The Autumn Meeting took place at Brancaster on Thursday & Friday 29-30th September in perfect weather for links golf. Thursday was very breezy with a 25mph wind gusting with venom from the South West and Friday enjoyed clearer skies and lighter winds.
The first round is always individual Stableford scoring for both a handicap trophy (The Aubrey Edwards Challenge Cup) and a scratch trophy (The George Rothman Scratch Salver). The best scores determine the competitors in the knockouts over 2 or 3 rounds depending on the number of participants. The high handicappers compete for the Gilroy Cup and the low handicappers compete for the De Rougement Cup. Those not wishing to play knockouts or not qualifying draw partners to play foursomes for the Sunley Salvers and the Secretary’s Salvers on the Thursday afternoon and Friday morning respectively.
2016 winner of the Aubrey Edwards Challenge Cup
There were several members who had not attended the meeting before and some of them acquitted themselves very well, probably because they did not know the course! Richard Buxton was the only player to play to his handicap winning the handicap Stableford with 36 points. Allegedly he played the par 5 (stroke index 1) eighth hole with a 5 wood and then a pitching wedge into the green. We all hope his handicap is adjusted before next year! But he was firmly beaten in the first round of the knockouts by another debutant, Adam Webb , despite continuing to play below his handicap.
2016 Winner of the George Rothman Scratch Shield
Experience counted in the scratch Stableford with our President
Jamie Warman
winning comfortably but he too was beaten in the first round of the knockouts by the eventual winner.
The knockout finals played on Friday morning were very closely contested with the low handicappers being settled on the 20th hole when Jerome Wilcox beat Jeremy Smouha. In the high handicap event, Mike Hallmanaged to tame Adam Webb winning on the 18th green.
2016 Winner of the Gilroy Cup
2016 Winner of the De Rougement Cup
The foursomes contests were very enjoyable and not taken too seriously except perhaps by a certain person who ended up on both winning teams – but perhaps that was just the luck of the draw? The Sunley Salvers were won by George Hartley and Ben Wallace and the Secretary’s Salvers by George Hartley and Harry Nicholas.
2016 winners of the Sunley Salvers
2016 winners of the Secretary’s Salvers
Due to the high tides we decided not to risk having our dinner in the clubhouse and opted instead for the Brancaster Staithe Sailing Club which had been completely rebuilt since last year. We were joined by the Chairman of the Govenors, John Batting, Ian Symington (the RWNGC secretary who is now quite good at singing Harrow Songs) and by Colin McLean a Norfolk based OH. John Batting gave a short speech updating us on the progress of the new sports hall in which we hope to have a golf training facility, and Colin amused us with some Norfolk stories. After that we had some rousing singing which put the acoustics to the test in the new building.
The top table at dinner
We were pleased with the number of members attending for the first time and with the general turnout. Those who had been to several previous meetings considered this one to be one of the best so far. The course itself was in magnificent condition and we were looked after very well by the house staff at the golf club and at the sailing club.
