It bucketed it down on both days Leighton Buzzard golf club Captain Robbie John and Ladies Captain Carmen White-Lawes staged their annual competition days…..but it rained pennies from heaven for the two charities they are supporting during their year in office as nearly £4,500 was raised for local worthy causes.

Nearly 150 club golfers took part in Robbie’s golf day, with the early morning starters getting a drenching as those that followed made hay whilst the sun shined in the stableford points-scoring event.

Winner was 10-handicap golfer Graham Hazel who carded 42 points to collect the silver ‘quaich’ from former Ladies Captain Gill McDougall, whose family donated the traditional  Scottish drinking cup in memory of her father, Maurice Lesley, who was a member of the Leighton club for 68 years before his death three years ago at the age of 94.

Runner-up was Graham Westlake-Triton with 40 points, a shot clear of Carl McDougal, with Manny Barker fourth with 37 points. There were nearest-the-pin awards for Martin Flynn, Voja Savic, Graham Richmond and Peter Darwin; Stuart McLeod for the longest drive and to Richard Harris for being nearest the line. Steve Light won the prize for being nearest the pin in two on the finishing hole while the team prize was won by Jim Wren, Colin McLeod and Graham Hazel with 71 points. Oonagh Russell won the Ladies nine-hole competition with 18 points.

A much sought after voucher for four people to play a round of golf at Royal Troon was won by Marie Bigrave. The prize had been donated by club member Denis Leitch in memory of his late great grandfather David Hutchison Leitch, who was one of Scotland’s top amateur golfers of his time, and helped Robbie raise over £3,800 in total for his charity, Newlife, which supports disabled children, providing equipment, grants, play and health services.

Three days later, in rained persistently for Ladies Captain Carmen White-Lawes’ competition day – won by club marketing director Liz Bagshaw, a former Ladies Captain who carded 34 points – and also won the nearest the pin prize on the 2^nd hole for good measure. Niki Clark was runner-up with 31 points, two clear of third placed Jenny Stafford. Patti Marriott carded the best front nine score with 17 points, with Christine Robinson topping the table on the back nine with 15 points.

Carmen’s Captains’ day raised over £500 which will be donated to the stroke unit at Luton and Dunstable hospital at the end of her term of office in November.

Peter Myrants Senior squad have not yet lost at home – but have yet to win away. Only skipper Myrants and Graham Pellow, and Martin Broadley and Terry Wright won for Leighton in a 5-2 defeat at Buckingham, with Tim Martin and Denis Leitch halving their match.  And they went down 4-3 at John O’Gaunt, with wins by Keith Griffiths and Graham Robinson, and Tim Martin and Mike Turnock supported by halves by skipper Myrants and Gerry Ferris, John Bettle and Martin Broadley and Derek Read and Ian Rimmer.

However, Captain Myrants’ home fortunes continued when he won the Seniors Tucker Cup with 43 points, beating Nigel Barnes by a shot. Denis Leitch, Derek Browning and Robbie John led a chasing pack with 40 points, one clear of David Roffe and Jeff Wood.