Ray of Sunshine at Wrotham
The sun shone brightly at our Autumn Meeting at Wrotham Heath and appropriately enough it was Ray Owen who took the limelight with 2 wins and a second place. Some struggled in the conditions - not just the weather but also the course which had some steep climbs but these were rewarded with some magnificent views.
It
was a busy morning with three competitions taking place - Chapman
Cup, Robinson Bowl and the second leg of the Adams Salver. It was no
surprise that in the Chapman Cup, which is based on gross scores,
Will Donaldson retained the cup for another year - the fifth time in
six years - with an excellent 74. Not so far behind though was Ray
Owen with a creditable 79.
That
score translated into 39 stableford points which, on countback, was
enough to secure the Robinson Bowl for Ray. His 21 points on the
back nine just pipped Vince Rossiter's 20.
With the leading contender from the Spring Meeting in the Adams Salver not taking part in the second leg, the way was open for Ray Owen to take that title too with a total of 72 points. Again it was Vince Rossiter who was bridesmaid with 70 points.
Leisurely
After
the hectic morning, the afternoon was a more leisurely affair with a
greensomes stableford team competition between the Captain and
President. However, it was a bit of a walkover for the second year
in succession with the President's team coming out on top by 5
matches to one. That win means both teams have now won the
Millennium Decanter four times with four matches tied.
It
was not long before Will was on the podium again, this time to
accept the Golfer of the Year title for the third time in its 7 year
history. Will's 33 points in the morning round meant he did not add
to his total of 175 points and the only real contender was Andrew
Gardner although he was down in 16th place before this meeting.
However, as he had only completed 4 rounds, 40 points or more on the
day would have secured him the title. Alas Andrew could only manage
32 points but that put him up into 3rd place.
The
Mond Cup was also awarded on the day to Vince Rossiter who had
beaten Doug Little in the final at Birchwood Park.