Williams signs off in style with old irons

Birthday boy Scott Williams had double cause for celebration on Sunday when he won the Winch Bowl bogey competition at Canterbury. And he did so using his clubs for the last time before taking possession of a new set. Playing against the course, 15-handicap Williams won nine holes and lost three to finish six-up. That score was matched by four-handicap John Macdonald but when the countback was applied, it was the 31-year-old carpenter and joiner who came out best. Starting from the 10th tee, Williams had two wins and two losses in his first five holes but crucially won the 17th and 18th to turn two-up. He then rattled off three wins from the first and followed with three halves before making his only birdie for a win at seven, losing eight but closing with a win at nine. “I never used my driver at all,” said Williams. “I hit my 2-iron off the tee all the way round and was concentrating on making the fairways. “I chipped and putted particularly well and when I had two putts to win a hole, I took them. It wasn’t about scoring well but beating the course.” Williams went on to reveal it was probably the last time he would be using his irons. He said: “I had a new set on order and they are due to be delivered any day now, so it was a nice way to sign off with the old ones.” Macdonald, playing in the group ahead of Williams, made birdies at 12 and 14 for two wins but these were cancelled out by losses to bogeys at the 17th and 18th. The 58-year-old Scot made five birdies over his second nine, which helped him to a score of plus-six but it was not quite enough to take him to victory. Seventeen-handicap Ken Small was clear third, finishing the first nine all square but picking up four wins on the inward half. Leading scores: +6 S Williams (handicap 15), J Macdonald (h4); +4 K Small (h17); +3 G Mckechnie (h20), R Balcombe (h12), M Andrews (h7), T Martin (h20); +2 I Munday (h11), S White (h6); +1 N Parsonson (h14), D Tottman (h12), L Elmer (h10), T O’reilly (h5), J Iddenden (h1), S Eeles (h11), S Cliff (h15), P Stewart (h12); level J Kennett (h20), P Bundock (h9), T Worrall (h16), N Watts (h18), M Bonthuys (h10), K Nicholls (h18).

Winch Bowl winner Scott Williams