Title chasers show no signs of cracking

THE top three in division one of Tredegar & Rhymney’s Cock of the North Winter League all won in the latest round of games.

The pairings of Gareth Owen and Sean Scannell and Mark Davies and Gwyn Board moved to 15 points with their wins but remain two behind the leaders.

That’s because John Davies and Leon Hillman beat mid-table Graham Doyle and John Collins to preserve their hold on first place.

There was good news for the bottom pair as Mike Russell and Sean Thomas recorded a rare victory over Mark McCarthy and Sean Philpotts.

In division two, Gail Davies and Dale Zdzieblo continue to climb the table. They saw off the challenge of John and Tom Jones to move onto eight points.

However, the division’s two frontrunners are still looking a class apart with both disposing of mid-table opposition last time out.

Mike Shepherd and Glenn Trigg beat Jack Francis and Greg Jenkins while David Dennehy and Will Price had too much in their armoury for Andrew Faulkner and Lee Harrison.

Meanwhile, Andrew Thomas and Alan Jones leapfrogged Nick Dufty and Nathan Goggin to go into fourth place.

More than 100 golfers took to the course at Pennard for the club’s team-of-four stableford competition.

With conditions having improved following the recent freezing weather, the players could fully focus on their scoring rather than trying to keep out the cold.

When all of the teams had returned to the clubhouse and the best two scores for each quartet had been taken into account, only four points separated the top six.

The winners turned out to be Paul Dunstan, Neil Smitham, Jonathon Diment and Andrew Richards, whose 82 points was one better than the next two teams.

Anthony Ward, Allan Williams, David Lewis and Richard Lewis were second ahead of Laurence Harvey, Adam Curtin, Stewart Verbruggen and Alastair Verbruggen on back-nine countback.

Just missing out on a top-three finish was the quartet of Tony Smith, Andrew Coates, Christopher Williams and Paul Veale who two best rounds totalled 79 points.

The Pennard Ladies’ section has also been in action with a couple of 15-hole stablefords. Leila Jones was the silver division winner in the first with 28 points, two clear of Angela Pritchard.

In the bronze division, Mandy Edmund came out on top with 30 points with Gill Hill only one behind in second.

In the second, Sally Crowley, with 31 points, was the overall champion while the trio of Andrea Allnatt, Sheila Harris and Marie Richard took first prize on countback in the Yellow Peril team event.

Four more qualifying rounds are now left in the Winter League at Lakeside before the top 12 golfers battle it out for the big prize next month.

David Dickinson claimed the latest competition with 39 points with Ceri Windos ousting Neil Channell for second on countback after both registered 35 points.

After the cold snap forced the cancellation of the last Leon Warne Order of Merit event at The Grove, Mark Gordon was the top dog when competition resumed last weekend.

Gordon’s 41 points saw him finish four in front of Stefan Hart and Ged Rave in second and third respectively, the former recording the better back nine.

Tenby hosts the next South Wales PGA event on Monday when the association will also hold its AGM at the West Wales club.

Newport’s Paul Mayo won last time out at Ashburnham although organisers are hoping for a much better turnout next week.

Members of Neath will get the opportunity to quiz new head greenkeeper Mark Tucker at the clubhouse next Thursday from 7.30pm.

Tucker has been in the position since early January having arrived from Saunton in his native Devon where he worked for 13 years, ending his time there as deputy head greenkeeper on the club’s Championship East Course.

He has also been involved in the preparation of courses for tournaments such as the Brabazon Trophy, British Boys’ Championship, British Senior Open and Carris Trophy.

Latest results

Lakeside

Winter League; 1. D. Dickinson 39pts, 2. C. Windos 35pts, 3. N. Channell 35pts

Pennard

Ladies’ 15-hole Stableford silver division; 1. L. Jones 28pts, 2. A. Pritchard 26pts

Bronze division; 1. M. Edmund 30pts, 2. G. Hill 29pts

15-hole Stableford; 1. S. Crowley 31pts

Yellow Peril team game; 1. A. Allnatt, S. Harris & M. Richard 66pts, 2. E. McCarry, B. Rowlands & J. Phillips 66pts

Team-of-four Stableford; 1. P. Dunstan, N. Smitham, J. Diment & A. Richards 82pts, 2. A. Ward, A. Williams, D. Lewis & R. Lewis 81pts, 3. L. Harvey, A. Curtin, S. Verbruggen & A. Verbruggen 81pts

The Grove

Leon Warne Order of Merit; 1. Mark Gordon 41pts, 2. Stefan Hart 37pts, 3. Ged Rave 37pts