2019

Who are going to be the stars of this years Altrincham GC Board Competitions ? We will see captained this year by Mr Roy Dickens (pictured) ? IF your club enlists the services of Golf Board Competition Archives Paul Hackett and his team will transform the competitive element of your club by showing why they pen is mightier than the sword’ as the stories of the drama , agonies and ecstasies that lie behind the names that earned the right to be etched on the hallowed boards are brought to life by the GBCA team . As you can see our Board Competition Reports are detailed accounts of those special days of competition with an individual or pair emerging victorious and being able to look forward to Presentation Night where they can receive their trophy with the acclaim of their peers ringing in their ears .

Battle of the Captains as 2018 captain Bob Kay is thwarted by our present captain Roy Dickens who ultimately won the day with a magnificent back 9 on a tough day of golf at our beloved Alty when Miehe , Butterworth and Ken ‘flattered’ to deceive when NO handicap reductions at all were earned in this event for the second year running . Well done Mr. Captain ! What a start to your year in office !

Keith Ralstons’ awesome bouncebackability from a poor start and a superb back 9 gives him the Bailey Cup after a Prince faltered but then regrouped to finish second with front 9 leader Paul MacDonald fading to third ... elsewhere a frustrated President NR’s after a sublime opening octet of holes and Lee Lomas rues poor scoring on benign holes .

Brian Southworth outlasts the field with a superb back 6 finish to take the Jubilee on countback from Messrs Sainthouse , Terris Sr and Thompson whilst 5 others finish one shot shy and most with hard luck stories . At least 10 players could legitimately state that they had placed a hand on the trophy but lost out in an incredibly close contest .

Alty new boy Brian Nichols takes advantage of his high handicap to take the F Cox with 40 points whilst wily John Rossiter and returning golfing stylist Sash Nearsoo are denied as Nate Butty fails to build on a magnificent front 9 and new boy Hand makes his mark with a massive 23 point back 9 but bemoans a poor start .

2019 Mr Captain Roy Dickens (80/16/64) captured the second board comp of the season and the sixth of his career by outlasting Paul McDonald on countback with a scintillating display given that this is the event where players are reduced to playing with just 4 clubs and a putter .

Mark Terris scores heavily in the final third to beat 52 rivals to win his first board comp with former captain Kay and Alastair Holloway taking the minor places ... defending champion Slater makes a bold defence before stuttering in the final three as a crucial blob on 17 denies Miehes’ claims whilst front nine leaders Shaughnessy, Bange and Thompson all stumble down the field in another hotly contested day at our wonderful course .

The crack pairing of Nate Butterworth and Johnathan Dickens took the Greatbanks trophies today with a superb finish of +10 as newbie pair Astbury and Ewing were thwarted just one hole behind with perennial Board Comp winners Miller and MacDonald taking third place of the 21 pairs on show.

Captain-elect Stuart Mason produced a superb net 63 to take the Geoff Gibson Trophy by 3 strokes from nearest rivals Richard Paulson , Ian Wood and Brian Nichols (after his front 9 co-leaders Christian MacDonald and Kay quickly faltered ) and clinched the third Alty GC individual board competition of his career and fourth overall . The handicapper was duly impressed cutting no less than 7 members for their efforts today .

Nate kicks Butt to take the trophy after a Royle mix up initially declares Des the winner ! Nate Butterworth birdies the final hole to leap from 4th place to snatch the Ray Gellatly Memorial Trophy with Andy Miehe and Paul Southworth as the final hole destroys fellow contenders Royle and Hackett ( who finishes 2 shots back but suffers DQ ) in a busy day for the adjudicators as initially Des Royle is adjudged to be the winner after posting a 87/26/61 card when his actual score was 22 shots more !

Seasoned campaigners and multi Board competition winners Caffrey & Hogan regroup after leading halfway then faltering to play the closing holes magnificently to prevail from Christian/Hackett who had recovered from a poor start to lead then succumb late on with Rothwell and MacDonalds’ tilt for the trophies also stalling in similar circumstances. Neersoo ( net 64 best in show ) Ralston (67) and Window (68) lament the loss of form of their partners on the day to finish down the table .

Matt Goodall overcomes his 31 elite colleagues to win the inaugural James and Roland West Shield by two shots from perennial Board Comp winner Danny Miller with new boy Gary Gilbert in third on a day when high scoring on individual holes proved costly for many of our best players with Caffrey and Butterworth suffering crucial reverses whilst Alty ‘Father of the House’ Bernie Wood rolled back the years on his front 9 but could not maintain it .

