2023

Wire-to-wire leader in-form Uber-high-handicapper Mike Coleman produces a simply stunning triple W finish on the ‘Championship holes’ to take the Arthur Cooper Final and thus break the golfing heart of his long-time pursuer Paul Hackett , who had produced a loss-free final 12 holes and out-performed him on the Amen Corner holes only to frustratingly miss chances after getting into good positions . Derek Cullen similarly had moments of success but couldn’t deliver enough wins in those final sextet of holes whilst relative newcomers Jonny Cutteridge ,Paul Slade and 2022BWood Trophy hero Cameron Arnold completed the top 6 on a day where the course maintained its history of dominance in this event with only the winner ‘beating the course’ in the cold and windy conditions . .

Ruthless trophy-hunter Dave Drury and his recently engaged high-handicapper hotshot partner James Beswick ( not pictured) have a blistering 4-win start on their way to cruise to a 2 hole victory in the ‘Bogey Pairs Championship’ over HallofFamer John Hogan and his partner Johnathan Dickens who could never get close enough to properly challenge . The Alderson/Reid and Brown/Maguire combos were three holes back with defending champions Stewart/Neil Royle and Club Champion Dan Bartley and his talented partner Cameron Arnold completing the top 6 on a day which showcased the value of engaging a higher-handicapper in this genre of golf with the course playing a little tougher than usual .

Kenneth Maguire produces a back 9 masterclass and 4-point birdie to stroll to a 5-point maiden Board Competition victory from fellow high-handicappers Simon Morley ,and Bob Kay with away member Lloyd Mullen-Cooper taking fourth place . Captain COVID Stuart Mason and HallofFamer Glen Rothwell completed the top 6 on a day where the course bossed us with all but the top 3 failing to get to the par Stableford score . Our mixed competition included just two ladies , whilst the FCox BlobMeister was taken by Messrs Nicholls and Johnston sharing with Lady Walton on a day where the majority of us struggled on that difficult mixture of tricky fairways , bunkers and greens aligned to the intermittently cold conditions .

Jimmy Brown gloriously emerged victorious in the prestigious Bailey Cup Final , with the in-form golfer showing teak-tough brilliance in the championship holes to blow away his rivals , birdieing the final hole for a dominant ‘feels good’ victory for his first Board Competition victory . Classy veteran former Captain Bob Kay took second place with legendary record-holder Danny Miller third whilst your reporter Paul Hackett led after 14 holes but just couldn’t step up where it mattered whilst front 9 leader and fellow veteran Pete Higgins bemoaned Amen Corner lapses . Andrew Moss flattered to deceive for an encouraging sixth place on a day where our beloved course restricted all but the winner in beating their handicap .

Mark Drinkwater produces his best ever round at the club today with a simply scintillating net 65 to take his first individual Board Competition and second overall by three strokes from the excellent David Roy Terris with high-handicappers Jonny Cutteridge (also registering his best ever round ) and Ben Haslam (equalling his best score ) in third and fourth place respectively with past Captain Danny Miller and Alty President Brian Cawley completing the top six on a day where our beloved course only allowed three of us to beat their handicaps as we continue to adjust to the summer tees.

Alty newboy Rob Burrows continued his red hot form to win his third competition within two weeks as he added the Remembrance Trophy to his AGC Memorial and Texas Scramble victories to claim his first Board Competition , continuing the dominance of first time new members this season . Burrows took just 81 strokes to amass 43 points , good enough to win by 5 points from revitalised Alty stalwart Norman Crowther who played magnificently but stalled on his short holes which thwarted his challenge , with third-placed Paul Hackett similarly playing superbly but reporting his inability to master the long ones . Vets star Tim Roberts and Ray Corcoran put in decent rounds but both still await their first Board Competition victory with Committee newboy and low handicap hotshot Cameron Arnold showed his class and completed the top 6 as double defending champion Ged Grogan was never able to put in a challenge to win the trophy for the third successive year . On the Blobmeister front , Glen Rothwell carded 9 blobs but rumours of withdrawal through injury would then put the spotlight on ailing mid-handicappers TJ Dibble and Andrew Wood , who both recorded 7 blobs on a day where our beloved course restricted all but 3 members to beat their par Stableford score as the transitional condition of our course continues to befuddle golfers of all abilities .

