Bailey Cup Final - 20th June 2020

Bailey Cup Final - 20th June 2020 update

The Bailey Cup is rightfully considered to be one of most prestigious competitions in the calendar with a maximum field of 24 players who earn  their right to compete through a series of winter qualifiers ... in normal years the club is able to hold 6 qualifiers to determine the competitors  but this year the inclement weather meant that only 3 qualifiers were able to go ahead which meant that those 12 members who did qualify were joined by 10 players who benefited from a lottery-style draw so 22 players did battle .
 

Bailey Cup Final - the contenders

Richard Paulson (85/17/68) has had a solid but unspectacular start to his summer season as he lined up today playing alongside his regular golfing partner David Doughty , your scribe and the redoubtable Keith Walton Senior . He started well with net birdies on 1,2 and 4 with a reverse on 3 courtesy of poor bunker play . Holes 5-7 were played to handicap but involved him utilising his excellent short game then built on that top notch scrambling to secure gains on the deceptively tricky 8th before a sublime chip off the fringes gave him a net birdie 3 on 9 and catapulted him on top of the leaderboard at the turn and noticeably gaining in confidence . Richard is one of our braver big-hitting golfers utilising a very full swing and with each hole it appeared that his swing became more and more assured ... it was no surprise to see him consolidate and increase his lead with consecutive net birdies on the relatively benign 10 and 11 then get through 12 playing to handicap with one hole of our ‘Amen Corner’ safely negotiated .
Sadly a wayward tee shot on the dangerous 13th yielded a net bogey 5 stopping his momentum then similar sloppy play saw him suffer a further  reverse on 14 . Richard was unable to regroup on 15 as another wayward and short drive found him out of position resulting in a sorry net double bogey 8 which took him back to -2 and seemingly spiralling out of contention although he was to reclaim a stroke with a great tee shot on 16 setting up a net birdie 3 to get within one of the leader . Despite the fact that he missed makeable putts on both the final holes to finish on -3 it was enough for him  to claim a memorable victory and celebrate his first Board Competition of his Alty career . A fantastic effort showing the level of difficulty faced by us all when our game crosses over into the mental side of things on those ‘championship holes’  . The handicapper was impressed enough to cut him 0.3 to a new mark of 16.7 meaning that he also retained his 17 handicap status .

John Cullen (79/10/69) has had a modicum of success this season with his highlight a third placed finish behind your scribe (Paul Hackett) just 20 days ago ... today he has stepped up to equal his best summer score .Today , as befits a man of his low handicap , he started well playing the irksome opening hole to handicap and securing a gain on the similarly tricky 2nd. before suffering his first reverse of the day with a net double bogey on 3 dropping him to +1 .He regrouped superbly to gain strokes on 4 and 7 to find himself on -1 at the turn , just three shots off the lead . He played to handicap until stepping onto the 13th tee but for the second time he recorded a net double bogey on a par 3 to again fall back to +1 . John got through 14/15 without alarm and regrouping magnificently he recorded net birdies on the final three ‘championship holes’ to finish in a very creditable second position and the extra kudos of jointly recording the lowest gross of the day.
 

David Doughty (81/12/69) also had the misfortune to play with your scribe as well as lining up with his regular golfing partner Richard Paulson . The easy-going atmosphere ( and form of RP ) seemed to inspire him with a front 6 leaving him handily placed at -3 due to net birdies on 1,3,4 and 5 with his only early reverse on 3 ... more sloppy play on the deceptively difficult 8th was responsible for him to get to the turn 2 shots off the pace set by his golfing chum , the duo reportedly residing in the same unnamed village with one in more luxurious surroundings than the other  . The rivalry was good natured and by the time he stood on 12th tee he had effectively gone out of contention courtesy of inexplicable reverses of two of the ‘easiest’ holes whilst his chum mercilessly roared 6 shots clear  .
Doughty by name doughty by nature you may ask and based on his final sextet of holes it would appear that he did show some steely determination to gain shots on 13 , then playing to handicap before a net birdie on the final hole got him back to -2 and a decent 3rd  placed finish . I can also report that good dollops of compassion were passed on as his chum started to unravel but with a happy ending  ... it is always good to see top sportsmanship on the field of battle .

