Technical Knock-out

This week has been gruelling. I have played five consecutive days, when I promised myself that three would be my maximum. The problem is previous Captains have said .Say yes to everything, so I am!!

It started on Tuesday with another scratch team competition, this time at Caldy. IPC Simon and I won our Captains challenge on the 18th hole and the scratch team won 3-0 to maintain their 100% record. A win against Heswall tomorrow will see them win the East Cheshire scratch league. Whether there will be a play-off against the West Cheshire Champions remains to be seem.

On Wednesday I played my knock-out match in the Senior section and managed to carve out a win 2 & 1. It was a bit disjointed as we were a two ball racing round the course and several 4 ball groups stood aside to allow us through. That then caused us both to rush and make a complete mess of our game startegy. Hey ho, I am into the quarter finals and await news of who my opponent will be.

Thursday saw a Wallasey team take on the Wirral Police in an annual fixture at the Club. I partnered the Wallasey chairman against the Captain of the Police and his colleague. We ran out winners again and were lucky with the golf and the fact that we were able to stay dry on the patio while eating out after match meal. I said a few words which I hope went down well, and left the taxi based players to have a few more tinctures.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to play at Prestbury on Friday with Steve Williams, who is a member there and at Wallasey. we ere joined by the Prestbury captain and the President of the Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs. Both organisations are celebrating their Centenary this year, but sadly have had to put everything on hold until 2021. the Sandiway club are in a similar position. We had a most enjoyable round, in which I played some of my most consistent golf for sometime, finally posting a nett 69 off the white tee's with a couple of gimmies, but Mr president parred the final hole to halve the match.

Saturday is best forgotten, as I parred the first and the 18th but what went on in  between was not the best. it is so frustrating how two days can be so different, but fatigue certainly played a part..

I was at the Club yesterday for my first official duty which was to present the cup to the winner of the Club Championship. This is a 36 hole gross tournament played in one day and the conditions were very, very testing. Dylan Thompson won with two rounds of 74 which was excellent golf on the day and after I got to say a few words somebody took a photo!

This week will be a bit quieter, the clubhouse may open and we can take another step down the path to normality.

Better than a hole in one!!

No posts during May is a bit of a let down, but was due in most part to a holiday trip to Turkey with some of Maxine's mad mate's, one of whom was celebrating her 60th birthday. I took my bats along and managed to get five rounds in including two on the Montgomerie course which will be hosting the Turkish Open later in the year. It was a very well turned out track and I played it pretty well.

I always remember when I was off on vacation from work, little of my backlog got cleared while I was away, so there was a huge work effort when I returned and the holiday quickly became a distant memory.

The same thing happened this time, although the backlog was a series of golf matches which needed to be played in short order, when I got back. The schedule finished yesterday with a rare win in the first round of the Nike match-play. I worked out that I have played nine rounds in 12 days.

The highlight of those rounds has to be a gross 79 which I hit in the Twickenham Legend's v Hero's match at Hersham Village Golf Club. It was the first time I have ever broken 80 and did feel just a bit special. especially as I travelled down and back in the day!!

Other matches saw a second place at Wallasey, a win against Prestbury and a defeat away at the West Lancs course close to where we used to live in Waterloo.

So now I am putting my feet up for a while before I tackle some decorating and other little jobs which are building up.

Interesting the football fixtures have just been released and I can see the mighty Green's at Tranmere this year, as well as at Morecambe and Accrington Stanley. Might even get to Wigan to see Brentford.

The standard of football will be a little bit lower than that on display during the World Cup, but I am sure the quality of refereeing and playacting/cheating will be the same. Such is the price we have to pay for 'the beautiful game'.