In the Fourball Better-Ball event, which was one of the competitions played in the Winter League at Sidmouth Golf Club, there were some new names on the winners’ list, writes John Rockey.

With regular winner Jonathan Lee deciding to have a Sunday morning lie-in, others had the opportunity to gain some good points and improve their league status and good scoring was well rewarded.

Coming in at the head of the field was the partnership of new member Lee Wenham and rugby stalwart Steve Channing with 43 points. Both players have the reputation of hitting the ball a long way and their accuracy must have been spot-on to garner such a good score. Second, with 42pts, was another big-hitting partnership, Moray Boscence and Martyn French, who must also have managed to get their radar switched on. In third place, with 40pts, were Alan Spurway and Chris Roberts. Lee stays at the top of the league with 22pts, with Moray Boscence gaining in second place with 20pts and Graham Davies, in third place, with 14pts.

?In the Individual Stableford played last Sunday as part of the Winter League, Carl Sheehan outscored everybody, with 40pts, for a first win, at the first attempt. He just beat regular money winner Moray Boscence into second place with 39pts, with Alan Spurway again third with 38pts.

Boscence’s second place catapulted him into the lead in the overall standings, with 29pts relegating the absent Lee, 22pts, into second place. Stuart Ruffle, on 15, was third.

?There was a big field entered for the Turkey Trot, which was a Fourball Better-Ball Stableford event open to both ladies and men with Christmas dinners up for grabs for the prizewinners.

Claiming the biggest turkey for Christmas were Ron and Peter Vanstone who amassed an excellent score of 47pts to win the top prize by four clear points and blast all opposition well out of sight.

Second, with 43pts, was regular winter winner Jonathan Lee with his partner Mark Thomas. All but two points of this total were scored by Lee, with Thomas only contributing on the ninth hole when Lee’s sore back was troubling him having carried Thomas for eight holes. However, Lee has been in this situation many times before and soon recovered to do even better on the back nine by scoring all his side’s points on the way home.

Third, with the same score of 43pts, but losing on a countback was left-handed whirlwind Mike Dommett and his partner Peter Northcott who relished the soft-going.

The fourth, fifth and sixth pairs all had 42 pts with Alec Salway and George West just beating off Brian Margison and Craig Reynolds as well as John and Paul Lewis on countbacks.

For the ladies, Angela Coles and Pat Coleman won their Christmas dinner with 37pts just beating Penny Lyne and Yvonne Anning on a countback, with Anne Blackler and Judy Ritz coming third with 33pts.

?For those not fortunate enough to win a prize, there were drinks in the clubhouse afterwards provided by outgoing Devon County Captain Neil Holland who had a hole-in-one on the 6th hole with an eight iron tee shot .