Golfers raise £4,000 in drive to help RUH
A charity golf day at Orchardleigh has raised more than £4,000 for the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group (BCUSG).
Twenty teams of mainly local businesses teed off to support the charity which funds vital medical equipment for the cancer unit at Bath’s Royal United Hospital (RUH).
Prizes were awarded to the top teams and individual scorers, and for the longest drive and closest pin. Grant Willis, Tom Lucas, Rich Oakley & Ben Whiting from White Oak Windows and Doors in Westbury won, while Darren Edwards, Kevin Sheppard, Steven Sheppard & Daryl Thomas of Westbury building contractors Daccs Services Ltd came second.
The top individual scorer was Steven Sheppard and the closest pin winner was Clive Atkinson, while Oliver Worts won for longest drive.
Local businesses also donated fabulous prizes for an online auction in aid of the BCUSG which included helicopter and hot air balloon rides, and a luxury golf and spa stay at The Belfry. Local businesses also sponsored individual holes on the 18-hole course to raise money for the charity.
Afterwards the golfers and guests enjoyed a two-course evening meal. This was followed by a talk by Simon Whittle, head of radiotherapy physics at the RUH, who spoke about the benefits of cutting-edge medical equipment funded by the BCUSG, including an advanced gamma camera and PET-CT scanner that provide more detailed images to help RUH doctors in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Whittle also spoke about future fundraising projects at the RUH and thanked the organisers, as well as the golfers who took part.
Organiser Ian Gray, who is a member of a BCUSG fundraising group, said: “It was a very successful day and the weather was perfect for golfing. All 20 teams thoroughly enjoyed taking part.
“We raised more than £4,000 in total which is a fantastic amount. In fact, the day was such a success that we plan to make it an annual event with even more teams taking part in the future.
“We would like to thank our main sponsor, Medlock Electrical Distributors, and everyone else who donated items, sponsored a tee and who participated in the day.”
BCUSG chairman Mike Taylor added: “Ian did a superb job of organising the golf day and we would like to thank him for all his hard work to ensure the event was a success, and everyone else who took part. This is the first golf day that we have run ourselves as a charity and we hope it will be the first of many.”
For more information about entering a team in future golf days please email ian_gray83@icloud. com. To make a donation to the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group please contact fundraising@bcusg. org or phone 07896 741233.
■ LANSDOWN
Vice captain Ed Butler has won the West of England Open Amateur Championship played at Burnham & Berrow. After two days of strokeplay qualifying rounds, he progressed to the 36-hole final on Sunday, beating Daniel Bearcroft from Llanwern Golf Club, by 5&3, to win the magnificent War Memorial Trophy.
He adds this title to that of South Western Counties Amateur Championship which he won back in June and he will be a member of the Gloucestershire team at the English National Counties final to be held at Remedy Oak Golf club later this month.
Butler has been a member of Lansdown since a boy and has an outstanding amateur career, currently playing off a handicap of plus 4.6. His caddy for the tournament was another budding young Lansdown golfer – his son, Edison, aged 13 who plays off a handicap of 16 at
Lansdown.
Lansdown’s Scratch Foursomes team have won promotion to Division Three of the Bristol & District Golf League. Their win against Clevedon last week clinched their place at the top, second only to Henbury.
Other competition news from the club includes the final round of the Senior of the Year, the title awarded to the senior member with the best two Stablefofrd scores over four rounds, added to the score on the final fifth round.
This year’s winner is Paul Lowrie, one shot ahead with a total of 109 points, with John Stokes, Rod Thomas and Chris Frolich jointsecond with 108, and Andy Lee and John Dare joint-fifth with 106.
The Old Brits held their annual Memorial Trophy competition, with a 9-hole Texas Scramble.
The winning team were John Stokes, Paul Nicholson, Derek Godwin & John Rees. Runners-up were Joe Garry, Phil Robinson, Eddie Rands & Tony
Paines (29.3) ahead of Bill Rose, Lyn Wyatt, Ray Ratchford & Vincent Halton (30.2). A good time was had by all.
This week’s Texas Scramble was won by James Gregory, Lewis Risdale, Luke Clapp & Charlie Bateman with a nett 55. All three winning teams came in with the same nett so had to be decided on countback. Second went to Anand Shah, Scott Pillinger, Pat Jones & Andy Lock ahead of Robert Smith, Tony Gough, Richard Crowley and Mark Hand.
■ BATH ladies played in a par competition where the scores were set against the par for each hole over the whole round. The winner of Division One with a score of +3 was Anita Bye beating Fay Galley on countback with Veronica Creed third on +2.
Division Two and the overall competition was won by Anne Hitchin with +4, just ahead of Flora Samiei with the same score with Lesley Roebuck third on +3.
Top of Division Three was Jayne Hopkins with +1 with June Harrison second on level and Kathy Ogden third on -2.
Last Saturday, the men played in the Famous Grouse stableford and scoring was excellent. Division One was topped by Louis Cains with an outstanding 42 points, four better than Trevor John, just ahead of Nigel Crichton on countback.
Division Two was won by Mike Gale with 40, one better than Grant Organ who beat Richard Walker on countback. The winner of Division Three and overall was Jerry Shrubb with 43, two ahead of Paul Grange with David Cox third on 38. On Sunday, the juniors played in the Percy Smith Medal and the winner with a fine nett 67 was Joshua Knight with Cameron Stephenson
second on nett 69 and Matthew Wordon third on nett 74.
Teams of ladies and men played in the Mixed Up Cup where 20 teams played a Greensomes Stableford in lovely, warm and sunny conditions. The teams were drawn, but there was some great scoring.
The winners with a fantastic 49 points were Carol Williams & Mark Moorfoot, two ahead of Carol England & Martin Warman with Suzannah Angelo-sparling & John Slater third on 46. Everyone enjoyed the fine weather afterwards on the terrace followed by a great roast dinner by Bath’s fine caterers.
■ SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, had a hugely successful annual Golf Match on Friday, August 20, raising some £1,500 to help the Forces community.
The match, organised by the Bath & Frome Division of SSAFA’S Somerset Branch, took place at Bath Golf Club, Sham Castle, attracting some 25 teams.
Former Grenadier Guards officer
and SSAFA beneficiary Major (Retired) Bernie Broad, who lost both legs in a bomb explosion in Afghanistan in 2009, was guest of honour and played with SSAFA’S Central Office team.
SSAFA’S Chairman, General Sir Gary Coward, presented the prizes, with the Winners’ Trophy going to the Just Grenada team from Bath Golf Club, while the SSAFA Central Office’s Hackers team were runners-up.
Brian Woodford, the divisional publicity officer for SSAFA Somerset, said: “The annual SSAFA Golf Day was again a huge success, with some first class golf being played and a considerable sum being raised to help Service personnel and their families. I’d like to say a big thank you to the organisers, the players and those who generously donated such a large amount.”
To find out more about the SSAFA Bath and Frome Division and how you can support SSAFA further, visit ssafa.org.uk/somerset.