The junior golfing prodigy that is Oliver McDermott has won his second Board Competition in the dry and sunny conditions today , showing the brilliance of a net albatross earlier in his round then displayed teak-tough resilience on the Championship holes’ to outlast the unlucky Andy Miehe , who crafted a simply marvellous round of golf to get within one of McDermott with two holes to go but who was undone on the 17th hole and had to settle for second place for the second consecutive year . 2023 high-handicap hotshot and recent F Cox Memorial winner Kenneth Maguire came third despite crucial losses on the benign 10/11 axis whilst Bailey 2023 winner Jimmy Brown was the only other member to beat his handicap as our beloved course again dominated most of us .Ged Grogan and Brian Nicholls completed the top 6 on a day where none of our top players broke 80 with Messrs Grogan , Brown and Alty all-time top trophy collector Danny Miller all carding 81 . A day where the sun shone and continued to subtly harden our fairways with the opening hole playing especially tricky today.

HallofFamer Neil Royle gloriously wins his third consecutive 5 Club Shield , cruelly snatching the silverware from the grasp of fellow legend Keith Ralston ( who delivered a masterful gross 75) and former Captain Bob Kay , who tragically stumbled at the last hole after playing 10-17 wonderfully . High-handicap hotshots Beswick and Morley finished fourth and fifth and will both rue Amen Corner stumbles when in great positions whilst all-time Board Competition winner Danny Miller gave a back 9 masterclass but was never nearer to challenge after a poor start , a day where the sun shone on hardened fairways to test members armed with only four clubs , a putter and ( in the case of the winner ) , a brother !

Evergreen pair George Sainthouse (67 - capturing his th Wilson victory) and Bob Kay (70) produce a phenomenal front 9 of -6 to take control and magnificently maintain their position to emerge victorious by two strokes from your observer Paul Hackett (‘best in show’ 65) and Brian Nicholls (74) , with a Hackett charge of SEVEN consecutive net birdies propelling them to contention together with Nicholls scrambling talents only for a concrete 11th hole bunker to ultimately scupper their challenge.. Defending champion Danny Miller (66) and ‘new’ partner Paul MacDonald (73) thwarted by the letters woes on the long holes . Crowdpleasers Andrew Moss(71) and Phil Wright (70) were fourth despite a crucially slow start whilst 2020 Wilson champions Keith Ralston (71) and Mark Snape (70) and Alty GC stalwarts Norman Crowther (70)and Matt Goodall (74) completed the top 6 after a blistering -4 finish from NC on the ‘Championship holes’ with Andy Mills (91) having the highest S coring H ing I n T and em differential of 18 strokes with the unfortunate David the Doughty (73) in the dry sunny conditions .

After a couple of agonisingly close near misses Craig Seery finally gets a well-deserved maiden Board Competition victory , coming from behind to produce a spectacular last-gasp net eagle 3 on the final hole in the final group to snatch the Watson trophy from second-placed David Christian , who had also produced a phenomenal back 9 but to no avail . 2023 veteran hotshot George Sainthouse had a stellar front 9 to lead the field and battled well to maintain a one-stroke lead with one hole to go whilst F Cox 2023 winner Kenneth Maguire was leading after 13 holes but will rue his hole 14/15 collapse when in control . Consistent play by wily veterans Brian Price (5th) and Gordon Boardman (6th) completed the sextet of better than handicap performances as our beloved course restricted the other 43 of us and maintained her dominance despite the dry , sunny conditions with the helpful hardening fairways and improving greens giving us every chance (if we could just avoid those remaining compacted bunkers that were too much for our skill set) on another day of golfing drama .

Wily veteran and golfing methuselah John Rossiter claimed his fifth Board Competition with a course management masterclass in the dry sunny conditions today . Rossiter came through the field late to snatch the trophy from emerging talent Kenneth Maguire (who had produced a tremendous round) on countback whilst talented but the still trophyless Tim Roberts was left to contemplate another one that got away after a poor Championship holes performance undid his sparkling round in tragic style . Evergreen Brian Price maintained his form well in fourth whilst Defending Champion Ian Cheetham will look back on a horrific first hole net quad bogey 9 which derailed his campaign with the improving Jonny Cutteridge completing the top 6 on a day where our beloved course came out on top again , restricting just a select group of four members to beat their handicap.

