The Digger Cup is a bogey competition, which means that each player is playing matchplay against the course, so that a par (or nett par if a shot is received) will halve the hole, a birdie or better will win and anything else is a hole lost, writes John Rockey.

In the past, this very simple concept has proved to be beyond the mathematical capacity of some of those competing, particularly when getting a birdie on a hole where a shot is received, some competitors have considered that they have won the hole twice, much to the amusement of the card checkers.

However, in this year’s event held at Sidmouth Golf Club under clear sunny skies, but with a very brisk wind blowing, no such problems arose.

Most participants would have had to double count quite a few holes to come close to the winner, Moray Bosence who came in with +5, ie he was five up against the course.

By the 14th hole Boscence was eight up, but a few misplaced shots brought him back towards the field, but still well ahead of the rest.

Boscence has been playing well of late and recently won the the Monday Stableford by a street and his ‘grip it and rip it’ style is well suited to this bogey type of competition where a disaster on any one hole means just the same as missing par by one shot.

Moray’s equivalent score of five under par earned him a further handicap reduction and he now plays off nine, which is six shots less than his handicap four months ago.

Second, with a good score of +2, was Chris Roberts who figures highly in the Friday League standings and those close to him in that League will be relieved that he will now be playing off 19.

Third on a countback was Mervyn Baker, who has recently returned to the club having had some time off from golf and his score of level, was an impressive performance given the tricky conditions.