Sidmouth Jewellers Friday stableford was played on a beautiful autumn day when the views which much better than the golf for some of us, writes John Barnard.

Not so for Ian Watson though, for he won with an excellent 40 point score.

He had a poor start, but on the back nine, off his 20 plus handicap, he managed four pars and then birdie on the last hole guaranteed his win.

In second place, with 39 points, was Simon Knowles with a steady round, and he birdied the last hole with an excellent chip and putt. Third was Neil Faulkner who was going well all round, but after birdying the 15th hole, it just slipped a little to let the others get ahead of him.

The shot of the day was from Mark Laird.

Off the yellow tees, Sidmouth is just over 5,000 yards in length, but Mark’s tee shot on the first went straight into the hole on the 18th green (really only about 100 yards away).

Much amusement all round, unrepeatable by Mark in 100 years of trying quite possibly!

With only one round left in the Order of Merit, David Burgess has a 28 point lead and so has won the league with a week to spare, well done David, I didn’t jinx you after all!