Matt Goodall produced a sensational ‘best in show’ performance in both net and gross formats with a simply scintillating net 66 in the dry sunny conditions today .to win the 12th Board Competition of his Alty career in fine style crucially playing the fearsome Amen Corner holes in 3 under his handicap as others struggled . In-form front 9 leader Richard Paulson regrouped strongly to take second place two strokes behind after suffering the angst of a 9 on 15 when looking most likely to take the trophy whilst third-placed HallofFamer Brian SOUTHWORTH showed a welcome return to form with a never nearer third placed net 69 , beating the valiant Defending Champion Mark Caffrey who had flattered to deceive after taking closer order with a decent Amen Corner campaign but could not find form in the final holes .2023 hotshot Jimmy Brown produced his fourth sub handicap round of his summer season in fifth whilst Alastair Cutteridge had an encouraging sixth place finish highlighted by a phenomenal net eagle 4 on 15 on a day where nearly a third of our lower handicap members beat their handicaps and took advantage of our beloved course playing a little easier with the hardening fairways and slightly more receptive greens giving us a better chance to shine .

Early starter Nathan Butterworth has won the Ray Gellatly Memorial Trophy for the second time and won his eighth Board Competition after using the mindset to ‘swing easy and try not to force shots’ to play beautifully , emerging from the turn to deliver a 37 stroke back 9 masterclass to take control of the competition on the final hole , a last-gasp teak-tough up and down snatching the trophy from the clutches of fellow elite player John Cullen who had played wonderfully well and led with just the Championship holes to play but could only play them in regulation to fall short. Recent Watson winner and 2023 hotshot Craig Seery again showed his form and looked in serious contention but finished third thwarted by a double bogey on 16 whilst Ged Grogans’ net 69 included a phenomenal final hole net albatross to take fourth place. Noted ball-striker Andy Miehe and Club Champion Dan Bartley shared the front 9 lead but both faltered on the journey home to complete the top six whilst your reporter Paul Hackett shared the lead after a first hole net birdie but could not flourish and pity-partied his way to an awful net 81 on a day where our lower handicap members totally dominated with all of the top 6 13 handicap or better as our beloved course continued to boss the vast majority of us into submission as fairways harden and greens were receptive to only those more fabulous with the flatstick in the dry conditions.

Two-time former Club Champion Tim Cowsill rolls back the years to take his 14th Board Competition 11 years on from his last silverware , producing a simply scintillating net 67 (gross 70) to win the trophy (and register himself as a Club Championship contender) from the unfortunate HallofFamer John Hogan , who produced a truly extraordinary 34 stroke -6 front 9 masterclass but whose excellence was undone by a double figure score on the 15th hole . Fellow HallofFamer Glen Rothwell produced a wonderful net 69 in a never nearer third place whilst Matt Astbury , Keith Walton Sr and Alastair Cutteridge Sr all produced decent rounds on yet another day where our beloved course restricted just four of our number to beat their handicap to again bring into focus the degree of difficulty our short but perfectly formed 18 examinations of golf provide even on a dry sunny 1st day of July .

Tim Dibble emerges from the Alty golfing wilderness to defy and outlast a quartet of HallofFamers (Bernie Wood , Neil Royle , Danny Miller, Glen Rothwell) and Stephen Whyte (who still awaits silverware after a decade) with a glorious wire to wire victory based on the excellence of his flatstick play to win his third individual trophy and sixth Board Competition in all after a four year wait taking advantage of his higher handicap to spectacularly reverse his fortunes after a poor start to his summer season . Defending champion Johnathan Dickens sadly failed to feature after starting poorly but at least delivered a 18 point back 9 whilst our beloved course continued its dominance of the vast majority of us with only 4 members beating the standard Stableford score of 36 .Members were less carefree than usual in terms of recording blobs with Golden Jubilee Blobmeister ‘honours’ going to Andrew Moss with a quintet of 🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞 but curiously still managing a respectable 31 point total amongst that carnage .

HallofFamer Paul MacDonald added to his legacy today by snatching the Captains Bowl Prize for the second time , his 17th Board Competition in all . ‘Tiger Mac’ had thwarted occasional player James Imeson from taking a sensational victory thanks to a last-gasp birdie whilst David Christian had produced a magnificent blemish-free net 67 but bemoaning a trio of eminently achievable missed short putts which , if converted would’ve gave him the W. AWAY player Lloyd Mullen-Cooper recovered from a poor start to take fourth whilst HallofFamers John Hogan and Stewart Royle complete the top 6 as we all were royally fed and watered by Mr Captain and his family and friends on a day where a magnificent seven of us beat their handicap as we generally found the conditions a little more to our liking in the benign conditions.