Dave Drury dominates the 30 strong field with a stunning front 9 giving him a huge lead that he nearly surrendered but hung on to win his first Board Competition whilst runner up Ian Cheetham comes back from 7 behind after 6 holes to lose by just a shot with third placed Matt Astbury similarly rueing sluggish starts which left them too much to do as early contender George Sainthouse drops 3 shots at Amen Corner to finish fifth .

David Christian starts steadily then shoots three birdies during an incredible back 9 to spreadeagle the field to ultimately cruise to a second board competition victory as front 9 leader Shaughnessy could not maintain his form to fall out of contention whilst lower handicapped duo Gary Gilbert and Paul Southworth filled the minor places with solid displays without getting close enough to truly challenge .

William Hill emerges triumphant after a three way fight for the trophy with Andy Miehe and front 9 leader David Christian after an incredibly close encounter where they had pulled clear from the field and were level with three holes to play with Hill ultimately outlasting his rivals to win on countback from Miehe with Christian a shot back in third . Elsewhere early contender Matt Astbury suffers a back 9 collapse under the weight of horror holes that dismantled his challenge .

Nick Lewis gloriously snatches victory on the final hole and his superb back 9 takes the Tommy Barlow by a stroke ! He denies Bob Kay , Michael Savage and front 9 leader Alan Gayle ( net albatross 3 on 2nd) who ‘blew‘ it courtesy of his 11 shots on 12 which effectively denied him the trophy . Joint front 9 leader Ian Cheetham surveyed the wreckage of a horror final 11 holes after an extraordinary start propelled him to 8 under after just 7 and who finished languishing in 35th place 😮

Nathan Butterworth comes through the field after a poor start to catch long time leader Nat Thomas and take the Bowl on countback with them both shooting superb net 66 whilst third-placed legendary multi- Board Competition winner Danny Miller never quite got close enough to properly challenge .two shots behind on a day where no less than nine players got the attention of the handicapper and achieved cuts to their handicaps !

In-form John Thompson builds on his fifth place yesterday and defies the handicapper again to cruise to victory taking the Golden Jubilee Cup by two points from Nick Lewis, whose super sportsmanship to the winner effectively denied himself the prize and who recovered from a slow start to post the joint best back 9 of the day but fell just short . Evergreen wily veteran Bob Kay chased the winner but eventually had to settle for third with the rejuvenated 2019 Bailey Cup winner Keith Ralston sharing back 9 honours after a sluggish start finishing fourth.

Norman Crowther returns to form shooting a magnificent 43 points to take the Bernie Wood Trophy with multi-Board Comp winning John Hogan two points back in second place and front 9 leader and top rookie Luke Dunlop third on countback . Veteran Johnny Boardnan took an encouraging fourth place and Bernie Wood himself made a superb attempt to win his own trophy finishing in a very credible fifth place on a day where only 7 of the 49 field scored better than their handicaps .

Tashan Dunbar returns to the fold and sensationally snatches the Holiday Cup on countback from fellow returnee Sash Neersoo with Alty new boy Yan Taylor third after surrendering a 2 shot lead on the final hole . All three were locked together on net 67 on a day which seemed to favour the long hitters ! Down the field front 9 leader George Sainthouse rues clumsy lapses on a few holes that stopped his momentum whilst Ian Wood similarly ruins his chances due to poor par 3 play and a 12th hole howler . At the other end of a spectrum , one competitor has a 16 on 17 but battles on to finish his round !

Captain-elect Stuart Mason already is displaying 2020 vision in his winning mentality after taking his third Board Competition of the year taking advantage of a last hole calamity from the unfortunate Andrew Window to achieve a last gasp victory with Alty Committee stalwarts Stopford and Miller taking the other minor places . On a day devoid of low scoring , front 9 leader Sash Neersoo succumbed 3 shots to handicap at the very next hole and crucially stumbled late on with an expected 5th place finish becoming a 30th courtesy of the lack of a signature on his card

Gary Shaughnessy produced a staggering net 64 to stand 4 shots clear of fast improving new members Nicholls and Dunlop , the only 3 players to beat par for their handicaps . Behind them Jim Fallon lies fourth whilst all-time second winning most board comp maestro Danny Miller eyes the possibility of a dream double on a day where the course showed once again it is overwhelmingly our lord and master .when played at its maximum length .

