A team of senior golfers from Padbrook Park made a brief visit to Sidmouth recently, writes Charles Oram.

Unfortunately, the course was closed that day because of unrelenting clammy fog rolling in from the sea. The Cullompton party therefore returned to their inland course for a practice round.

That session was clearly helpful to their team, since Sidmouth Seniors struggled to make headway when they travelled to Cullompton for the return leg last Friday. At least the weather was warm and sunny.

The Sidmouth campaign did not start well when the first pairing of Nigel Sharp and David Bromage found themselves six down after 12 holes.

At that stage they stopped worrying about the game and concentrated on the prospect of a inviting post-match drink.

The result was that they won four of the remaining holes, to lose by the respectable score of two-and-one.

David Roberts and John Sanders were the next Sidmouth casualties, losing six-and-four.

John Townsend and Brian Skittrall started briskly, going three up in their match after six holes.

Thereafter (unlike the course!) it was mostly downhill and they lost three-and-two; but Townsend had the consolation of winning nearest-the-pin. Bruce Harcourt and Vernon Ruffle have been playing well at Sidmouth, but were unlucky to meet an in-form opponent with a low handicap, resulting in a four-and-three defeat.

Ray Gunston for Sidmouth played steady golf to wear down the opposition.

He was paired with your correspondent and we managed to win three-and-two with my own main contribution being to read off the distance to each pin from my gps gizmo!

Paul Blay and Alan Billinghurst did well in the last match and were one up after 17 holes.

They hit accurate shots to the last green and were contemplating a satisfying win.

However, one of their opponents sank an outrageously long putt to square their match.

The Sidmouth pair were like two youngsters eagerly opening their Christmas present, only to see it snatched from their grasp.

The home match that was cancelled due to fog has been rearranged for a date in October, and Sidmouth will need to be in good form to overturn the four-and-a-half to one-and-a-half deficit incurred at Cullompton.