The 2019 summer season is drawing to another satisfactory close. Details of the Crystal draw and winter season details are here.
End of Season Glorious autumn sunshine made the course look spectacular after all the rain - amazing that the course was open at all! The winner was John Parkes on countback from Trevor Davies (37 points) with Brian Asbury on 36 in third place. NTP prizes were won by Mike Wheatley, Mick Shilcock, Trevor Davies and Brian Asbury. All the usual prizes were awarded, with the Winter Eclectic plates being won by Chris Wells (scratch) and Ian Duncombe (handicap). Captain David Gingell paid tribute to Chris Wells for standing in for him so ably over the last few months. Chris now assumes the Captaincy in his own right: he announced that Bob Howes would be his Vice-Captain.
David also presented Brian Asbury with a cheque for £200 in recognition of his work as Treasurer since time out of mind. The new Treasurer will be Norman Beaumont who assumes office when the books have been closed after the AGM .
The 2019 season has not got off to a good start with 5 losses from the first five matches but several victories after that have redressed the balance with the fixtures and match results here.
The highlight of the summer season was winning the first Leicestershire Seniors county knockout competition.
Congratulations to Lutterworth Seniors who were victorious in yesterdays first Seniors County Knockout final against Scraptoft at the neutral venue of Market Harborough GC.The first of the five match’s went out at 2pm and everyone enjoyed reasonable conditions until some rain kicked in later in the afternoon.After a tense battle, with one match going into overtime, Lutterworth eventually won 3 & 2. Geoff Jamieson of MHGC kindly acted as match referee and had a relatively stress free afternoon as all the matches were played in the true spirit of golf.The trophy was presented by Bob Roberts, Market Harborough Seniors Captain to Chris Wells, Lutterworth Seniors captain at about 6:45pm after everyone had enjoyed a well earned meal Ladies home The ladies played the annual match v Seniors, the weather was showery but got away with it. The ladies managed a 5-1 win, so thank you to everyone who played it was a lovely day, with great company.
Glen Gorse away On a perfect day for playing golf, Glen Gorse put their home advantage to good use, beating Lutterworth Seniors 4 - 2
Kirby Muxloe home Lutterworth Seniors came out on top after a hard-fought match against Kirby Muxloe. The final score was 4.5 to 2.5 points to Lutterworth with most of the matches finishing very close.
Nuneaton away In the second match of the week we achieved a slightly better result with a 3-3 draw.
Oundle away Sadly we lost away at Oundle, despite putting up a great fight.
LRGU Inter-club Knock-out In previous rounds, Lutterworth has beaten Lingdale and Market Harborough. It gives me great pride to report to you all that this afternoon, before the rain came down, we beat Melton Mowbray 3 games to 2 in the semi-final. I'm sure you'll all want to congratulate the team.
We therefore go forward to the final which will be against Whetstone, I believe, at the neutral venue of Market Harborough at a date to be arranged.
Have a good if windy and possibly damp weekend!
Neil
Cosby home Lutterworth Seniors played a Cosby team that was very much on form on the day. The final result was very close, with Lutterworth just winning by 4 games to 3. The course was in amazing condition after the weekend storms which helped everyone raise their game.
Lutterworth Seniors Open This attracted 160 player from many clubs with excellent weather and course conditions. Many congratulations to Chris Wells and his partner Chris Conway on winning the Open. They had a score of 47 points - that's the sort of figure that might discourage some of us!
Captains Away Days at Belton Wood Monday Winner Ken Earp appearing by special invitation as the holder of last year's golf break trophy. Second and third were Vince and Ian Ward. Tuesday Nearest The Pin: Gareth twice! Ralph and Eddie Winner Bob Howes, Second on count back Norman, third Eddie Combined Winner of the George Pearcey Trophy : Eddie, Second Norman, Third equal Ian Ward and Tony Brader
A great couple of days. Lovely, friendly atmosphere throughout, weather excellent for golf; two good holiday courses. Hotel very efficient and helpful. All the scores are here.
Some members (who shall remain nameless) were thrilled by the presence of the ladies from Charnwood GC.
Lingdale away Despite perfect weather and good course conditions, Lutterworth Seniors lost 4.5 to 2.5 against an on form Lingdale Team.
Kibworth away The seniors had another great day at Kibworth. Their course was in good condition, the after game dinner was excellent and the cherry on the cake was a 5 to 3 win for Lutterworth.
Whetstone away Another great performance by Lutterworth Seniors beating Whetstone 5 - 2 even though 4 of the matches were won on the 18th hole.
Glen Gorse home A great match against Glen Gorse which the Lutterworth Seniors won 4.5 to 2.5. Course was in great condition which received several compliments from the visitors.
Whetstone home It was a glorious day for the Seniors match against Whetstone. Most of the matches were won or lost by only 1 hole, however Chris Shaw and Ian Ward had a resounding 9 & 8 victory. The overall result was a half with 3.5 points for each club.
