Tartan theme for new Leighton Buzzard Golf Club ladies' captain

Tartan was the order of the day when sports-mad Scot Lesley Bednarek was installed as Captain of the 100-strong Ladies Section of Leighton Buzzard’s Plantation Road golf club.

Dressed in attire reflecting her early years in her native Perthshire, Lesley was accompanied to the first tee by her clan of club colleagues and friends for the traditional drive-in organised by her Vice Captain Oonagh Russell

A keen athlete and trophy winning squash champion, Lesley and husband Anton married in 1974, living in Scotland, Liverpool and Banbury before moving to Leighton Buzzard with son Anton and daughter Jacqui.

After retiring from a career in banking, Lesley took up golf and was Ladies Captain of the Mentmore club in 2003 and a member there until its closure in 2015 when she joined the Leighton club.

During her year in office, Lesley and incoming Club Captain Graham Freer are to jointly raise funds for Emily’s Star, a Milton Keynes based charity which supports children and young adults in the area with life limiting or life threatening medical conditions.

The competition following the ladies drive-in was won by former Captain Patti Marriott with 38 points, with Joanna Cox runner-up with 37 points and Lila Garrod third with 36 points – pipping new Captain Lesley by a shot.

Leighton members have been carding birdies and eagles in competitions to win locally reared turkeys in the run-up to Christmas.

The first event – a Mixed Turkey +Medal foursomes – was won by teenagers Olivia Campbell and Ed Stephenson who finished with a nett 70, four shots clear of Bryan Bateman and Barbara Bradley and Phil and Barbara Rickard. All three pairs qualify for a festive fowl.

The Saturday Turkey Medal was won by Division One player David Hanley with a nett 63, four shots clear of John Mckay with Adrian Stephenson third with a nett 68. John Bunyan headed the Division Two table with a nett 69, with David Embury runner-up and Jimmy Wren third.

The Sunday turkey Medal was won by Robert Cross with a nett 66, three shots clear of fellow Division One player Phil Coumbe, with Kamil Shah third in that division with a nett 70. David Evans headed the Division Two leader board with a nett 70, with Fintan Donohue runner-up on countback and Lee Ashberry third a shot behind.

The Midweek turkey Medal for Division One players last Wednesday was won by David Banwell with a nett 68, beating Duncan Smith on countback with Darren Chambers third a shot adrift. Divison Two top-finisher was Martin King beating Doug Smith on countback with a nett 69, with David Roberts third with a nett 71.

Former England cricketer Geoff Miller was guest sports speaker at Leighton’s Gents’ evening on Friday, lifting the lid on a range of hilarious incidents during his 30 years in the sport.

He took 888 wickets in 2283 first-class County matches, 60 wickets in 34 Test matches for England, and 25 wickets for England in one-day internationals.

He played for Derbyshire from 1973 to 1986 and County Captain for two years, and later was appointed an England team selector.