The scoring in this week’s Monday’s Charles Stanley Stableford was again, particularly impressive, writes John Barnard.

The course is playing much easier due to the recent wet weather so shots can be fired into the green and they are holding ( but not for long as the wind and sun will soon dry the course out). Seventeen players were better than level two’s so standard scratch was set at 65 (37 stableford points).

Leading the way was Moray Bosence who is having a good July. Playing late on Monday, he shot a level par round which gave him 42 points.

Twelve pars, three birdies and three bogies meant a tidy scorecard and a reduction in handicap to five, the lowest he has been by some distance.

In second place was Stuart Coles with 40 points. A fairly steady opening nine holes was then followed by a two under gross back nine, including birdying the last two holes to move him back to a handicap of three.

He won on countback from a slightly frustrated club manager Jonathan Lee who has hit a good run of form recently. After three dropped shots on the front eight, Jonathan then had four birdies in the last ten holes with the other holes played in par except a wayward tee shot on the 17th meant a lost ball.

He did birdie the hole with his provisional ball to salvage a point though.

In the birdie count, John Jones hasn’t played in the last two weeks which has let the field reduce his lead.

He has 47 birdies, Jonathan Lee is second with 42 and Neil Holland a distant third with 33.

In the eclectic, Mike Knight consolidated his lead over Jonathan Lee by a shot and with improvements ever more difficult as the season goes on, there are 9 players within four shots so all to play for.