4 time winner and defending champion Glen Rothwell holds a slender 2 shot lead over multi-board comp winner Danny Miller and Alty GCs Sales manager and ex-pro Glyn Richards with Messrs Miehe , Neersoo and Crowther 6 shots back at the halfway stage of the quest to be this years Club Champion .

Overnight leader and title favourite Glen Rothwell became Club Champion for the 5th time as he overcame the spirited challenge of Danny Miller by 4 strokes with ex pro Glyn Richards three shots further back in third with seasoned low handicappers Neersoo , Goodall, , Miehe and Crowther putting in credible campaigns in 4th to 7th respectively as our wonderful course remained gloriously untamed when played at its maximum length .

Brian Nichols takes the unheralded but bragging rights as the Nett ‘best in show’ as halfway leader Shaughnessy tumbles down the field in the closing holes whilst Dunlop triple bogeys the last with the event at his mercy with Champion contenders Miller and Rothwell taking the minor places as the course at maximum length was bettered to handicap by only four players on an absorbing day of attritional golf at our beloved Alty .

Keith Ralston takes the Old Hall Trophy to maintain his personal renaissance outlasting the ‘never nearer’ Owen Fallon whilst front 9 joint leaders Andrew Wood , Glen Rothwell and Luke Dunlop all rue crucial lapses on a day where our beloved course allowed only four members to beat their par and did not yield one birdie 2 AT ALL . with no less than 4 players DQ’d signing for a different score indicative of such a tortuous mental examination for many of us .

George Sainthouse shoots a superb net 66 to beat 38 rivals and take the Seniors Trophy with the excellent Richard Paulson 2 shots back in second . Third-placed noted ball-striker Brian Southworth had the angst of capitulating on the benign 16th after being in a dominant position with just 3 holes left with fellow golfing stylist Andy Miehe taking the minor place with a solid display .... meanwhile ‘down’ the field the lack of a Presidential signature costs him over 30 places whilst another former Captain suffers a similar fate for the same omission .

Former Secretary and oldest competitor Matt Goodall wins the inaugural Dave Barton Shield from the front ,playing especially well on the front 9 and regrouping well after an Amen Corner stumble to ease to victory with Luke Dunlop a strong second but crucially never quite getting on equal terms . Improving duo Nick Lewis and Stuart Mason filled the minor places without setting the world alight and several shots behind whilst collectively our select 14 strong ‘young guns’ did not in any way come to terms with the back 9 today with curiously NONE of them playing it better than handicap .

Andrew Window played magnificent golf and then survived a late collapse to finally take the first Board Competition of his Alty career to claim the Autumn Cup prevailing by just a stroke from the never nearer Greg Harding with Alty new boy John Cullen an excellent third , whilst multi-Board Competition winner Keith Walton not able to maintain a stunning start and current Club Champion Glen Rothwell firing 4 gross birdies but crucially stumbling at our Amen Corner to lose momentum .as our beloved course allows only 5 sub-par scores from the 44 competitors .

Newly crowned Autumn Cup hero Andrew Window makes it 2 Board Competitions on successive weekends this time with his great pal and Alty underachiever Ian Cheetham who finally takes his first major victory , just reward for thousands of hours of practice . Solid performances from defending champions Ralston and Snape left them just over 2 shots adrift in second with Lomas and Walton Jr just 0.1 behind in third . Fourth placed Danny Miller and Howard Johnson dominated the front 9 but could not master the finishing holes and were frustrated as DM’s quest for number 31 to equal James Wests’ all-time Board Competition winning record continues .

With a triumvirate breaking away from the select field , Stuart Mason emerged triumphant , adding to his quite magnificent trophy-laden season with a superb net 65 to snatch the Monthly Medal final courtesy of a storming assault on the usually daunting final ‘championship’ holes . Sash Neersoo crucially lost ground at the start and a -7 response from his last 15 holes left him one short in second place with Andrew Moss similarly recovering from +4 to score an incredible -9 in 11 holes then succumb at the final hole whilst runaway leader Luke Dunlop produces superb golf to lead the field at the turn but capitulates thereafter to finish 7th. .

