WITH a comprehensive 43-31 defeat of team Forgie, Jimmy Shipsides and Neal Keatings made sure of the Colas Winter League FBBB championship title at Douglas Golf Club last Sunday.
Their 13th win in 14 matches - the solitary defeat, a single-point loss to Chris Dagnall and Neil Morrison, coming in round five - leaves them in an unassailable position with just one round of fixtures to go. Congratulations to them and to the super senior pairing of Barry Skillicorn and Peter Musson who secured the runner-up slot after just seeing off McBurnie/Dent in a battle which went all the way to the 18th where Skillicorn’s bogey for a point saw his team prevail 40-39.
The Dagnall/Morrison combination made sure of third-place money with a surprising 13-point drubbing of Mike Moran and Clive McGreal, the latter standing in for Brian Fick. Performance of the day, however, rested with the Karl Logan/Mike Vipond partnership who demonstrated the sort of form which made them pre-race favourites for the title.
A betterball gross 62 for 46 points left their opponents Paul Hinstridge and Gary Shilling reflecting on the luck of the draw on a day when their own 42-point card would have got them the win in eight of the other 12 matches. Just a point off best-of-the-day was the team of Anthony Crawley and Stephen Skillicorn (subbing for Jimmy Reed).
Carding a relatively modest 20 points to the turn they scorched home in a gross 30 for 25 points and the day’s silver vouchers, that homeward trip proving vital when the Dagnall/Morrison outfit also handed in a 45-point card. But with only 22 on the back they had to settle for bronze vouchers. There were 13 twos on the day each worth £6 in the shop.
Adverse weather conditions had prevented any Saturday golf since the end of January so it was with some relief that play got underway on time in last Saturday’s individual stableford. That conditions were far from ideal, however, was reflected in the scoring with Jack Carty (20), who had finished runner-up in the last Saturday comp, going one step further by claiming victory with his 38 points.
Last time he had thrown the win away by sending his final tee shot into the Manor but this time the 18th proved his friend when his gross-par for three points ensured he kept his nose in front of three others who finished a point back - Matthew Savage (17), Ivan Clague (12) and Barry Skillicorn (8) - the card play-off sorting them into that order for the three minor place vouchers.
Neil Smith (16), Lee Savage (7) and Kevin Madin (13) were just a point out of the prizes but should be more than happy with their 36-point cards. A two on Saturday - and there were seven recorded by the 50-plus field - earned a shop credit of £11.
A FBBB stableford is lined up for Saturday before Sunday’s 15th and final round in the Colas Winter League when main interest will centre on which pair can grab the fourth and final prize. The Savages currently occupy that position but they have a tough encounter with the Wallace/Crellin duo who, although in eightth place, could still snatch that fourth spot if they beat the Savages by at least five points and other results go their way.
However, Trigger/Shimmin who are fifth and on the same league points as the Savages will also be hopeful of overtaking them if they can take care of Kenna/Armstrong.