Chris Boughton's Golf Column: Stowmarket lift Stearn Trophy again
Stowmarket are the Suffolk County Stearn Trophy champions for 2019 after beating Haverhill in the final at Hintlesham.
The winning team were: Jo Finter, Wendy Cooper, Kim Davis, Jenny Buckle, Bev Gray and Linda Gilham.
Stow have won this competition six times since it started in 1985, but their last victory was in 2006.
This is a match-play foursomes competition for 10-20 handicap golfers. Stow have a very close connection to this event as the trophy was donated to the Suffolk Ladies’ County Golf Association by Hilda Stearn who was a senior member of Stowmarket Golf Club and president of the county in the mid-1980s.
The Suffolk Golf Club
Mark Rothon continued his good run of form with another victory in the Midweek Qualifier at The Suffolk Golf Club last week.
His score of 39 Stableford points off a handicap of 13 was three better than runner-up Russell Green who also plays off 13.
Perry Garrod (15hcp) came third on count-back.
With just two matches remaining in the current Midweek Order of Merit, Rothon leads the league table with 52 points, just one point ahead of James Edgar. Jim Chapman lies 3rd with 47 points.
It looks like being a very close finish between these three golfers.
Thetford Golf Club
The Thetford Golf Club Ladies’ held their AmAm last week with 112 women from across the region taking part in this highly popular event.
The weather was extremely kind and made for some high scoring with the team from Felixstowe Ferry running out winners with 86 points.
Stowmarket were second just pushing Halesworth into third place on count-back with both carding 83 points. Bury St Edmunds took third spot with 82.
The Suffolk Winter Alliance
The first meeting of the 2019/20 season of the Suffolk Winter Alliance took place at Halesworth at the end of September with a field of 56 players including one Professional.
Alliance Secretary Doug Renyard said: “The golfers enjoyed a course that has improved over recent years and although work had been carried out on the greens they ran quite well.”
Sam Forgan scored 75 to take the Pro prize and Stowmarket’s Mark Tibbenham and Bill Darling returned the best score of 42 Stableford points in the Four-Ball-Better-Ball competition.
The second Alliance meeting took place at Bury St Edmunds Golf Club with 79 players taking part, including three professionals.
The weather was again kind to the Alliance golfers, starting off with an autumn chill in the air but quickly turning bright.
Stoke-by-Nayland’s Simon Dainty returned the best Professional score of 72 with Sam Forgan (Stowmarket) and Paul Wilby (Haverhill) both carding 73.
This was a Pro-Am/Am-Am team event (2 from 4 scores to count) which was won by Stoke (Simon Dainty, John Parkinson, Mark Baxter and John Partridge) with 82 points.
Sam Forgan’s Stowmarket team were just beaten into second place on count-back.
Bury St Edmunds Golf Club
Despite the wet and windy weather, 82 golfers turned out for the Dunget and Whitbread Trophy competition at Bury GC last Sunday.
Scoring was tough in the difficult conditions and Shaun Phillips needed just 37 points to top Division 1.
Best score of the competition was a fine return of 40 Stableford points in Division 2 by Tom Crouch.
The Golf Foundation GolfSixes
The Suffolk final of the rapidly expanding and highly popular nationwide Juniors’ GolfSixes competition will be hosted by Stowmarket Golf Club this Sunday (October 20).
This year’s finalists are Newton Green, Ipswich, Felixstowe, Kingfishers, Bury St Edmunds and Halesworth.
It is a team event played over six holes and the young golfers will tee off at around 1.30pm.
l See next week’s golf round-up for The Suffolk’s Captains’ Day and action from the Suffolk GolfSixes final at Stowmarket GC on Sunday.
