2019 Arthur Cooper Final - 28th April
2019 Arthur Cooper Final 28th April
This trophy is named after Alty legend Arthur Cooper who is perhaps best known for his phenomenal achievement in winning the prestigious Houldsworth Cup ( in partnership with Jos Greatbanks ) in 1950.1952 and 1965 as well as the Coronation Cup in 1981 .
The Arthur Cooper is one of the most sought after prizes in the Alty GC trophy cabinet with 6 qualifiers played to ensure an elite field of the clubs’ most in-form golfers ... the bogey format is not popular with all but it effectively pitches the golfer against the course hole by hole according to your handicap .
Our present captain has made a great start to the season and had won the Gillibrand qualifier with a best ever gross 81 just a couple of weeks earlier thus was well placed to contend today and the shaven-headed bespectacled maestro prevailed coming from -2 after 9 to post a magnificent ‘best in show’ +3 back 9 to take victory and his fifth board competition ( fourth individual ) since his breakthrough win in the Chorltons just 4 years ago . He had started poorly and lost two of the first three holes and finished the front 9 at -2 . The vast majority of players found the back nine far more difficult but not Roy as he birdied 10 and overcame the setback of losing 12 by winning 13 , 15 and 17 which effectively gave him the trophy completing that back 9 three holes better than anyone in this elite competition .
Former captain Robert W. Kay had endured an ignominious start to his summer season with no strong performances but he revelled in the challenging conditions . He was in a good position after the front 9 at +1 but crucial losses in 10/11 put him back down the field and although he only lost one further hole on 15 wins on 14,17 and 18 meant an agonising loss on countback to his captaincy successor . Kay plays regularly with Alty GC and on our popular Vets midweek comps and will doubtless build on this good showing .
Third placed Ken Flatters can always be found playing very early with his silver surfer pals ... his only individual board comp success was the 2002 Social Final but he put up a very strong showing here . The easy-going but wily individual was a model of consistency on the front line with eight halves and just one win on on the fifth hole and he stood on the 13th tee at +2 and leading the competition .Crucial losses on 13 and 15 set him back and although he won the 16th he was to finish third on countback after halving the final two holes . Evergreen Flatters is now in his mid 70s and proof that age is not a barrier and he can be proud of his efforts today forged on superb course management .
Andy Miehe is renowned in Alty GC circles as one of our best ball strikers ... the softly-spoken golfing stylist had enjoyed a great 2018 with two board comp wins and he was steady today without ever getting properly into the mix ... 5 wins and 5 losses meant that he finished only one hole behind the winner . He had got himself to +1 after wins on 7 and 8 ( a birdie) but then inexplicably lost 9 and 11 ( the two easiest holes on the course) to fall back and ultimately miss his chance given the difficulty of the back 9 today .
Nathan Butterworth is one of the clubs most talented players but has astonishingly not added to his 8 board comp haul since 2016 and he contended today with a perfect birdie win start on the tricky first ... a gross 38 front 9 only equated to +1 which placed him in contention . Unfortunately losses on 10 , 12 and 13 put him back in the pack and despite wins and 14 and 15 this wasn’t quite enough. An encouraging start to the season .
Special mentions ...
Richard Paulson is a relatively new addition to the Alty GC family playing in his first ever board competition today after joining last September . He had a rollercoaster front 9 which saw him +2 after 3 holes but then lose 3 straight holes before regrouping to finish the front 9 on level . Back to back wins on 10 and 11 meant he stood on the 12th tee needing to master Alty’s”’ Amen Corner but he lost 12,14 and 16 to slither down the field and finish 7th.
Paul ‘Macca’ MacDonald often shines when there is a trophy on offer and he won the opening two holes to take the initiative early on and whilst he endured losses he ended the front 9 on +1 and catapulted himself to the top of the leaderboard with a win on 10 . Sadly his game totally fell apart and he lost six of the remaining eight holes to finish down the field.
The other special mention goes to the course itself which had seen a number of extremely low scores on the yellow tees but which had held its own against Alty‘s finest with the winner a lowly +1 and no positive handicap change awards at all ... Overall a dour do indeed especially on that tougher back 9 where no one apart from the winner posted better than level 😮 continuing thanks to our wonderful greenkeeoing staff for their efforts !
Defending Champion watch ...
2018 champion Steve Wilkinson unfortunately did not manage to qualify to defend his title ... what a difference a year makes !
