Golf season ends on high

Leading the charge, the club Mid-Handicap team etched their name into the history books as the only team to win the coveted Bedfordshire County final in three consecutive years since it began 30 years ago.

After toppling John O’Gaunt two years ago, they beat local rivals Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands last year, and completed a Leighton hat-trick with a repeat weekend win over John O’Gaunt.

On a challenging day for golf, the team, captained by Ian Down, delivered a composed and commanding performance, never looking in serious trouble despite the testing conditions.

Though Dharm Diwaker and Andy Jenkins each lost their games by one hole, Mark Sandham won by five holes, Greg White won by seven holes and Alex Sandham won holes.

Greg White’s emphatic 7&5 victory was a standout performance,

Team captain Ian Down, now three-for-three in his tenure, credited the club’s continued success to a “strict regiment of ruthless team selection, motivational speeches and hands-on man management in the style of Pep Guardiola.” He also gave a nod to the World Handicap System and the LBGC course rating, tongue-in-cheek suggesting they may have also played their part in the club’s ongoing dominance.

Adding to the club’s celebrations, Leighton’s Tom Portas delivered a superb performance in the County Championship scratch knockout competition. Having qualified for the event by finishing in the top 16 of the County Championship, Tom battled through to the final with a gritty one-up semi-final victory over Paul Kenna of Dunstable Downs before losing out to Dunstable’s Rob Sutton in the final.

In other competitions, Leighton Captain Trevor McAleese shared a 3-3 draw with Stowe, Seniors Captain Graham Westlake-Tritton and colleagues carded a 6-2 win against Stocks to secure the inaugural inter-club trophy 13-2 and remain undefeated at home throughout the season; Hannah and Lee Walsh won Leighton’s Bunny Winter trophy with 44 point haul, beating George Elford and Jamie Thomson by two shots.