Thurlestone adults wrestle trophy back from the juniors

THURLESTONE’s annual club vs juniors fixture saw the usual high standards of golf as the youngsters looked to hang onto the trophy that they won comprehensively in 2025.

Martha Massingham and Aidan Mulligan put on a clinic in the opening match, defeating team captain David Hook and Anna Macgrath 5&4 with a better ball score of +2.

It looked to all intents and purposes that the club was going to be given another severe drubbing. However, the remained of the matches proved to be equally a compelling, with great golf all around.

After seven of the eight games had completed, the club was leading 4-3.

The result all came down to the final game with the club team of Sean Massingham and Claire Guard playing against Nancy Massingham and Jack Kenneifck.

Taking it to the final hole, the club managed to scramble the win on the last hole, to win 1-up and secure the cup for the first time in many years for the club team.

It was a wonderful day of golf enjoyed by all and the juniors were a credit as always.

The ladies’ 18-hole stableford was cancelled due to strong winds but a few days later, the men’s 4-ball competition went ahead with 47 entries.

Dean Lowden and Kevin Rogers prevailed on 39 points, ahead of Stuart Read and Ian Squire. Harry Cattell notched the only birdie two, achieving his on hole six, congratulations!

Pictured- David Hook, vice-captain and captain of the club side for the day, receiving the trophy from club captain Ken Riley.

DURING maintenance week at Dartmouth, the greenskeepers worked hard to ensure that the course remains in great condition. They did a great job and must be pleased with how quickly the course has recovered.

With qualifying cards impossible, the ladies played a fun competition. It was one of those gorgeous autumn bonus days, with sunshine and blue sky for most of the round.

The men used alternate blue and red tees for their midweek fun comp. Pete Hannaford had a fairly steady front nine but came into his own on the back nine to score 35 points. It could have been even better but for some wayward shots on the eighteenth - happily for him his 35 points was the winning score of the day.

Mark Whitworth and Paul Brown were battling for second place - both finished with 32 points and the same back nine so countback went to back six, which Mark won by a whisker.

It’s a perfect golfing day, our lovely Pro Matt Handley told players as they checked in for Saturday’s mixed monthly stableford. He was right - blue skies and one of those autumn bonus days we all enjoy - but sadly the golf didn’t match the conditions.

For whatever reason, the majority of players struggled and nobody reached par. Kevin Eighteen didn’t have the best round but had a good finish.

His tee shot on eighteen found the captain’s bunker to the left of the green - it’s quite a shallow bunker so he reached for the putter and almost holed out for a two. Sadly, it lipped out but did give a certain par.

Rob Haddy had a bad front nine but a birdie on the seventh started a better run and an eagle three on the sixteenth put him in a good position for second place count back in Division One. Rob’s 34 points beat those of Dave Brooking and Jeremy Enticknap.

First place went to Roger Mawson, who balanced his single blob with a couple of birdies but other slips meant that he had to settle for 35 points - the best score of the day.

John Thompson was another player who managed to have just a single blob on his score card but, like Roger, had other single point holes. His 34 points won Division Two, with Chris Mayer just behind on 32 points.

The following week, it was ladies v seniors - as hotly contested as the Ryder or Solheim Cup!

Negotiations between the two captains - Shelley Durrans and Dave Sparks - resulted in six extra shots for the ladies. Dave did feel that negotiations were ongoing but a WhatsApp message announcing the six shots to the ladies left little room for manoeuvre.

The ladies have had little success in recent years, so the shots were very much needed. In the lead game, Shelley set the standard, sinking a lengthy putt on the first - the length of that putt was apparently somewhere between thirty and fifty feet depending on who was telling the story - to birdie the first hole and, with partner Jan Cousins, set about destroying Dave and his partner Malcolm Toone.

Shelley and Jan are a very strong pair and the result was a painful 7&6 victory. Sadly, not all teams could emulate their success but the 3.5-3.5 draw, which, given past results felt as good as a win to the ladies. Many thanks to all who took part in a match that was played in great spirits.

The men’s midweek competition was a pairs scramble. Returning a score of nett 68, -4, would normally have players thinking they were in with a chance of taking top spot, but not if the pair you’re playing with have 67.

Mark and Seth Collins were the unlucky pair, undone by a double bogey on the fourth hole which would normally have been more than compensated for by the string of pars and birdies which followed.

Rob Barrett and Paul Brown were the pair piling on the pressure, with an eagle three on the eighth and very steady par and birdie golf. Well played.

Saturday’s competition fell victim to Storm Boelo. We all hope that the weather will be better for joint captain’s charity day on November 7.

The day will support two worthy causes - the Little Princess Trust, which provides free real-hair wigs to children and young people facing hair loss from cancer or other conditions and funds vital research into childhood cancer, and Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life charity. Please sign up.