Butler’s dozen takes him past father’s tally
Ed Butler was crowned Lansdown Golf Club champion for a 12th time, eclipsing his dad Simon’s record of 11, with hopes now that Ed’s son Edison will continue to tradition in the future.
The championship is played over two days and it was tight after the first round as Butler, with gross 73, was one shot ahead of Simon Hale, with Paul Thorne a further three adrift and Ken Madden fourth on 79.
The conditions were challenging on Sunday but Butler stretched away from the field as he carded a 75 for an aggregate 148 to finish six clear of Hale. Madden made 77 in the second round to take third with 156.
Hale had the considerable consolation of taking the best nett prize with a level par 142, which put him six clear of Thorne whilst CJ Liedenberg took third with 150.
The ladies champion is Jo Blackmore after she took top spot on both days, her 179 put her well ahead of Suzanne Wheeler. The best nett prize went to Margaret Ruxton on 161.
The latest pro’s competition was won by Craig Stevens, but only on countback from Mervyn Townley as both scored 39 points. Division One went to Alan Bickley with 37 which put him two ahead of Dave Newport, while Anthony Caddick took Division Two also with 37, one point ahead of Bill Rose. Behind Townley in Division Three was Mike Gray with 36.
■ BATH As the summer draws to an end it’s that time of year when the club championships are contested. With the course in excellent shape and green playing exceptionally well and very fast, they were great tests of golf.
In the Ladies Championship, their 36-hole medal was played over Tuesday and Wednesday last week and generously sponsored by Fidelius Group.
The leader after the first round and overall winner with gross 179 was Stephanie Anderson, with Honor Jones second on 184 and Samantha Robinson third on 185. Jones claimed the Meek Silver Salver for her best nett score of 148, while Chris Wakefield managed a hole-in-one at the 14th in round one.
The men played their championship across the weekend, again sponsored by Fidelius Group, and the fine weather had firmed up the greens amidst a strong blustery wind that made scoring difficult.
Martin Cashnella led the way with 74 after round one, one better than Peter Forster with Kieran Bye and William Warman on 79. The second round proved tough and the best score of 76 was posted by Edward Brown and Ewan Caldwell.
However, a battling 79 from Forster proved enough to overhaul the others to win by one stroke to retain his championship crown with 154.
Cashnella was pipped into second with Brown third on 157. The winner of the President’s Cup for best nett score was Phil Callan with 142, Bye was second on 147 with Ken Jones a point back in third.