Ken Titherington, who sadly passed away about 16 years ago at the early age of forty, was a stalwart of Sidmouth Golf Club’s B team and a trophy in his name is now awarded to the winners of the annual contest between the Club’s B Team and the Emerton Court team of the more senior players at the Club. The competition is played over 2 legs with the first played earlier in the year when the B Team managed to gain a considerable 3 point advantage to take into the second leg played last Saturday.

B Team Captain Keith Newton was very keen on retaining this lead and possibly increasing it by seeking out all those top players within the Club who were under the age of 60 and therefore didn’t qualify for the Emerton Court Team. At one stage, Devon County Captain Neil Holland, who plays off plus 1,was in Keith’s team as well as former European Tour Professional and English Amateur Champion Roger Winchester, not to mention Club Champion Jonathan Lee as well as Scott Cup winner Mark Thomas being drafted into the side. As the B Team is supposed to be for those players in the Club who have a handicap of 10 or more, common sense eventually prevailed and Holland, Winchester and Lee were thrown out because they were clearly far too good to be considered for the B Team. Mark Thomas was also discarded, although no one is quite sure why, as it could not have been for the same reason as the others.

Current Emerton Court Captain Peter Spooner was not available for this crucial return leg and so Ray Gunston was drafted in to deputise. Already down by 3 points from the first leg, Ray decided to boost his chances of gaining a victory in the opening match by picking Bob Webber as his partner and in a very closely fought affair beat B Team Captain Keith Newton and his regular partner Colin Macklin by 2 and 1 to immediately bring back the overall deficit to 2 points. In the second match the experienced senior pairing of Trevor Kerridge and Pat McCormack, beat the long hitting pair of Will Hastie and Moray Boscence by 1 up to give the Emerton Court team another point, and when this was followed by Club Captain David Hoare, with very little help from his partner John Rockey, getting the better of Mike Dommett and Don Cooper by 2 and 1, the overall scores were level after the first three matches and the B Team skids were on.

At this stage B team Captain Keith Newton must have wished that he had not cast aside the likes of Holland etc, and his anxiety must have increased enormously when Pop Banfield and John Bainbridge for the senior side beat Malcolm Willoughby and Paul Renkin by 2 and 1, followed by another Emerton Court win when Bob Welsman and Alec Salway beat Brian Leach and George West again by the popular score of 2 and 1.

So after 5 matches, the Emerton Court side had turned a 3 point deficit to a 2 point advantage and there was more to come. Next up Mike Munro and Dieter Ritz got a crucial half against Peter and Ron Vanstone to bring the Emerton Court team closer to an unlikely victory, which was then sewn up when Mick Baden and David Bromage unexpectedly beat Palairet Trophy regular Stuart Coles and Jack Stokes by 1 up to ensure a win for the team of veterans.

Just to rub it in, Tony Crow and Nigel Sharp halved with Martyn French and Keith White and it was not until the final match that the B Team managed their first and only win of the afternoon when an ecstatic Neil Faulkner and Chas Jarvis combined well to get a 3 and 2 victory over Roger Bawden and Tony Salvage.

This gave the Emerton Court Team a victory by 7 matches to 2 on the day to easily overcome the first leg deficit and win the Ken Titherington Trophy. Following the convivial dinner after the match, the Trophy was presented to acting captain Ray Gunston by the Club Captain David Hoare and to make matters worse for the B Team, the two nearest the pin prizes were won by Emerton Court players Bob Welsman and Alec Salway. This clean sweep of prizes for the old men was too much for the B Team captain Keith Newton who had to leave the event early to go home and lie down in a dark room with some cold compresses on his forehead and start planning for next year’s fixture.

Mattt Domhof has been presented with the Chairman’s Award for the most improved junior golfer at Sidmouth Golf Club. The presentation was made by Club Chairman John Dunn at last Sunday’s junior coaching session.

12 year old Matt has been a member of Sidmouth Golf Club for over 6 years and is one of a crop of exciting young golfers who are making the future of the Club look secure.

Matt is becoming quite an all round sportsman as earlier this year he was awarded the cup for the most improved junior swimmer by the Sid Vale Swimming Club and in his first year at Colyton Grammar School was given his badminton colours.

Matt has benefited from the junior golf coaching sessions held at Sidmouth Golf Club every Sunday morning between 10.00 and 11.30 and any girl or boy interested in learning to play golf is most welcome to join the sessions by contacting Club Professional Ben Thorn on 01932 516407.