England rugby legend Gareth Chilcott told a Leighton Buzzard audience on Friday that the country should celebrate the performance of the national team in the World Cup finals.
The former Bath, England and British Lions prop, speaking at skipper Robbie John’s Captains Supper at Leighton Buzzard golf club, said England’s semi-final victory over New Zealand was ‘spectacular’. And while the cup final defeat against South Africa was disappointing, the England squad could “hold their heads high” and build around exciting young players who can look forward to a great future.”
He refuted suggestions that England had made “tactical errors” in the final, but had been second best to a “exceptionally physical” South Africa who had deserved their win.
Gareth, whose senior career saw him play nearly 400 games for Bath, England and the Lions over a 16-year period, winning the league championship five times, confessed that he would “never have survived in the modern game” adding that the sport had to work hard on recruiting and nurturing young talent if it was to be successful on the world stage.
Twenty-five Leighton Buzzard golfers have landed ‘birdies’ of a different kind in five competitions – with two involved in a sudden-death shoot-out to determine who would be Club Champion each winning competitions which guarantee a plump locally reared oven-ready turkey for Christmas.
Fuel sales technician Jamie Stone, 26, who had to be content with the Handicap competition crown after being pipped in a play-off for the Club Champion title by Ed Stephenson, won the Saturday November Turkey Medal with a nett 68. Four days later, 17-year-old Ed won the Midweek Turkey Medal with a nett 66, a shot clear of Simon Rose, with David Evans pipping Peter Gadsden for third spot on countback after both finished with nett 68s.
Dharm Naveen Diwakar had a four shot winning margin in the Sunday Turkey Medal, carding a nett 63 to finish top ahead of Gregory White and Simon Rossiter, with Alex Smith and Chris O’Mahony heading a chasing pack.
Richard and Angela Samuels have their oven at the ready after winning the Mixed Medal foursomes with a nett 73.0, half a shot clear of Stephanie Howlett and Howard Till, with Peter and Josie Sheridan third with a nett 74.5.
Outgoing Seniors Captain Peter Myrants has named long serving club member Geoff Allatt as his Clubman of the Year. Approaching the age of 90, Geoff played in half of the senior sections 27 matches during the year, and had a 62 per cent success rate.
PICTURE CAPTION
Rugby legend Gareth Chilcott packing down with Leighton golfers Adrian Stephenson (left), who was a prop forward with Leighton rugby club for almost 30 years and fellow prop David Hack (right) who was rugby club Captain in 1972 and a player for 25 years, pictured with Golf Club Captain Robbie John, a former rugby half-back.