A tale of scratch partnerships as the nakedly ambitious trophy-hunting HallofFamer Brian Southworth positively thrived in his new partnership with Brian Cawley . Third-placed HallofFamer Bernie Wood simply could not properly focus with his scratch partner Terry McNicholls and was obviously (to the mind of this observer) unable to put his best golfing foot forward without regular partner Gord Boardman at his side whilst Pairs king Neil Royle and his former Club Champion can look back at a crucial early blob on 2 which proved devastatingly costly . Another father-son combo the O’Connells will surely contend again with an encouraging fourth place whereas crowdpleasers Cheetham and Wright both lost form to put pressure on the other in fifth and the precocious McDermotts can rue a poor start leaving them too far away to challenge . Defending champions Hackett and Christian offered a stout defence for only 7 holes then crumbled on a day where course management was at a premium and the golfing prowess and quality of life of our golfing Brians’ was greatly enhanced as they won the Chorlton trophies .

Another stunning masterclass of course management from the wily skilful mid-handicap magician otherwise known as HallofFamer Neil Royle procured the EIGHTH Board Competition in just 2.5 seasons and 18th Board Competition of his Alty career as he continues to defy his handicap and capture silverware .The unfortunate Andrew Wood , third-placed BWood premier chum Gord Boardman and Alty hotshot Chris O’Connell can all bemoan problems during their Amen Corner campaigns whilst golfing stylists Andy Miehe and John Cullen will rue a cold putter and poor start respectively on a day where only 4=members beat their standard Stableford score whilst defending champion Cam Arnold never got close enough to challenge . The Blobmeister title went to 7 blob Derek Cullen with notable misfiring from Messrs Butterworth , Grogan and Price on a day where our beloved course dominated the vast majority of us on an atypical summers day . Bernie Wood himself trundled into 32nd place with just 29 points but did roll back the years with a sublime birdie 2 on 16 … the only 2 of the day !

The fledgling pairing of Kenneth Maguire and Simon Morley have emerged triumphant after a slow start ,they jointly held the front 9 lead before a sensational start to their journey home repelled all but the magnificent McDermott brothers ( featuring the incredible Mike who plundered 44 points today) who got themselves into a last hole shoot-out but could not match the trophy-clinching 3-point par that Simon Morley delivered at that final hole to condemn the brothers to the runner-up spot for the second time running . HallofFame record holder Danny Miller and Cam Arnold started poorly and were never nearer in third whilst evergreen pair Bernie Wood and Gordon Boardman were in touch at the turn but lost impetus on starting their journey for home and still await their first silverware together with Club Championship contender John Cullen and his talented high-handicap partner Tom Wilkins fifth whilst 2022 winner Paul Slade and his replacement partner Ben Haslam shared the front 9 lead but then had an indifferent journey home (excluding a truly phenomenal Haslam 5-point birdie on 12) which meant a frustrating sixth place finish . An enjoyable event to play for all of us but our beloved course still restricted just four of twenty-one pairs to beat their standard on a day where Kenneth Maguire doubled his haul of trophies whilst Simon Morley had that special moment of winning his first piece of silverware and will get his name on our hallowed boards .

HallofFamer Keith Ralston (35/40/75) produced a blistering front 9 and maintained form which laid the foundation for him to end round One of the Club Championship with a slender but crucial one stroke lead over former champion and HallofFamer Danny Miller in the windy conditions today . Ralstons’ round had been highlighted by two phenomenal birdies on holes 6 and 9 to establish a three stroke lead at the turn . Second placed Danny Miller (38/38/76) was dogged by a cold putter denying him any birdies but he showed teak-tough resilience to chase Ralston down to level after 17 only to drop a stroke on 18. Although those two legends are overwhelming favourites to occupy the top two positions tomorrow , multiple Club Champion Glen Rothwell (40/40/80) and young hotshot Cameron Arnold (41/40/81) will join them on the tee tomorrow needing to recover a 5/6 stroke deficit as soon as possible to get into serious contention whilst stalwart Matt Goodall and HallofFamer John Hogan also are 6 strokes behind with 18 holes to go . Inexplicably , our 2022 Club Champion Dan Bartley had a horrific day , with only two pars and a birdie his positive moments on a day when he suffered many poor holes before the anguish ended with him NR’ing on the 15th hole . For those of you interested in the nett standings , James Beswick , with a net 66 , was the only member to overcome our Club Championship contenders (Ralston 67/ Miller 68) , the only three to beat their handicap on the one weekend where gross is the only format for trophies. With the weather forecast showing difficult conditions tomorrow it is impossible to predict who will prevail but best of luck to ALL contenders !