Rothley Park Away Our inaugural match away to Rothley Park was blessed by fine sunny weather. We received a warm welcome from our hosts; including Ken Earp and Michael Brannon who left us on a free transfer at the end of last season. The course was in great condition and the meal was excellent. The result a narrow 4 ½ to 3 ½ victory for Lutterworth.
Seniors Open +55 It was therefore left up to the Seniors to play in the Open on Thursday 6 June. It was still a little damp, but the winners were: Walter Edge, Lutterworth, 37, Overall winner Kevin Humphrey, Lutterworth, 36, Overall second Bill Stubbins, Lutterworth, 36 (B9), Overall third Robert Howes, Lutterworth, 34, Lutterworth winner Michael Brown, Lutterworth, 34 (B9), Lutterworth second Gary Chapman, Lutterworth, 32, Lutterworth third Lee Allen, West Midlands, 35, Away winner Kenneth Earp, Rothley Park, 34, Away second Tim Davison, Hinckley, 34 (B9), Away third Derek Mace, Kington, 34, Away fourth Matt Horton, Lutterworth, 33, Best gross Gary Chapman, Lutterworth, Longest Drive Kevin Humphrey, Lutterworth, Nearest the pin on 15th
Rugby home Sid Ash trophy Despite the forecast the weather held off for a great match against Rugby for the Sid Ash trophy. This year the trophy was won by Rugby with a 4.5 to 2.5 victory. A special note goes to Rob Ford, who despite playing on his own took his match to the 18th to lose by only 1 down. Oundle home The course was in great condition for the match against Oundle with many of the visitors praising the condition. Despite an early threat of rain, all matches finished in the dry with the Lutterworth team overcoming strong opposition to win 4.5 to 2.5.
Cosby Away The weather was good, the course in great shape, the hospitality good, but unfortunately the golf was not so good with a 4.5 to 2.5 loss. But thanks to Brian Asbury for getting out of the shower and driving to Cosby at an hours notice to play, and for being in one of the winning pairs.
Lingdale Home The fine weather brought out the team’s winning ways again today with a 4 to 3 win over Lingdale. The course was in really great condition, the catering delicious and the friendship good.
Kilworth Springs The Seniors played for the Lawrence Lott Memorial Salver against Kilworth Springs in glorious conditions. Lawrence Lott was a past member of both clubs and the salver was donated by his sons for the clubs to play for. The match alternates between each club, but the trophy is held at Kilworth Springs. The weather was fine, dry and sunny and the course in great condition. And even better, the Seniors had another win, 6 v 2!
Collingtree away day Twenty four members of the Seniors travelled to Collingtree for their Captain’s Awayday on 8 May.
We were greeted by coffee and bacon rolls but also, unfortunately, heavy rain, which persisted for much of the day. This made the course, which is challenging anyway, even more challenging. The greens were in poor condition also. Nevertheless, most people seemed to enjoy themselves, and we were treated to an excellent meal after.
The results were: 1 Chris Wells, 41 points 2 Ian Ward, 36 points 3 Vince Hallam, 35 points Nearest the pin on 8, Ray Godfrey; nearest the pin on 15, Vince Hallam Best score on par 3s, Vince Hallam and Ian Ward.
Staverton home Captain Dave continued his good playing weather but changed the fortunes of the team with a resounding 6 2 win.
Rugby Away More dry, sunny weather, although a strong, cold wind for the team's fifth outing. This time it was to Rugby, which isn't a long course but the hills make it quite demanding. It was too demanding for the team which went down 4.5 to 2.5, but the day was most enjoyable.
Last week's meeting on Wednesday, the Ronnie Mee Trophy, was the finale to the winter season with all the winter results here. This coming week we have the first match of the "summer" - against the C team.
Dave Gingell, our captain, takes over the admin for the matches. Can I urge all members to give him your support. The particular difficulty that has caused captains grief over the last couple of years is people saying they're available - and then when the selections are made a whole lot of people say they can't play. Of course there will be occasions when something unforeseen comes up, but that should very much be the exception.
All members are welcome to play in the matches - the more the merrier. If you play in the match it is the expectation that you will stay for the meal afterwards. Keep an eye out for the dress code: many clubs, including Lutterworth for our home matches, have made the change to smart casual. But that does mean fairly smart, it does mean changing out of golf wear, and most clubs will ban shorts for dinner. But some clubs are sticking with jacket and tie - and it might cause heart ache if we get it wrong!
During the summer season those not playing in the matches often turn up a bit before 8.30 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and play a stableford round in randomly drawn groups. Numbers vary from a few to quite a lot. We all put £1 in a saucer afterwards for the winner - who is expected to buy a generous helping of chips. He doesn't often go home very much the richer.