It’s not quite Club Tropicana but...

A warming drink at Mannings Heath’s popular halfway hut won’t cost Stuart Sandell a penny for the next year after he won the club’s +1 Cup.

The prize, and the trophy, are both sponsored by member Darren Hanison who took over running the hut last year and renamed it ‘The +1’ in recognition of its location behind the 10th green.

Played over a whole weekend the competition used a modified Stableford format with extra points for birdies and eagles (+2 and +5), deductions for bogeys and double bogeys (-1 and -3) and zero points for nett pars.

Sandell had plenty more good holes than bad ones to finish with an excellent +14, three clear of Colin Cloy and five better than Andy Belton who had the best Saturday round.

This year there was also a Junior +1 Cup, claimed by Max Belcher on +8.

The weekend saw Heath’s men play their first friendly match since 2019, going down by a single point at Kings Hill in Kent after their hosts staged fine back nine recoveries. The return leg will be played in June and Heath are hopeful they can retain the Kings Hill Shield for a fifth year.

The ladies, meanwhile, staged their first medal of the year and Sybille Shababi and Julie Law continued their superb post-lockdown form by claiming top places for the third week running.

Shababi, off 29, took the winner’s prize money with nett 73 and 17-handicap Law was close behind her with a nett 75 that included six pars. Lynne Jones took third spot with nett 76.

BOB HOOPER