By Keith Field

ST MELLION GOLF CLUB SENIORS ‘THE FOSSILS’

A HECTIC time of the year for the Fossils as they complete their programme of inter-club matches and trophy events, all thanks to this year’s weather.

On Tuesday, October 15 they welcomed near neighbours China Fleet for the Duck Trophy.

Having shared the spoils beside the Tamar, this return leg had everything riding on the result. Luckily the weather was kind and the Kernow course in its usual prime state and so everyone was up for the challenge ahead.

Two home players, Terry Higgins and Richard Watts, tasted their first experience of Fossil matches and both came home as winners. The individual matches were close affairs as many pairings were seeking to reverse the results of their first encounter, but gradually St Mellion took control, despite some late resistance, and ran out winners on the day and in doing so retained the Duck Trophy for another year.

Colin Marshall from St Mellion and China Fleet’s John McConnell won ‘Nearest the Pin’.

Thursday, October 17, provided another respite from the weather to enable the last trophy event of the season to go ahead.

Remarkably after the downpours earlier in the week, the Kernow course was in great shape and belied just what a battering St Mellion had just a day before.

The overnight dew affected the run of the ball but with the immaculate greens, potentially a good score or two might be expected. Two trophies were at stake, the Willcocks Shield for the winner and the Dangler for the last placed player.

As predicted there was an excellent score and many other good scores which possibly made this this event the closest since the latest incarnation of WHS.

Top of the leaderboard was Richard Watts with 40 points, playing off 10 and having a fantastic start to his Fossils membership.

Close behind on 38 were three players led by the ever-young John Smith, Brian Pound and Mike Tamblyn each separated on countback.

Only age separated John Smith and Brian Pound as each had an identical back nine! Jim McDonald and Pete Mehigan completed the leaderboard, each with 37 points.

At the other end of the results, a couple of players were in contention for the dangler, but the doubtful honour this year fell to another youthful player, Mike Bown. As way of some comfort there were many players returning scores that were not so far ahead of the ‘winner’s’ total that they could relax in the clubhouse. Just four twos on the day for Edward Waugh, Colin MacDonald, Alex Naismith and Rob Parsonage.

The results marked the culmination of this year’s Eclectic which gave the Scratch victory to Allan Evans with just 62 and the Handicap winner being James Simpson with an incredible 45.2.

On Friday, October 18 in what is traditionally the last match of the season, but not this year, the Fossils entertained the Greenkeepers.

This is a ‘thank you’ match for the tremendous work done by Mike Bush and his team for providing such excellent courses for the members to enjoy.

Played in high spirits even though the Fossils have of late taken a firm grip on victories and in-spite of the greenkeepers use of ‘ringers’ when appropriate.

This year repeated the advantage for those wearing blue who came out winners, 4 -2. However, when the series started back 24 years ago, the greenkeepers won nine years on the trot!

Although a club competition, this year the Nicklaus Summer Pairs Knockout saw victory fall to Fossils’ Brian Pound and Simon Waddington who defeated club captain Paul Worth and his partner Paul James, 2-up.