The Senior Section held its 2nd Senior Mixed Am Am Open on Friday 18th September 2015. The event attracts interest from players aged 55 years and over. 

The open is a Stableford Fourball with any two from four to score. Prizes were awarded to the first 5 places and 2 additional prizes for nearest the pin on the 4th and 7th holes.

The format was very popular; we had lots of positive comments. 

I would like to say a special thank you to the following people: Club Captain Trevor Eccleston, Senior Captain Jim Cumberbatch, Mike Barker, Greg Rogula, Trevor Smedley, Wilf Bentley, Jake Scragg, Mike Ottewell, The Catering Team, Bar Staff and all other helpers. 

Michael Wainwright

Seniors Secretary

1st Place

A Tubb, G Tubb, P Bartram and P Gladstone (Rushcliffe GC)   86 Points.

2nd Place

R Harper, G Jones, B Dring and M Brookfield (Matlock GC)   81 Points.

3rd Place

R Gibbs, H Price, D Parnham, C Rarnham (Horsley Lodge & Wollaton Park GC)   79 Points.

4th Place

R Kendrik, F Marshall, A Baxter, & J Baxter (Ashbourne & Leek GC)    76 Points (Back 6)

5th Place

R Ellis, M Charles, R Parker & S Parker (Hawkstone Park GC)   76 Points. 

Nearest the Pin 4th A Tubb (Rushcliffe GC)

Nearest the Pin 7th J Morrow (Litchfield GC) 

Friday 5th June

A very good and thoroughly enjoyable day by all 188 players.  I have to admit my role of meet and greet was not in any way arduous - rather like the duck gliding along in an effortless manor whilst beneath the surface a highly efficient machine was working like mad.

What a lot of people I have to thank and in no particular order I will start with the Ladies Section, who, under the able leadership of Lady Captain Jayne Baxter did a sterling job of manning (or should that be womanning) the half way house and the raffle table.  They were Janet Allen, Gill Armstrong, Jayne Baxter (Lady Captain), Sandra Blairs, Jenny Cordon (Saffs Seniors' Lady Captain), Tina Edwards, Janet Gilbert, Karen Griffiths, Jaqueline Salt, Jackie Sumerling, Anita Wainwright, Susan Watson and the odd one out Alan Yeomans.  In the Pro-shop Jake did an excellent job of entering the cards, as well as dealing with the two's comp and at the same time running the Pro-shop.  Our thanks to Mike Barker for setting up the event on the new computer system and to Andrew Baxter who did a sterling job as starter.

The Green staff also deserve a special mention for the magnificent way in which they set up the course for this day: I spoke to a great many players on the day and everyone I talked to had nothing but praise for the course and its presentation - Thank you lads.

Last but by no means least our able Seniors' Section Secretary Mike Wainwright, ably assisted by the Senior's Section Treasurer Trevor Smedley.  Mike deserves a special mention for the vast amount of work that he puts into this event.  Mike, like many others, does a great deal of work which goes unnoticed by the majority of members. It is the work that he puts in that enables someone like me to glide along, hassle free - as I tell my opposite number in each of the Seniors' matches, my role and only real duty, is to stand up and speak on behalf of the Seniors' Section of Leek Golf Club and to try not to put my foot in it as I do so often.

Nearest Pin

           7th Bob Harris               24"      Oxley Park

           11th Terry Lethbridge   29.5"    Chevin

           17th Ian H Burnside       106"    Brocton

Main Prizes

1st   Eddie Crawford and Keith Cleaver                 43points                        Titherington 

2nd  Steve Crawshaw and John Nichols                42pts                             Litchfield

3rd  G Painter and M Bevin                                    41pts (back 9)               Doxley Park

4th  G Dorrilot and A Holmes                                 41pts (back 9)                Micleover

5th  D Hill and S Travers                                        40pts (back 9)                Alsager

Over 70's

1st     J Hammond and C Cason         39pts Ashbourne G.C.

2nd   P Roome and R Hann                38pts Pastures G.C.