The extraordinary Alty career of our winningmost member Mr Danny Miller shows no signs of flagging in his 27th season at the club . The Alty GOAT has won his 40th Board Competition, 31st individual and now can boast a 2nd Club Championship as he outlasted fellow HallofFamer Keith Ralston in a truly titanic battle for supremacy over 18 holes today , emerging victorious only on the final green as he nervelessly carded a par score whilst his magnificent rival could only record a bogey . The younger generation were superbly represented by Cameron Arnold , who struggled in his early holes today but produced a scintillating back 9 of just 34 strokes to take third place . HallofFamer John Hogan produced two decent rounds to claim a best-ever fourth place in the event whilst multiple former champion Glen Rothwell got to within just 2 strokes of the leaders before a back 9 collapse saw him finish fifth whilst mid-handicappers Dave Drury and Ged Grogan shared sixth place on a day where the dry conditions , spongy fairways , deceptively thick rough and tricky pin positions made decent scoring very difficult .Only 24 golfers completed 36 holes but for those who did , the bragging rights of filling a high position in our clubs most important Board Competition are theirs by right .

HallofFamer Keith Ralston powered through the field on the back 9 to take the lead with two holes to go and magnificently birdie the final hole to win the 14th Board Competition of the year . Second placed Lee Lomas (-4) and third placed Ged Grogan had blazed the trail with phenomenal front 9’s but with Lomas losing his way on benign holes on the journey home with Grogan failing to tame the Amen Corner holes they both had no answer to the winner . Fellow HallofFamers Stewart Royle and Glen Rothwell both produced decent rounds that showcased their course management in great preparation for the forthcoming Club Championships , whilst last years JFord third John Cullen will be rueing a sluggish start but he regrouped superbly to get within one stroke of the leader standing on the final tee but had no answer to that Ralston birdie .Defending champion Paul MacDonald finished 7 strokes back but couldn’t get close to the leaders on a day where our beloved course bowed to the low handicappers but still restricted just 7 of 49 members in beating their handicap .

Andrew Wood overcomes a horrible start to his round= d A his way through the field and he gloriously snatches his first individual and second trophy of his Alty career whilst relative newcomers Jonathan Reid ( who was 2 strokes clear with just 3 holes to go ) and Stuart Dutton ( who capitulated with an 8 on the last hole when needing a 5 to win ) could not match him. Kenneth Maguire course managed his way to a decent second place whilst HallofF& Glen Rothwell served notice that he is coming into form for the forthcoming JFord Club Championships, firing 3 birdies in his round and a sublime 36 stroke back 9 with David the Doughty also impressing and completing the top 6 on a day when only a quartet of members beat their handicaps .. Defending Champion and HallofFamer Danny Miller had an uncharacteristic day of disappointment, carding a 75 and never getting going as he finished down the field as our beloved course was again dominant .

A tale of golfing villainy as the cruel heartless and ruthless Ged Grogan magnificently plundered his 13th Board Competition at the expense of Mr Derek Cullen , who continues to stand alone as the best member of his generation never to get his name on our hallowed boards despite heroically playing for 4 hours without dropping a stroke to handicap , defying our beloved course before ingloriously failing to conquer that final hole , requiring just a bogey 5 to prevail but carding a heartbreaking 6 as Grogan snatched the trophy with his consistent play despite only taking the lead for the first time after Cullen had missed that putt for glory . Other angst included playing partners and United chums Wood and Wetherill , who both reached -2 after 6 holes only to crumble later on whilst HallofFamer Glen Rothwell took the Gross honours again but had a cold and unresponsive putter with Brian Nicholls playing solidly but never nearer in fifth place . Our beloved course was at its most dominant and unforgiving as it restricted all but just two players beating their handicap out of the 50 competitors as we all struggled to master the spongy fairways , tough rough , tricky greens and sandy bunkers on this summers day .

