'The closest he had been to a trophy was walking past the silverware cabinet!'

In his two years as a member playing golf at Leighton Buzzard’s Plantation Road club, the closest Dean Oakley came to getting his hands on a trophy was walking past the silverware cabinet at the top of the club house stairs, writes Stuart Oliver.

But with the 2022 season barely underway 36-year-old Dean has broken his duck, winning newly installed Club Captain Graham Freer’s coveted trophy presented to the winner of his inaugural drive-in competition.

And 14-handicap golfer Dean did it in style in a competition restricted to playing with just two clubs and a putter.

Dean chose to play with a hybrid four-wood and a pitching wedge in the shot-gun start event over 12 holes, and returned to the club house with a 28 point haul to win by a single point, despite “blobbing” the 5th hole.

His tally was boosted by carding three birdies on holes 2, 7 and 8 which alone earned him 11 points and a one-shot win over joint runners-up Jon Woolford and Justin Moss.

Said Club Captain Graham, currently the welfare officer for the the Buckinghamshire Fire Service: “That was a great performance by Dean; he should do even better when playing conditions improve in the months ahead.”

In his year as Club Captain, Graham, 22 years a member of the Leighton

club, will jointly with Ladies Captain Lesley, raise funds for the Milton Keynes based charity Emily’s Star which provides much needed support for children with life threatening illnesses.

With the 2022 season just getting underway, they have already raised more than £2,000 for the worthy cause.

Joanna Cox won Leighton Ladies five clubs and a putter competition with 24 points, four shots clear of runner-up Michelle Plummer, with Madeline Jones third with 18 points.