Captain’s CorneR

I realised, when Peter asked me to write this piece for the newsletter, that the playing part of my year as Captain has not a great deal longer to run. It has been a real privilege to be Captain of our Association and one which I am enjoying immensely. I know that the AGM, and handover to Brian will come all too soon.

Apart from a couple of very enjoyable county dinners the year really started with our Spring Meeting, which this year was at West Herts. Our Vice-Captain, Brian Rodgers, set out his expected standards for next year, winning comfortably with 37 points!

Since then we have played eleven fixtures against other Counties, some more successfully than others. While we inflicted defeats on Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Surrey, Cambridgeshire and Warwickshire, we contrived to lose to Northamptonshire, South Wales Coast, London and Oxfordshire. We were “runners-up to the bronze winners” in the 4 Counties South fixture and bronze winners at The Worcestershire in the 4 Counties North match. We also played a very enjoyable fixture at Burnham Beeches with the Bucks Ladies, when the winners, almost entirely due to the efforts of the Bucks Ladies’ Captain Di Davies, included myself as the other half of the pair.

In mid-June 25 of us set off to compete and socialise on our Tour. This year’s base was at Hawkstone Park in Shropshire where we stayed for three nights and played three rounds of golf. Hawkstone was a pleasant venue with two challenging courses and a hotel with good food and pleasant attentive staff. On our way home we played at The Astbury, near Bridgnorth. This was a first time for all of us and, such is the approach of its owner, we had the course to ourselves. The six guys who were in contention for the Miners Lamp went out in the final two playing groups and Brian Grufferty held of Brian Lowe to win the trophy. My thanks to all who made up our tour party for making it such an enjoyable, worry free three days, and for chipping in with help whenever asked.

This year, on 24 July, for the first time we combined Captain’s Day with our annual dinner. The day dawned with forecasters spreading doom and gloom about ‘the wettest day for several years’. They were right!! It was raining when we arrived at Gerrards Cross, and it just rained harder and harder. To everyone’s credit, and my relief, the golfers of ABGC demonstrated a willingness to give it a go, and all set out to play.

Sadly everybody got absolutely soaked, the course succumbed to the weather, and the majority saw sense after half a round. My admiration and appreciation goes to all, and particularly the ten who completed the round. The eventual winner of the John Barton Trophy was Tony Jeffries, closely pursued by Ranjit Arora and Roger Warren. My wife Brenda and I, in the dry, did a roaring trade in coffee and cakes. My thanks to her for all the baking.

At The Association Dinner in the evening we welcomed eighteen guests from other counties and were hosted, and well fed, by the staff at Gerrards Cross. John Ketley gave us a very amusing toast to The Association, and Adger Brown entertained us in great style when responding for the guests. Do please make a point of letting your Committee know of your views regarding this linking of Captain’s Day and our dinner.

It was very good to see John Hardcastle at the Dinner, and I know we all wish him every success in his fight against illness and hope to see him on a golf course in the future. I thank him for the support he gave me before he was forced by circumstance to pass over the Vice-Captaincy to Brian Rodgers, and of course many thanks to Brian for his strong support since he took over. Our Association would probably fade away if we did not have those, like Peter Short and Derek Williams, beavering away on our behalf and we should all thank them hugely for their time and sterling efforts.

 I am grateful that everyone has been kind enough to laugh, or groan, at my jokes during the year. Not too many more to come but I do hope as many members as possible will be undeterred and play in the Pairs Competition on 1 October at Harleyford and at the AGM on 19 October at Buckinghamshire Golf Club. I look forward to seeing you there.

Good golfing to all.

Doug