Mr. Captain John Thompson returned to winning ways and took advantage of his 15 Handicap status with an excellent round to outlast the small field of younger generation players today . Promising starlet Chad Wetherill had his best ever Board Competition finish just two strokes back whilst Andrew Wood continued his good form in third . Cameron Arnold took the best gross score honours in fourth , just ahead of fellow elite golfers John Cullen in fifth and HallofFamer Keith Ralston finishing sixth with Seniors Trophy golf a reality for him next season . The select field of just 12 is a clarion call to all members to help the club in finding more younger generation players to ensure the long term future of our beloved Club ! Hopefully next year we will see a greater number taking part but at least every member playing today were challenging for silverware !

Andrew Moss showed teak-tough resilience to made an explosive start , take the lead from just 6 holes then resist the persistent challenge from Club Champion and winningmost Alty GC legend Danny Miller to win his second individual and third overall Board Competition of his Alty career .Junior Captain and prodigious talent that is MikeMcDermott lost contention after a horror 9 on 7 but still finished just 2 strokes back after a strong back 9 whilst hotshot Vet Stuart Dutton charged through the field with a stellar start to his back 9 and got within a stroke after 15 only to succumb to a poor finish . James Beswick was solid but unspectacular in 5th place and Ged Grogan continued his fine run of form rueing poor form on the short holes and a cold putter with ALL minor placings locked on net 70 just two strokes from glory . These super Six were the only members out of a 53-strong field to beat their handicap as our beloved course again befuddled the vast majority of us as this cooler wetter summer has prevented us with spongier fairways , deceptively tricky rough , many faceted bunker presentations and often unpredictable greens make for a truly difficult test no matter what the weather on the day . Today was a day when it was a Moss that thrived in late summer , a truly tremendous talent triumphant to take a third trophy !

Cameron Arnold delivers a stunning 35 stroke front 9 masterclass to give himself a 3 stroke lead and despite having HallofFamers Danny Miller and Paul MacDonald in position to challenge neither could best our obdurate back 9 which was too tough to make up ground as Arnold cruised to his second Board Competition victory . Encouraging fourth place finish from Mr Captain John Thompson thanks to a stunning finish whilst Secretary Dibble recovered from a poor start to finish fifth with Alty treasure Bernie Wood completing the top 6 on a day where defending champion Oliver McDermott had a day to forget with a net 88 .

Massively 9 strokes behind after just 6 holes , precocious teenage high-handicapper Oliver McDermott then produced a simply scintillating 11 holes to sensationally put the trophy at his mercy but 7 strokes later nevertheless stumbled gloriously to his 3rd Board Competition on countback from the excellent rounds of second placed Ben Haslam and third placed Stephen Whyte who both had played soooo well to place themselves in serious contention but couldn’t step up their game on those Championship holes . Talented high-handicapper James Beswick produced a phenomenal front 9 masterclass to be 6 strokes better than handicap at the turn only to lose form ,focus and composure dropping several strokes during his Amen Corner adventure to cruelly drop back to fourth . Defending champion Keith Ralston finished in a credible fifth place but had the consolation of sharing best gross honours with the rejuvenated Tim Cowsill with HallofFamer Famers John Hogan and Bernie Wood both having decent rounds completing the top 7 on a day which saw our beloved course severely tested at times but still exerting dominance over all but the five members (a mere 10%) who beat their handicap with the other forty-five of us bested by its unique collection of golfing examination papers that always seem to be eminently achievable but which collectively provide us with such a difficult test .

Lee Lomas showed his continuing improvement in his golfing abilities with a dominant and very rare ‘wire to wire’ victory to clinch the second Board Competition of his Alty career , emerging triumphant as he was one of only two golfers to beat his handicap in the difficult conditions today . His success was built on an superlative front 9 showing during which he only took 36 strokes to propel himself into a huge 5 stroke lead at the turn , a lead he never lost although lapses in dropping strokes on holes 14 and 15 had reduced his lead to one before he regrouped to play the Championship holes better than his two closest pursuers , Andy Mills , whose rollercoaster challenge included three birdies . The remarkably consistent Ged Grogan put together a decent round in third whilst Tim Dibble gave away a massive 6 strokes to handicap on just two of his holes to prevent his challenge . Presidents Prize winner Ray Corcoran and Coronation Cup specialist and defending champion George Sainthouse completed the top 6 on a day where the course showed its dominance over the vast majority of us as we struggled with the autumnal conditions .

