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Elmstead Cup falls foul of the weather
COLCHESTER Golf Club's first Bank Holiday weekend of the year was another victim of the cold Easter weather.
The opening casualty was the Elmstead Cup, which for the first time for many years was not able to be played in full over the four-day weekend.
The qualifying round, where the top eight go through to knockout stages, was played on Friday in a strong breeze and cold, wet conditions.
Nevertheless, 112 members played in this the first boarded competition of 2008 and it was Kevin Petch, playing off an eight handicap, with a nett 68, who qualified in first place.
Brian Powell (14) put together the only other nett sub-par round of 69 to qualify in second place.
Steve Parlett (15), Simon Rippingale (13) and Tom Rothery (11) were the next qualifiers, all on nett 70s.
Alan Sharrocks (five), who along with Petch returned the lowest gross of the day, qualified with a nett 71 and Alan Hyde (ten) and Dan Eke (five), who both returned nett 72s, were the final two to qualify.
Saturday was quarter-finals day, with the course just playable and the weather marginally better, but winter greens were in operation.
Petch was drawn against Eke, but lost three and two, while Parlett played against Sharrocks and lost on the 16th four and two.
Rippingale beat Rothery with some excellent work around the winter greens and the last pairing of Powell and Hyde went the whole way, with Hyde securing victory on the last.
However, that was as far as the Elmstead Cup went as snow on Sunday morning put paid to any golf.
It was decided that the players would return on Monday, but the overnight frost made the course unplayable on Monday morning and the competition was abandoned for the day with the semi-finals between Sharrocks and Eke and Rippingale and Hyde to be completed, along with the final, before April 13.
The weather improved enough to allow the traditional mixed-foursomes competition to tee off in the afternoon on Monday, with Joe and Chris Clarke's 36 points sneaking a win on countback from Bill Eke and Maureen Crosbie.
In third place, also on countback, were Bill and Mandy Rix from club captain Mike Mays and ladies' vice-captain Bridgett Whitworth.
In fifth place were Dick Proctor and Jo Mager on 34 points and Clive and Claire Hebden in sixth with 34 points.
Earlier in the week, the ladies played their three clubs and a putter competition, with division one players not surprisingly returning the better scores.
Annie Johnston, off a handicap of 17, led the way with 34 points, while Beverly Smit (18) was second with 32 and Heather Dennis (19) in third place on countback with 29.
In division two, Katie Cooper (24) was first with 30 points, Alison Cordran (26) was second with 28 and Ann Spurr (23) third with 27.
Division three was led by Elizabeth Bainbridge (30) on 29 points, with Clare Withnall (26) and Mary Borges (26) second and third, both on 26 points.
8:29am Thursday 27th March 2008
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