John Bainbridge led the seniors as they welcomed East Devon last week, hoping to set a good standard in the first game off with Vernon Ruffle, writes Terry Carter.

The visitors’ Michael Moore was giving the shots, Bainbridge receiving two and Ruffle an eye watering 11. Persistent readers will know that John Bainbridge usually loses the first then recovers well as the game progresses, but he has been working on his game and it seems to have had an impact.

This time he took the first with a par, but the early effort must have tired him as the visiting pair were two up at the turn and won three and one for the first point.

John Hicks and Nigel Sharp were next out against Tim Webb and Derek Carmichael, with ex-Sidmouth member Webb generously giving seven and 12 shots respectively to Hicks and Sharp, apparently in recognition of the good times he enjoyed on our course. Three up at the turn, Sidmouth’s pair hung on in a fine game to win four and three and level the score.

Brian Cole and Ken Rothwell were next off and also made a good start in confident mood, including Cole’s chip in for two on the sixth. The seventh was halved in par but, by the turn, the Sidmouth pair were three up. Cole also hit the green on the 12th to temporarily get his name on the board for nearest the pin, and, despite the East Devon pairing coming back at them, Sidmouth’s pair won the match four and three for another point.

East Devon’s Barry Hooper was giving the shots in the next game out but, unfortunately, this included nine shots to his partner. Mike Ingham was previously a Seniors’ section captain at Sidmouth, but neighbours at East Devon poached him apparently because of his unique after-dinner story-telling abilities. However, nine shots on his old course will have helped give him an edge. Home pair Brian Le Masurier and David Bromage proved slow starters with Bromage apparently just keeping hopes alive over the front nine, but Le Masurier rejoined the game on the back nine, won nearest the pin on the 12th and contributed to a fine three and two win.

Next out Dieter Ritz and Glyn Hewitt said they had a good even game of golf, although a six and five win would seem a bit one sided.

Sidmouth had a three point lead with two games to finish, and Peter Emery and Ian Brown were able to relax and enjoy the last few holes.

All square as they left the 17th green, they were more asleep than relaxed and lost their game on the last green. Usually, the pair suffering the heaviest defeat, collects the money after dinner, and Colston Herbert had avoided the embarrassment the previous week, as it was his first Seniors’ match and Peter Emery had kindly offered to take his place. Herbert must have felt some guilt, as in the last game out he supported his partner Paul Blay in achieving the worst result again, this time a four and three defeat despite receiving shots from East Devon‘s Ray Ambrose and Peter Sydenham.

result: Sidmouth 4, East Devon 3