Ian Cheetham teams up with Jane Pollard and together they dovetailed magnificently to take this years Hacking Trophy this afternoon . Cheetham was second last year with a different partner but himself and Ms Poland produced a sensational round of net 27 to take victory by four strokes . Second-placed Roy Dickens and his partner Pamela Greenall finished well to card a decent net 31 with the partnership of Sue Cunningham and Stuart Mason in third place with a credible net 33 on a day triumphant for the success in revitalising this event for our members , finishing the day with a sumptuous meal in the Club Room .

Prodigious youngster Oliver McDermott sensationally snatches the prestigious RAFA trophy away from evergreen ALTY treasure George Sainthouse who was attempting to attain HallofFamer status as he sought his 15th Board Competition in a duel between the opposite ends of the golfing and life experience spectrum . McDermott was winning the third trophy of the season and 4th in total , all achieved before he is old enough to enjoy a celebratory pint , winning the trophy on countback . Sainthouse had the agony of finishing second for the second successive year whilst the minor places were filled by Jimmy Brown (3rd)HallofFamer Glen Rothwell (4th) with the improving Kenneth Maguire and ALTY stalwart Ged Grogan completing the top 6 in our third most prestigious competition which is largely overlooked by our membership .

HallofFamer Glen Rothwell took his Board Competition winning total to a fantastic 25 after completing an incredible NINTH successive Tommy Povey trophy success and tenth in all . The legendary Alty elite golfer may not have won his beloved Club Championship since 2019 but he continues to have a cast iron grip on the second most prestigious trophy in our cabinet as he cruised to a 13 stroke victory over the rejuvenated former Club Champion Tim Cowsill . Rothwell’ ability to put together scores in the low 70s’ was simply too good and he continues to add to his legend . Fellow HallofFamer Keith Ralston took third place on countback from fellow elite golfer Chris O’Connell whilst 2023 Club Champion and Alty top dog Danny Miller was fifth with Cameron Arnold maintaining his standards in sixth .

Paul MacDonald plundered the 18th Board Competition of his Alty career by dismantling Lee Lomas in a one-sided final to win the Presidents Prize . It was Paul’s 15th individual trophy and he defeated Tom Wilkins , Pete Higgins , Danny Miller in the earlier rounds . Lomas had advanced to the final after defeating Derek Cullen , Mike McDermott and Cameron Arnold in his esrlie4 rounds but was no match for ‘Tiger Mac’ as he was in top form .

Craig Seery has emerged victorious in a Board Competition for the second time in his breakthrough season with an excellent victory to win the prestigious Roberts KO trophy . Seery defeated Chris O’Connell in the final and had triumphed over Colin Richardson , Ray Corcoran and Richard Paulson in the earlier rounds .

Ray Corcoran has superbly emerged triumphant and won his maiden Board Competition defeating multi-Board Comp winner Stuart Mason . Corcoran had previous defeated your observer (Paul Hackett) , Jimmy Brown and Mike Coleman in his earlier rounds whilst Mason got to the final after beating Paul Southworth , Paul Slade and Rob Burrows in his earlier rounds . A fantastic victory for Corcoran after a decent season …

HallofFamer Keith Ralston outlasted the 11-strong field to power his way to victory in the Monthly Medal Final , showing teak-tough resilience to hold his nerve on those crucial Championship holes’ to card a net 71 for a 3 stroke W as fellow elite golfer Chris O’Connells’ challenge fell away to finish fourth with super-consistent Ged Grogan taking second and Gillibrand KO winner Ray Corcoran in third on a day where our beloved course ruthlessly exposed members frailties and prevent anyone from beating their handicap on a day where a HallofFamer gave a course management masterclass to take the silverware .

2023 Captain John Thompson and his regular partner Matt Astbury have sensationally prevailed in this years Greensomes golfing examination paper coming back from 9 strokes behind at the turn to hunt down defending champion Ben Dunwoodie and fellow high-handicapper James Beswick , holding their nerve to snatch the trophy on countback at the final hole after taking the lead on 17 . The talented pair were celebrating their third pairs silverware together with Astbury (8) maintaining his slender Board Competition dominance over Mr Captain Thompson (7) . His deputy ( Captain-elect David Drury and his faithful golfing manservant John Gleave ) had also played remarkably well on their journey home to be in a 3-way tie with just one hole to play but had no answer to the winners and finished in third place . The Arnold/O’Connell jr , Higgins and Paul Southworth and 2023 hotshots Maguire/Morley completed the top 6 on a day where members skill at the Greensome genre bested our beloved course on this occasion .