Once again, a disparate group of Old Grammarian golfers gathered at the Royal Eastbourne Golf Club for the biannual golf match, playing for the EOGA Golf Cup, which fortunately the current holder, Paul Gillham, remembered to bring along on the day – as on a previous occasion the incumbent had not. No names, no pack drill. (there’s a clue in that sentence.)

Numbers were slightly down this time, with a few regular stalwarts unable to attend, but the hardcore of Royal Eastbourne members plus a few irregular golfers made the numbers up to 10 entrants, enough for a good contest with some enjoyable banter.

It was a pleasant Spring day, a slight breeze, the occasional sight of the sun and most importantly no rain. The course was in good order and the ball was running well. Conditions you may think were ripe for some good scores and for the majority, that was the case.

The winner on the day was Mark Rayner (yet again) with an excellent 39 Stableford points, playing off 16. Only 2 behind, Chris Shadwell (18) took second with 37 and third was Paul Gillham (20) on 35. Organiser Dave Jeffery (21) (his handicap not his age) also amassed 35 points but was relegated to 4th place on countback, Gilly having a strong par, par finish which was enough to push Dave off the podium. Other contestants’ scores, in descending order, Greg Spink 33, Keith Dyte 30, Don Seabright 30, Wally Manton 28. Howard Longton and Bob Reid complete the list of entrants but the less said about their performances, the better.

The prizes were presented by EOGA President, Brian York, who had come down with his wife Pat from the Midlands to support the event and, I hasten to add, also to attend the EOGA Spring Dinner at the Hydro Hotel. It would be a long way to come for just a golf match!

Thanks must go to Dave Jeffery and Don Seabright who organised the event, to Tony French for checking the scorecards and listing the winners, to Howard Longton who enjoyed collecting the green fees and producing this write up, to those who supported the event and to the Royal Eastbourne Golf Club for the catering and allowing us to use their splendid golf course.

The next golf event will be on Friday 31st October followed by the Annual Lunch and AGM on Saturday 1st November, both at the Royal Eastbourne.