DAVE Kneen and Gary Conwell march majestically on in the Agrimark Winter League after making it eight games with no dropped points.
Early high-fliers Andy Cain and Tim Croft couldn’t do anything to stop the leaders and were sent packing 5 and 4.
Still in second place but only just are Billy Hogg and Paul Russell. They had the rug pulled from under them by a resurgent Chris Cain and Steve Gandy who had an easy win 4 and 3. Russell’s putter was misbehaving and Hogg produced the early shot of the day when his tee shot (if you can call it that) travelled a full four yards. Cain suggested it was the air from the swish of the club head that moved the ball!
Bill Denard and George McArdle lost in a hard-fought match with Dale ’Yo-Yo’ Wilcock and John Meehan. Wilcock vascillated between five brilliant birdies and not scoring on holes but it was enough to take the game 2 and 1.
Denard and McArdle were heartened to know that Wilcock found this week for a return to form! Another man with a return to putting form slotting in four birdies was Nick Grounds who, with Albie Stoddart, won their game with Eric Grace and Paul Bridson 3 and 2. It was a good match with Grace and Bridson twice pegging the winners back to level before losing out on the 16th.
Another 3 and 2 win doubled the season’s points tally for Darren Robinson and Nigel Whitehouse and happily moved them out of the red zone. However, it was not so pleasant for their opponents Eric Drinkwater and Tony Potts who dropped into the bottom two.
Another team on the move was Barry Firth and Neil Thomas who beat Jim Cringle and Mal Quayle 2 and 1 and eased into third spot. It was Thomas who did the early damage with a front nine that included two birdies and belied his 18-handicap.
The two seniors Martyn Redmayne and Chris Pogue were not intimidated by the young bucks Greg Galloway and Steve ‘The Hammer’ Meehan and took the match 2 up. Level after 16 holes it was Redmayne who held his nerve to birdie the 17th and a par was enough the win the last.
Andy Corcoran and Rob Humphreys-Jones started the new year where they left off propping up the table courtesy of a 7 and 5 drubbing from Tony Corrin with the hot putter and Bryn Jones playing a steady game. No wonder the losers hoisted the white flag before leaving the meadow.
League positions: 1, Kneen/Conwell 16 points +35; 2, Hogg/Russell 11 +5; 3, Firth/Thomas 11 +0; 4, Stoddart/Grounds 10 +6; 5, Jones/Corrin 9 +12; 6, Cain/Croft 9 +8; 7, Galloway/Meehan 9 +3; 8, Quayle/Cringle 8 +6.
When you’re down you do not need a kicking but such are vagueries of life as this Saturday sees top play bottom - time for a surprise result! Other results to look out for will be Hogg and Russell against Wilcock and Meehan plus Cain and Croft taking on Stoddart and Grounds.