Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Victory sweet after early mishap
Canterbury Golf Club
Marcus Rabenda’s round in the captain’s charity tournament at Canterbury could not have got off to a worse start when he lost his ball through a wayward opening drive.
But by the end of the day, the 53-year-old was celebrating victory after a remarkable comeback swept him to the head of the field in the Stableford event sponsored by the Bundock and Pilbeam families.
Following that initial blow, the 17-handicapper set about repairing the damage by making net pars at the second and third holes.
A birdie at the fourth put him right back on track and three pars followed.
Bogeys at the eighth and ninth took Rabenda’s score at halfway to a promising 20 points.
He made a positive start to the inward half and closed with a par for a back nine of 20 points and an overall total of 40.
Earlier, eight-handicap Jeremy Keeler had posted an impressive 39 points, with halves of 18 and 21 points.
Keeler made two birdies and this helped him secure second place on countback from Alexei Ignatow, from Russia.
Three players finished level on 38 points , the best of whom on countback was nine-handicap Tony Grove.
He comfortably outpointed Michael Pilbeam (h7), who, in turn, was better than Dan O’Donoghue (h10).
The competition raised £200
for the Samaritans, club captain Tony Wenham’s charity for the year, and this included the donation of his prize money by Rabenda. Leading scores: 40 M Rabenda (h17); 39 J Keeler (h8), A Ignatow (h19); 38 T Grove (h9), M Pilbeam (h7), D O’Donoghue (h10); 37 D Danton (h1), T Robb (h12), S Munday (h15); 36 M Gasking (h17), A Dance (h8), R Baker (h18), L Elmer (h9).
His gross 70 was enough to secure the six-handicapper the title, with Ethan Snutch, of Sittingbourne, claiming the handicap title with a net 64 playing off 17
Dan Smith (h8), of Boughton, was two shots back in second with Chart Hills player Richard Cheetham in third, playing off five.
The Division 1 winner was Jack Holland of Princes with a net 70 playing off four, while Faversham’s William Batey (h25) carded a net 71 to win Division 2. birthday of long-serving member and former captain Kath Williamson.
Williamson was first appointed captain in 1979 before a second stint in 1998, when she started a friendly mixed 12-hole competition on Friday evenings which became known as the Friday Nighters and which is still played to this day.
Although she no longer plays, Williamson visits the club regularly.