Jim Cumberbatch

Seniors' Section Captain

Monday 3rd August 2015

Another good day, in every respect. The weather held, dry with a chance of a shower which thankfully never materialised and a reasonable breeze to keep us cool.

This was the return match and their Seniors' Captain, Peter Bright, had drafted in a new partner, Barry Mayer, and revenge for his loss at Leek was obviously on his mind. I was playing with Alan Thorpe, who would admitt didn't have a good day but did come in on holes when I desperately needed him to. 

What will stick in my mind was my two approach shots to the first two holes.  I don't do fades, at least not deliberately, but having pushed my tee shots to the right on both holes I had no other option.  My fade into the first green worked and I finished on the right hand apron some 15 feet from the hole - I missed the putt but won the hole. It was the same story on the second, I hit a lovely fade onto the green and finished some 15 feet above the hole:  I parred the hole but so did Peter, with his shot, and we were back to flat.  It soon became clear that this was not, by any means, going to be easy and by the 9th hole I had dropped 2 shots and we were all square!  Whilst we won the game it had more to do with the opposition slipping up on holes rather than us actually winning them. 

As always, the company was excellent - you really do meet a lot of nice people playing this game of ours.

The result was 5½ to Leek 4½ to Brocton.

It was a day when we were all winners. An excellent condition, with hospitality second to none and a meal that over-faced several of those taking part. 

Part of the Senior Captain's duties is to finish with a couple of jokes.

One of my jokes was...

In a fort in the Wild West a lookout shouted down to the officer in charge to inform him that an Indian war party was approaching.  The officer turned to his Indian scout and said.

"Quickly tell me what we're facing out there.

"The scout put his ear to the ground and said.

" Big war party, more than 100 braves.  Two chiefs, one on a black horse one on a white horse.  Medicine man with a limp!"

The officer said,

"You can tell all that just by listening to the ground?"

"No," said the scout, "but when I put my ear to the ground I can see under the gate!"

Jim Cumberbatch

Seniors' Captain.

P.S.  Always remember, if you're old enough we want you to join us and play in these matches.

On Monday 20th July the Leek Seniors played at Wolstanton. Sadly the Wolstanton Seniors' Captain's partner had to cancel at the last minute so we played John on his own. Despite the fact that he seemed not to need a partner for one or two holes, the result was somewhat inevitable.

The weather looked like being miserable with light rain falling but I managed to play in shirt sleeves and only had to put up my umbrella on a couple of occasions. This was another course that I had not played for a few years and it has not changed one bit.

John, the Wolstanton Seniors' Captain was super company and we had the pleasure of the Wolstanton Club Captain too to whom I had to apologise for the poor etiquette of our two players who failed to show him the respect of not beating him on his own course! We ran out the winners on the day with 5 wins, 2 halves and one loss.

Wolstanton will be here next year, no doubt looking to bring a winning formula to Leek.

Jim Cumberbatch

Senior Captain 2015

On Thursday 16th July the Leek Seniors' went to Market Drayton to play their away fixture. Another lovely sunny day - of which I take the credit for of course.

It's some years since I last played at Market Drayton and the 'new holes' as I call them are maturing nicely. Sadly my partner Arthur Doherty and I did not take our 'A' game with us. I'm not sure how far down the alphabet we had to go to find the game we did take. It was just one of those day for us both!

Market Drayton's Seniors Captain's game was as flamboyant as ever, but the real star of the match was his partner who played off a handicap of 14 and so received 5 shots, most of which he did not need. We were treated to a man who knew his course inside out. He knew exactly where to drop his ball so that it finished near flag and his bad shots whilst few and far between always seemed to result in an excellent recovery shot. We lost 3 and 2 and did well to keep the match going so long. The course was a pleasure to play. The greens were a little quicker than ours and the borrows a little more tricky to read - I blame my glasses!

It was yet again a pleasure to lead such a grand bunch of lads even if we did lose the match.

Jim Cumberbatch

Senior Captain 2015