WERNETH WEDGE No. 75 Captain: Paul Higgins August 2007.

CHAMPIONSHIP: IT'S THAT MAN AGAIN!

Paul Rowbotham has been crowned the club's champion once again - for the fourth year in succession and for the fifth time in eight years. On a surprisingly hot and tiring day in this miserable summer, he carded rounds of 65 and 69 for a total of 134 in the 36 hole championship - a scratch event.

But Mark Abott ran him close with rounds of 67 and 68 to be just one stroke away from forcing a play-off - his final putt on the 18th agonisingly lipping out.

In his quartet of successive wins Paul, who has a handicap of one, has only once shot over 70 and, in his eight rounds has a cumulative total of plus one.

Paul claims that he will call it a day if he wins the club championship for a fifth time in a row, giving some hope to the rest of his Div.1 rivals, but few believe him. Les Dooley twice won the championship on four successive occasions, between 1980-83 and l985-88, and held the title on no fewer than thirteen occasions.

The best net prize this year went to 6-handicapper Brian Donnelly with rounds of 74 and 71 (net 133). Again there was a very tight finish with two others losing out on a card play-off - Louis Cordwell (11) and James Buckley (5). The best net score for a single round was recorded by 6-handicapper Paul McKee with a fine 64.

A subsidiary medal on the same day was won by Dave Murphy (75-13-62), with Dave Neild (76-13-63), in second place.

IT'S A BOY FOR NICOL AND JAMES.

Nicol Matterson, wife of our professional, James, gave birth to a bouncing baby boy on August 14th, just nine months after James joined the club! To be called Jack, the couple's first child weighed in at a whopping l0lbs 12ozs. Our congratulations to them both.

FOURTH ACE FOR JOAN.

Joan Swindells holed her tee shot at the 15th when competing in the Ladies' Invitation Day - the FOURTH of her career. Two of her previous aces were at Werneth's 3rd and 6th holes, with the other at the 16th at Oldham.

Joan also chalked up a couple of wins in the last few weeks. She captured Club Captain Paul Higgins' prize in an LGU medal competition with a score of 91-23-68 and, in a Stableford event staged a week earlier, won with 31pts.

The winners on Invitation Day were Barbara Whiting and Bev Scholes, Oldham's Lady Captain, with a fine 49pts. Pauline Seville and Linda Newman, Lady Captain of Saddleworth, took second place six points adrift, with Eileen Fallows and Pauline Givons, of Royton, in third place a further point behind.

Sylvia Haq won a competition called a Medalford with 20pts.

HAT-TRICK FOR ROWBOTHAMS.

Those Rowbothams were up to their tricks again with four of the male members of the family featuring among the three top teams in the Oldham and District Four Man Team event staged at Werneth - and home-based teams won all the prizes.

First prize, with 93pts, went to Mark Abbott, Adrian Brierley, Aaron Rowbotham and Bob Barrington,. Second were Paul Rowbotham, Lee Rowbotham, James Buckley, and Brian Donnelly, with 89pts. And third were Mike Fogo, Adam Rowbotham, Ian Mather and Michael Farrimond (88pts), on a CPO from Jordan Hindley, John Singleton, Jim Mellors, and Shaun Rattigan who, in turn, defeated Steve McNamara, Ian Ashworth, Jack Suttie, and Duncan Hough on a further back six countback to clinch fourth place.

Paul Rowbotham was again a winner in a 3-man team event when partnered by James Dyson and John Armstrong. Their 78pts were five better than the total amassed by the trio of Ian Mather, Mike Fogo, and Ian Richardson.

The yellow ball winners (don't ask), were Jack Suttie, Steve McNamara, and Mark Abbot.

JUNIORS SHOW WAY TO ELDERS.

Two of the club's promising batch of youngsters showed their elders the way home in a single Stableford competition sponsored by the club's past captains. The winner, with a splendid 44pts, was Jordan Hindley, who held off the challenge of his football teammate, Andrew Hildrup, on a card playoff.

JOYCE, McKEE WIN SPOON.

Tim Joyce and Paul McKee teamed up to win the Werneth Spoon with a score of 67pts, defeating Paul Egan and Rick Riley by two points. Lee Rowbotham and James Buckley lost out on a countback.

NAYYUB WINS WATERHOUSE.

Nadeem Ayyub won the James Waterhouse Trophy- one of the club's major events - with a score of 71-12-59. Runner-up, with a score of 79-19-60, was Barry McLoughlin. Club champion Paul Rowbotham, despite carding a magnificent five-under-par 63 gross (62 net), had to be content with sixth place, one place below 5-handicapper James Buckley who shot a two-under 66. And Mark Abbott, who plays off three, finished a lowly eighteenth despite his gross par 68.

YET MORE ABOUT THE ROWBOTHAMS.

Sorry about this but the Editor was taught that facts are sacred and cannot be disregarded, so if you are tired of reading about the Rowbothams go to the next item now. A three-man Texas Scramble was won by Paul of that ilk, partnered by John Armstrong and D. Byron with 53.7 pts, with Ian Mather, Ian Richardson, and Mike Fogo second with 61.1 pts.

Brian Donnelly and John Stockley won a fourball Stableford with 61pts, defeating the Rowbotham-Armstrong pairing by a single point. Joe Taylor and Alan Milligan lost out on a card playoff. It was Lee Rowbotham's turn to win a Single Bogey comp. with a score of 4-up on a card play-off against, guess who? - his dad. Brian McCabe won a Stableford with44pts, beating Lee by three pts.

EX-RUGBY STAR IN MIXED TEAM WIN.

Former St Helens Rugby League star Derek Collinson, partnered by his brother and their wives, won the club's Open Mixed event. They are all members of Ashton in Makerfield Golf Club, Former Oldham Captain David Beech and his wife Joyce, also a Captain, teamed up with fellow members Andrew Batterton and Mary Buckley to take second place. Needless to say, the Werneth flag was kept flying in third place by Paul and Gail Rowbotham, playing with Oldham's Barry Lewis (son of Ron), and Linda Bailey.