The first event of the Sidmouth Golf Club summer season is usually the first Monday stableford, writes John Barnard.

The season starts when the clocks have changed, but this year, as this fell over the eater weekend, it was decided that the Sidmouth Jewellers Friday stableford would begin.

It was an good decision as the weather was excellent, probably the best day of the weekend and the usual starting competition, the Monday Stableford had to be cancelled due to the storms that swept across the County.

Forty-two players put their handicaps on the line and as always at the start of the season, play was not easy, reflected in the standard scratch of 68 rather than the usual 66.

David Burgess won with 37 points, winning on countback from Kevin Legg. David struggled a bit on the way out with two double bogies, but birdies on the ninth and twelfth and then a run of pars gave him victory although he will have been frustrated to bogie 18 and that was achieved with a long sliding putt.

Kevin’s was the more consistent round and birdies on ten, thirteen and eighteen ought to have given him the victory but a no score on the relatively easy seventeenth hole cost him the victory. Bob Andrews was third with 35 points.