Evergreen pair 2018 captain Bob Kay & George Sainthouse showed their undoubted golfing skills to claim their first Alty pairs title together with a narrow victory with no less than 6 pairs finishing within 2 points of one another . The form players all maintained their momentum with Captain-elect Stuart Mason ( with multi-Board comp winner John Hogan ) taking second place and the rejuvenated Nate Butterworth (with Lee Cullen) and Keith Ralston ( with Mark Snape ) taking third and fourth respectively on a day where Sainthouse achieved his 6th pairs title with SIX different partners , a feat without parallel at our beloved club surely elevating him to legendary status .

Multi-Board Competition winners Keith Ralston and Mark Snape add to their impressive haul to take the JS Chorlton Trophies with their magnificent 49 point total giving them a three point victory over serial contender Nate Butterworth and his partner Andrew Wood. Past and present captains respectively Wilkinson and Dickens placed third on countback from those affable Reds Armiger and Paul Southworth on a day where the benign holes around the turn seemed to cause more problems than usual .

Sash Neersoo snatches victory on the final hole to thwart Captain-elect Stuart Mason , whose challenge faded in the final three holes to finish third after he had the trophy at his mercy with Ged Grogan (who had also overcome the leader) finishing second . with Messrs Dickens , Miller and Window completing the top 6 . The rest of the select field struggled to handle the tricky conditions where no player needed a handicap adjustment as the course again proved a difficult opponent .

Time to salute our clubs elite players as they battled all season to achieve their best 6 gross rounds . For the fifth year in succession Club Champion Glen Rothwell dominated his rivals to retain the prestigious Tommy Povey Board Competition , posting the top three scores of the season . Fellow legend and multi-Board Comp winner Danny Miller took second place for the fourth time this season with another similarly feted legend Stewart Royle achieving a creditable third despite a restricted campaign . Honourable mentions to Messrs. Butterworth,Miehe and Harding respectively for finishing in the top 6 .

A season-long event but high drama as Greg Harding sensationally net birdies the very final hole on the final qualifying competition to snatch the prestigious RAFA trophy from the grasp of leader Andy Miehe who crucially had elected not to play that day and thus was in no position to defend thus finishing in second place on countback . Danny Miller the 2006 winner posted his lowest super 6 scores after his huge effort in the JFord and didn’t play the last events whilst Luke Dunlop threatened to usurp everyone after he got himself into a position to win after a stellar opening 6 holesof the final event left him the task of coasting in and he inexplicably had three very poor holes then unbelievably withdraws with 9 holes to go when still in contention for the prize .

Phil Prince defeated Danny Miller in the final to win the Presidents for the second time and in all the 11th Board Competition of his Alty career . A fantastic achievement for Phil and a phenomenal effort from Danny to come sooooo close to making Alty history trying to win the event for the third consecutive year .

Magnificent Mark Caffrey beats defending champion Matt Goodall in the final to win a knockout Board Competition for the first time in his Alty career making it 8 in total . Gary Shaughnessy and Gordon Boardman were the losing semi-finalists in this prestigious competition.

2019 Knockout king Mark Caffrey took his record in single knockouts this year to 8 wins 0 losses and completed the Roberts and Gillibrand Knockout double when defeating his great friend and rival JohnHogan in the final .Commiserations to defeated semi finalists John Gleave and Mr Captain Roy Dickens . Caffrey emulates the rare Roberts / Gillibrand double achievement of Neil Baker 12 years earlier ... a fantastic achievement by one of our finest ball strikers . Bravo Sir !

2019 Review ...Stuart Mason and Nathan Butterworth head the list of successes this year with 4 wins each whilst rejuvenated Keith Ralston took 3 trophies as did double individual KO king and Wilson Trophies winner Mark Caffrey , Club Champion and Tommy Povey Trophy winner Glen Rothwell and the new trophy specialist Matt Goodall grabbed both of the new shields on offer this season . Together with dual winners Window , Dickens (C) , Sainthouse and Neersoo they are the undoubted stars of the season whilst our legendary 30-time Board Competition winner Danny Miller had the angst of 4 second place finishes this season but was unable to move closer to the Alty GC all-time record of James West and frustratingly still remains three short of the great man with his first trophyless year since 2009 . Similarly not one of the talented multi-Board comp winning Royle family have managed to win this year for the first time in a decade . Overall a vintage year and a massive enduring thanks due to Rob Cooper and our wonderful green keepers who have maintained our beloved course magnificently throughout the year . Altrincham Golf Club are soooo fortunate to have 38 Board Competitions to play for ...