Haverhill Golf Club, Stowmarket and The Suffolk host club championships while Thetford member and former Culford School pupil Nellie Ong in Curtis Cup squad

Haverhill GC

Haverhill Ladies held their club championship on Saturday. Considering the weather conditions of rain all day, some great scores were delivered – playing 36 holes on one day with prizes for the best gross and nett scores. The scratch winner was Mandy Williamson with a gross score of 161, runner-up was Jackie Condon and in third place Linda Alexander.

The Handicap Trophy was won by Jackie Condon (net 137), the runner-up was Linda Alexander (net 140) and in third place was Mandy Williamson with net 145.

The Pam Ratford Trophy is also competed for on the same day. This is an 18-hole stableford event.

The winner was Carol Lee with 38 points, second went to Gerry Wheatley on 34 points and in third place was Marian Mercer.

Stowmarket GC

The weather tried to spoil the Stowmarket Club Championships again, having already put paid to the event earlier in the summer. Conditions on Saturday were very challenging, well done to everyone who battled through it. Again, this was a 36-hole event across just one day.

Jamie O'Doherty won the Men’s Championship by one shot with a 73 and 72. Colin Leathers won the nett, also by one shot, with a 70 and 67.

The over-18 handicap Championship was won by Gareth Deane with a 67 and 70. The ladies’ Championship was won by Dawn Flood with a 90 and 85, and the nett was won by Linda Gilham with two 73s.

The Suffolk GC

The Suffolk Seniors held their club championship. The Bob Hope Cup is won by the best 36-hole gross score and this year Rob Kennedy was crowned champion with 89 and 97 for a 186 total. He was only one shot clear of Kieron Watson in second.

The Gerald Percival Bowl is the best net score for handicaps 24 and below. Richard Graves was the winner with 149 and David Broster finished second on 151.

Finally, the John Feltham Claret jug is for players 24.1 and above. Alan Horne burrowed his way to victory with a 145, two shots clear of Derek Bloomfield in second on 147.

Thetford GC

Thetford’s success in in team competitions came to a crashing halt in two county semi-finals.

In the blue riband Myhill Trophy, the team faced a strong King’s Lynn team at Wensum Valley, a neutral venue, in the semi-final. All looked to be going well in this foursomes 36-hole competition. Across the four matches, the team were 7-up with only three holes to play. However, a nightmare finish saw the team lose the tie by one hole, the narrowest of possible margins.

Club captain Kevin Cooke was naturally shell-shocked and said: “I’m proud of the team and the squad in getting to another semi-final, but it was a hard way to lose.”

In the inaugural county Seniors Scratch knockout, Thetford played Sheringham at home in the semi-final but the hosts were well beaten.

Captain Tim Elliott said: “While disappointed to lose, this new county competition is a welcome addition. We have learnt valuable lessons to allow us to improve next year.”

Kevin also held his Captain’s Day. Although the weather was wet, there was a lot of enjoyment from the many members that participated. Kevin asked players to take a different course routing and started at the sixth, which was enjoyed by many as they played their round.

The format was three separate competitions – each of six holes. The winners of each of these were D Brewer & N Marshall in the Texas Scramble, N Adams, C Hawkins, D Hawkins and L Gammon for the greensomes, and A Roden & T Webster for the four ball better ball. The overall winners on the day were A Cusack & D Scrimshaw.

Bury St Edmunds GC

The Bury St Edmunds men played the Lavelle Cup this past weekend. The bogey format pits each competitor at matchplay versus the course. For those unfamiliar, this means that you take your allotted shots like normal singles matchplay, but your opponent is par for each hole. The end results is a plus or minus score based on how many holes you beat or lost to the course.

Andrew Ford got off to a flying start, winning six of the first eight holes. He then steadied to finish the round 5-up, which was good enough for first place. Guy Lesser finished second on 3-up and again made all his hay on the front nine, finishing 3-up at the turn. With three players finishing 2-up, it was all going to be about the back nine to determine the winner. Enter Gary Ross, who was all square after nine and 2-up on the back to take The Count’s calculations and third spot.

The ladies’ Jo Scott Trophy is a Stableford competition open to players 18.3 handicap and above. The cup was donated by Mrs Scott in 1971 and It was an emotional win for Sue Brinkley who knew Jo before her death. Sue scored a fantastic 39 points to win by just one shot. Second was Sue Russell on 38 points with Kirstene Baillie third on 37.

Nellie Ong

Thetford Golf Club’s and former Culford pupil Nellie Ong has been selected as one of two reserves for the bi-annual Curtis Cup. This match between Great Britain & Ireland and the USA features the best lady amateurs and will be played at Sunningdale on August 30- September 1.

At only 18 years old, Nellie is the youngest player on the Great Britain & Ireland squad. It is her success and development across the year that has surely marked her out as one of the best amateurs in the country. After a summer of representing England she will gain valuable experience with this step up to the full Great Britain & Ireland team, before she heads to America to continue her education and golf.

Have a great golfing week.