).
Holt, Whittingham Win Monthly Medals.
Grahame Holt, with a one under par 67 (net 6O), won the Div. 1 monthly medal, defeating Peter Oldham (72-11-61), by a single stroke.
The Div. 2 winner was David Whittingham (78-14-64), with Bill Riley (86-21-65), in second place.
Mel Robinson, with 32 pts, edged out Mark Abbott (31 pts), in a 13-hole Stableford but Mark got his revenge in a similar event a week later, scoring 30 pts to Kevin Clark’s 29.
John Budding won a medal comp. with a score of 70-8-62, with Alan Palmer (75-11-64), in second place, and greens’ secretary Jack Cain amassed 42 pts in a Stableford event to thwart Ian Turner (41pts).
Darren Home After Cycling Marathon.
Darren Andrews and his pal Ian Dearing are back home after a 24-day, 2,500 mile round-Britain cycle ride which raised £5,000-plus for Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, Willow Wood Hospice, Ashton, and the Christie Hospital.
Said Darren: "We had some hairy moments, particularly when Ian injured his hand and arm, and buckled both wheels, in a fall. And competing with heavy traffic in pouring rain and a strong wind on the A17 near Kings Lynn was very frightening."