The captain - club-pro charity event at Sidmouth last Saturday was left the poorer (and probably the quieter) when club captain John Rockey reported himself unavailable due to a bad back, writes George Carr.

In this event; a two ball-better ball match, contestants set out to beat the score registered by the captain-pro team; those that fail to do so pay up and thus the charity benefits.

With club professional Ben Thorn’s able assistant, Lewis White, standing in for the injured club captain 40 points proved to be the score to beat on the day.

Only three pairs managed to do this; first among these were the Paddy Tallon and Brian Leach duo (Grumpy and Speedy) with a resounding 44 points - well done, indeed!

Stuart Coles and Merve Baker were only two points behind on 42 as were Lee Wenham and the ubiquitous John Barnard with the same score. A good day for all - including the captain’s charity.