Special mentions ...

Fellow former secretary Matt Goodall (80/9/71) has started the season well with a couple of reasonable finishes already showing promising play . Today the reigning R&J Wests’ and D Barton Shield champion started poorly with a net double bogey immediately stalling his challenge heralding a rollercoaster front 9 with a curious pattern in that superb net birdies on the harder holes (2,4,5 and 7) were negated by inexplicably poor showing on the ‘easier’ holes ( dropped shots to handicap on 3,6,8 and 9 ) which meant he reached the turn at +2 .A third consecutive net bogey  on the benign 10th put him 8 shots off the lead and effectively playing for the minor places . A sterling effort highlighted by a magnificent net eagle 4 on 15 brought him home in 2 under , the joint best back 9 of the competition and meant that he improved his position to a honourable 5th place .

Carl Grout (88/16/72) continues to operate his lapsing membership  in transition with our beloved Alty GC and another nearby course . Today his rich vein of form continued as he got himself into contention after a front 9 which yielded 4 net birdies on 2,3,4 and 6 with the only low moment an irritating net bogey on the supposedly benign 9th which dropped him back to -3 , one off the lead and threatening to take more silverware . Sadly a sloppy reverse on 11 heralded an Amen Corner collapse , with a net bogey on 13 followed by an ugly net triple bogey 8 on 14 which completely derailed his challenge . A net birdie on the final hole meant a net 72 finish and 6th place . 

Ian Cheetham (100/27/73) continues to deserve a reputation as one of our most dedicated golfers . Anyone who has seen this lefthanders cultured swing at its best can testify to his enormous potential . Today he endured a horrid front 9 ‘lowlighted’ with net double bogeys on 2 and 6 backed up with reverses on 1 and 8 balanced only by a single net birdie on 9 contributing to a tragic +4 total at the turn . He responded well to the task at hand and played the back 9 in a joint best -2 to come through the field to finish In a respectable 7th . A triumph for perseverance from the popular Committee member .

Greg Hall (81+2/25/NR) is a relatively new member , having joined in the autumn of last year . Today represented only his third white tee outing and his first Board Competition appearance . His official finishing position was 21st of the 22 competitors yet it is a fact that after a rollercoaster round where he had served up highlights of two net eagles ( 6 and 15 ) and six net birdies tempered by a net triple bogey (13) and net double bogey (4) this rookie member stood on the 17th tee in the lead for one of most prestigious competitions and ... he inexplicably NR’d both that hole and the last 💔 . Was it inexperience ? Was it a lack of the golfing course management nous that we ALL crave or did he simply not realise that he was on course to smash his personal best score with us by many strokes . Your scribe will surely edit this report should he find out the details but thinks it is apt to salute Mr Hall for his efforts today and commiserate with him as to his inability to complete all 18 holes on this occasion .

NB Lee Cullen (89/22/67) has tragically missed out on the trophy after it was found that the newly AWAY player had completed a supplementary score at his new course which they had NOT reflected in his official handicap  . No reflection on Lee at all as he had the good grace to point it out to our Handicap Committee that he had effectively ‘lost it in Styal’  and together their due diligence ensured that we got the right result in the end . 

Defending Champion Watch ...

Keith Ralston (85/11/74) finished in 11th place today ... a promising start (-1 after 4 holes) turned into a rollercoaster front 9 (highlighted by those early net birdies on 2 and 4) which saw him languish in mid-table at +3 at the turn and sadly Keith never got close to contention although his net level par finish for his back 9 was better than most . 

Best gross ...

John Cullen and Club Champion Glen Rothwell both shot 79 today . Bravo gentlemen !
 

Overall a day of relatively benign conditions where our beloved but ailing course continues to prove a stern test with only 3 of the 22 competitors beating their handicap today . Yes our greens are in recovery and bringing us more angst than usual  but our bunkers are most definitely improving with the ‘welcome’ return of those bunkers on 14 lovingly brought back to standard by Messrs Astbury , Kay and Sainthouse who had braved the inclement weather earlier in the week .