No. 50 Captain: Kevin Roberts. August 2004.
DRAMA IN WOODEN SPOON SHOOT-OUT.
The one trophy which no club wishes to win is the dreaded Wooden Spoon, awarded to the losers in an annual Stableford competition between the Captains and Vice-Captains of the five Oldham and District clubs - Brookdale, Crompton and Royton, Oldham, Saddleworth, and Werneth.
The holders are allowed to choose the course, and everyone else is kept in the dark until they arrive by coach at the top secret venue.
Oldham, as last year’s booby prize winners, went to great lengths to keep everyone guessing this year, sending out invitations on the headed notepaper of a club in no way involved.
The rain was pouring down when the combatants eventually arrived at the chosen battleground – Leigh Golf Club.
Happily, the weather improved after the traditional soup and sandwiches had been consumed, though the splendid course was still so wet that two temporary holes had to be provided.
Werneth’s low-handicap pair, Captain Kevin Roberts (4), and Vice Captain John Yemm (6), were never in any danger, finishing with an impressive 39pts – it would have been 40pts if John had remembered he received a shot on the par-5 18th.
Brookdale’s pair were equally fireproof with 39pts, and Saddleworth were also safe with 35pts.
Then came the drama, with both Oldham and Crompton and Royton tying with 32pts.
And a back-nine countback failed to settle the issue, with both pairs having scored 17 out and 15 in.
Finally, the fate of the wooden spoon was decided on the scores over the last six holes, with Oldham Captain Barry Cotton and his Vice-Captain, Dave Mills, losing by 10pts to 12, thus retaining their unwanted trophy.
PAUL A CHAMPION FOR SECOND TIME.
Paul Rowbotham, who won the club championship in 1999, triumphed again this year with scores of 69 and 68 gross, defeating the 2001 champion, Ivan Slater (71,67), by a single shot.
David Whaley, playing off twelve, won the best net prize with scores of 76 and 78 (net 130)
Vice-Captain John Yemm took the first round prize with a one over par 69 (net 63), with Mark Abbott taking the honours after lunch with another 69 (net 66).
TWO MORE WERNETH ACES.
Paul Egan, who plays off seven, holed in one at the 10th during the battle for the club championship, and 12-handicapper Paul Handley has also joined the club’s roll of honour with an ace at the 3rd.
CLOSING INVITATION DAY WINNNERS.
So that was the summer, that was!
After weeks of seemingly non-stop rain, the closing invitation day was held in glorious weather on Saturday, September 4.
And making hay while the sun shone were Steve McNamara and Shaw Hill’s Ian Ashworth with 44 Stableford points.
Barry McLoughlin and his guest from Sale, Peter Sykes, also had 44 pts but had to be satisfied with second place after a card play-off.
The next four pairs all scored 43 points but, following a countback, the placings were as follows:
Third: Ian Turner and John Hughes (Brookdale)
Fourth: Vice-Captain and Roy Evans (Lilleybrook).
Fifth: Geoff Park and Mark Harrington (Saddleworth).
Sixth: Chris Cordwell and Chris Simpson (Saddleworth).
MAKE A DATE FOR DINNER DANCE.
Following complaints about last year’s venue (particularly the price of the drinks), the annual dinner dance will be held this year at the Shaw Masonic Club, Kershaw Street, on Saturday, October 30.
Tickets are priced at £20 and music will be provided by guitar-vocalist Geoff Kenyon.
RATTIGAN TO BE VICE-CAPTAIN.
Shaun Rattigan is to be John Yemm’s Vice-Captain when John assumes the captaincy of the club in February.
Both were members of the A team which won the Oldham and District League Knock-Out Cup two years ago.
Shaun, who plays off nine, lives almost next to the club on Green Lane.
TEACHER JOE GETS HIS SUMS WRONG.
The Vice-Captain and Joe Cassidy were two up and cruising after 14 holes in their Foursomes final against Saul Slater and Alan Pope when the Captain, who was among the spectators, spotted that schoolteacher Cassidy had failed to count his clubs and had fifteen in his bag.
The pair were inevitably penalised two holes and eventually lost by 2 and 1.
Nigel Wareing had a double triumph, beating Wayne Whitworth 3 and 2 in the Challenge final, and then defeating Adrian Brierley on the 18th to take the Mellor Cup.
In the Hetherington final, Lee Murray and Danny Jacewicz beat Alan Pope and Steve Hamer 2 and 1.
The mixed foursomes were won by Paul Rowbotham and Angela Whaley, who beat the Captain and the Lady Captain by 5 and 3.
HULME WINS GRASSHOPPER.
Ten handicapper Ged Hulme won the Grasshopper Trophy with a fine four over par round of 72.
Unlucky runners-up were M. Shea, D. Hobson, and T. Barratt, who all equalled Hulme’s net score but lost out on countbacks.
WATERHOUSE WIN FOR COBURN.
John Coburn, with a round of 81-19-62, won the James Waterhouse Trophy by two shots from Nadeem Ayub (75-11-64).
BROWN TRIUMPHS IN FAIRWAY CUP.
Ian Brown provided proof that high-handicappers are always in with a chance by winning the Fairway Cup with a round of 82-18-64.
This proved too good even for the ever-dangerous Mark Abbott whose level par 68, off a handicap of three, left him a shot short.
WERNETH SPOON WIN FOR ABBOT AND YEMM.
There was better luck for Abbott when, paired with Craig Yemm, he won the Werneth Spoon with 76 pts.
Runners-up, with 75 pts, were Howard Travis and Brian McCabe.
MONTHLY MEDALS FOR BIELBY, WRIGHT.
Ex-Captain David Bielby kept the flag flying for the club’s seniors by winning the 1st Division’s September Monthly Medal with a score of 75-13-62.
Runner-up was Tony Roddy (70-7-63), who beat the Captain (67-4-63) on a CPO.
The second division title went to Dave Wright (76-16-60), with Geoff Hibbert (85-20-65) in second place.
The August medal winners were Mark Abbott (1st division), and Tom Dwayre, with Cliff Fletcher and Terry Melia the respective runners-up.
McNAMARA WINS AT OLDHAM.
Tom McNamara, partnered by Oldham Captain Barry Cotton, won the invitation day event at the Oldham club with 43 Stableford points.
JUNIORS,
ALAN PALMER IS JUNIOR CHAMPION.
In a battle between two eight-handicappers, Alan Palmer defeated Johnny Dooley in the Junior Challenge – a competition sponsored by the Slater brothers.
Jack Suttie, with a gross 81, was the under-14 winner of a qualifier for the Daily Telegraph Northfield Trophy.
Michael Farrimond was also in fine form in the Greater Manchester Junior Open, played at Sale, with a score of 75-11-64 to take the net runner-up prize.
Another runner-up was Adam Rowbotham in the Fairfield Junior Open.
And our juniors scored a remarkable 14-0 away victory at Houldsworth, as well as beating Ashton at home by six and one.