On Sunday, there was a Winter League three-ball contested at Sidmouth, writes Jonathan Lee.

The entry wasn’t as large as usual with much of that down it being ‘Mothers Day’.

Although it was a cold morning, the course was drying out well after Friday’s heavy rain so the balls were beginning to run, not necessarily a good thing on Sidmouth’s slopes! Some warm sunny days will be welcome to encourage some grass growth!

Leading the way were Jonathan (Spaniel) Lee, Craig (Mr Golf) Melluish and Malcolm (Smudger) Smith. The format is that all three play, but only the best net score is counted in a medal format. They scored a remarkable 51, 15 better than par and won by three clear shots!

On the 12th, with all three players on the green in one, Spaniel went first and holed a mid-length putt for a ‘two’. Smudger went next, and he holed a monster putt also for a two, but, as he also got a shot, it counted as one. Just to compete the full set, Mr Golf then holed his putt for a two as well. Fortunately, only Smudger’s counted!

The win ensures Smudger winning the Winter League as there is only one winter competition left meaning he performed best (or got luckiest in the random draw for partners) and earned more points over the Winter competitions running from November to March.

In second place were Nick Bater, David Burgess and Vernon Ruffle scoring 54 and in third, Jeremy Holden, Martin Crockett and Mark Thomas with a 59.

There were five twos that counted.