Trophy time for Leighton Buzzard's female golfers

The 100-strong ladies section at Leighton Buzzard's Plantation Road golf club has two new champions.
WINNING LINE-UP: (left to right) former Ladies Captain Beryl Wood who donated the Seniors trophy won by Chris Robinson, stableford winner Alison Williams,  Zan Nicholl and ladies captain Avril Simpson.WINNING LINE-UP: (left to right) former Ladies Captain Beryl Wood who donated the Seniors trophy won by Chris Robinson, stableford winner Alison Williams,  Zan Nicholl and ladies captain Avril Simpson.
WINNING LINE-UP: (left to right) former Ladies Captain Beryl Wood who donated the Seniors trophy won by Chris Robinson, stableford winner Alison Williams, Zan Nicholl and ladies captain Avril Simpson.

Just two years after joining the club following the closure of Mentmore, Chris Robinson has been crowned Senior Ladies Champion after carding a gross 87. Chris, who has been playing golf for around 25 years, has a handicap of 11.

And grandmother Zan Nicholl had her “best round for years” to win the Senior Ladies Handicap trophy, her nett 68 being credited to her putting. Zan, a member of the Leighton club for 20 years, had her handicap reduce by two shots to 30.

Runner-up for both titles was Lynn Newnham, who was pipped for the Championship trophy by four shots and for the Handicap trophy by two shots….and had her handicap clipped by a shot to 20.

Alison Williams won the ladies stableford with 38 points, a shot clear of Malgozata ‘Maggiie” Shaw.

Junior girls organisor Gill Ladd will be representing Leighton in the Senior County Ladies championships after winning the club qualifier with a nett 70, three clear of Jan Harries in the Bronze “A” Division. Val Berry won the Silver Division with a nett 74, two clear of Sylvia Coward, while Christine Bateman posted a nett 71 to win Bronze “B” with Lila Garrod runner-up.

Judy Ammon finished top qualifier in Leighton Ladies Challenge Cup competition, her nett 70 earning her a one shot reduction in her handicap to 12. Norma Stevens-Hack, Chris Rimmer, Anne Tilbury, Beryl Wood, Elsa King, Betty Bluett and Chris Purkiss will all contest the final. Hairdresser Anne was also top scorer in the Ladies May stableford, her 38 point haul winning the Silver Division three shots clear of Lynne Newnham. Lesley Brazier won the Bronze “A” section with 32pts, two clear of Barbara Bradley, with Christine Bateman winning Bronze “B” on countback from Virginia Gillette after both finished with 33pts. Leighton Ladies won their opening shield match against Mount Pleasant 6-1, with team members being skipper Avril Simpson, Patti Marriott, Val Berry, Beryl Wood, Margaret Osborne, Chris Rimmer and Stephanie Howlett.

Shane Bentley returned to winning ways in the May medal, winning the Division One top spot with a nett 66, two shots clear of Sam Messenger. Gary Hart, Mark Reynolds and Will Koch headed a chasing pack with nett 70s. The Division Two top spot went to Chris Yirrell with a nett 64, a shot clear of Matthew Lowe, with Peter Sheridan third with a nett 66, two shots better than David Womack and Simon Enright.

Peter King was crowned winner of the May Midweek medal after carding a nett 68 to beat Richard Dale by three shots. Lewis Scott and David Kingham both finished with a nett 72, a shot clear of Darren Chambers.

Leighton’s inter-club match team has got off to a slow start with just a single win in five. Only Manny Barker and Peter Burgoyne carded a win in a 3-1 defeat at Buckingham, though Adrian Stephenson and Keith Edmund and Scott Douglas and Phil Coumbe were unlucky to only halve their matches.

After Stephenson and Brian Wilson and David Hawkins and John Preston carded opening wins against old rivals John O’Gaunt and Keith Cox and Simon Enright registered a hard-earned 3 and 2 win, a tail end slump cost Leighton victory, losing 4-3 with one match halved.

Stephen Schmidt and Graham Freer and John Dymock and Keith Edmund kept Leighton in the hunt at The Bedfordshire, but the Stagsden team sealed a 4-2 victory with a successful eight-foot putt on the last hole of the day.

Leighton’s only victory so far has been against Bedfordshire Police. Acting Captain Stephenson and Ken Wilson got Leighton off to a flying start, with Jon Dymock and Anton Bednarek, David Roffe and Matt Sale and Jeremy Taylor and David Nero copping wins to earn Leighton a 5-1 victory.

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