With the Clwyd Championships but eight days away from today’s date, the annual Welsh Merit Award competition has attracted a very strong field for the seventy two holes event which plays over the Prestatyn links on Saturday 8th May and then concludes at Wrexham for the deciding thirty six holes the following day.
The closing date for entries was last Monday and the organizers placed the initial cut off point for handicaps at 2.8 strokes with sixteen reserves now available up to five handicap.
This year the event will start from two tees at each club, so compressing the time on the golf course by some one and a half hours, a particular consideration for players who have to travel to South Wales following the presentation on the Sunday
The field has been extended from sixty six players to seventy two because of the aforementioned manner of play so all we want now is a kind spell of weather.
The starting times for the Welsh Youth Championships to be held in Wrexham on the 29th and 30th May have now been released by Mrs. Liz Edwards, the Championship Secretary to the Golf Union of Wales. The times are probably only of interest to the actual players, but of the sixty six competitors, no less than forty two are scratch or better with the remaining twenty four off one handicap. The strongest player is Johannes Diederichs off 3.5 in a field which includes Rhodri Fieldhouse of Wrexham off +1; Luke Jackson of Mold, also +1; Adam Tuft of Mold and Gareth Ephraim of Old Padeswood, both off a handicap of 1. Again there is an extensive list of reserves awaiting the call to play.
Wrexham hosted the qualifying round for the Hospitals’ Cup in which the players compete to become one of the four leading men, or one of the four leading ladies, to go forwards to the match play rounds with the final being played on Finals’ Day in September. Prior to play, and after the handicap differential is worked out, the ladies are granted one courtesy stroke to be added to their handicap before play commences.
The leading ladies were Kath Norman, net 70; Janet Sharley 71; Shirley Williams, 72 and Jacqueline Williams on 72 also. The men will be represented by Tony Phillips, net 67; Chris Marsden, 68; Oliver Hughes, 68 and Nicholas Jones on the same numbers.
The Competition Scratch Score for the men ran out at 72, two over the par for the course. What with little rain over the past month, and the course very dry and fast, there were many scores several strokes over the expected return, even for experienced players.
The ladies also played their Cancer Relief and Simmons Bowl in an event which witnessed a win for Dorothy Davies on 37 Stableford points followed by Jo Davies, 36; Janet Lloyd 36; Jacqueline Williams, 35 and Janet Brunyee, also on 35.
Forty one ladies contested the event.
The Crowther Cup was also the focus of attention and was played in two handicap divisions. Winning the Silver division was Hazel Parry with net 73 followed by Shirley Williams 75; Marlene Willetts 77 and Carole Jones also on 77.
The Bronze division went to Angela Miller with net 67 from Ladies’ Vice Captain, Janet Brunyee on 70, Mary Bainbridge on 73 and Greta Jones with 75.