Two golfers who joined Leighton Buzzard’s Plantation Road club following the demise of Mentmore nearly four years ago are on track to retain the coveted Winter League trophy they won last year.
Self-employed roofer Simon Thornton and semi-retired employment law consultant Peter Sheridan have won their league and are now in the quarter-final knock-out stage where they face Phil Coumbe and Barry Wills, whom they beat in the knock-out stage last year. The eight quarter-final matches have to be played by the end of the month.
Billington-based Peter, 61, was Club Captain at Mentmore in 2015, the year in which it went into Administration, plays off a handicap of 17,while Simon, who lives in Milton Keynes, plays off 12.
The duo were regular playing partners in their years at Mentmore and continue to be so at Leighton where Simon has also qualified for the final of the Captain’s Cup to be played on April 6. He teamed up with Tony Hurndall to win the latest qualifying weekend with 46 points, beating Colin McLeod and Stuart Goodwin on countback over the last six holes.
Lila Garrod won Leighton Ladies five clubs and a putter competition with an impressive 37 points, three clear of Judy Ammon.
Recently Knighted Rugby Union legend Sir Bill Beaumont entertained an audience of around 140 people at Leighton Buzzard golf club on Friday, recounting his years as a former Captain of England, the British Lions and the Barbarians. Lancashire born Sir Bill won 34 Caps for England for whom he was Captain on 21 occasions. He was Captain of the North of England team that famously beat the All Blacks in 1979, and led England to a Grand Slam win in 1980, their first in 25 years.. Following his retirement from the sport in 1982 due to injury, he was a team leader on the popular BBC Question of Sport programme for 14 years and is the current Chairman of World Rugby.
Said Leighton club Captain, Neath-born Robbie John, still celebrating the Welsh win that ended England’s current Grand Slam hopes: “Bill Beaumont is an absolute legend in rugby; to have such an icon entertaining a packed club house in Leighton was just fantastic.”
PICTURE CAPTION:
Simon Thornton (left) and Peter Sheridan (right) hoping to retain Leighton’s Winter League trophy they received from Immediate Past Captain Jeremy Taylor for their win last year.