Leighton golfers have beaten the freeze-up to win four club competitions in the run-up to Christmas.
Seventy-year old Matt Byrne delivered a polished end-of-season performance to beat 70 club colleagues for the Seniors Barney Hallam Christmas Cup.
Linslade based Matt, a member of the Plantation Road club for 40 years, carded 41 points to beat runner-up Nicholas Brown and incoming Seniors Captain Paul Bishop by three shots.
Whilst no stranger to winning over the years, Matt binned a barren spell to top the table in difficult conditions .Other leading scores were: 37pts – Steve Shepherd; 36pts – Graham Westlake-Tritton; 35pts – Shane Bentley, Martin King, Chris Ive, Ian Summerfield, John Tarbox and Steve Boud.
Julian Heffron is the new holder of Leighton’s Groves Trophy. Beating Dharm Naveen Diwaker in the semi final, Julian claimed the scalp of Club Vice Captain Elect Stuart Mills in the final, Stuart having beaten David Evans in his “semi.”
Daniel Hill beat Martin Flynn to reach the final of Leighton’s Autumn Bowl where he pipped Richard Samuels for the trophy, Richard having beaten Dean Ashton in his “semi.”.
Dave Embury and Steve Light teamed up to win Leighton’s Christmas foursomes with a 40-point haul, with Steve Giles and Trevor Mcaleese runners up with 39 points, beating Mark Knight and Robin Lawes on couontback.
Other leading scores were: 38pts – Jeff Wood and Jason Lock; 37pts – Craig Custance and Gary Hart, David Henley and Stuart McLeod, Ben Irvine and Stuart Leslie, Robert Cross , Peter Robson and Steve Gibbs.and Colin McLeod; 36pts – Tom Day and Charlie McNally, Andrew Money and Billy O’Neill and Steven Molyneaux and Nigel Barnes..
Ladies champion Rosalind Miles has won consecutive monthly stableford competitions in the run-up to Christmas. She pipped Judi Malpass on countback after both finished with 33 points, with Christine Robinson third with 31 points….and followed that by finishing winner of the December stableford with 32 points, beating Angela Samuels by a shot with Anne Tilbury third.
Phil Rickard won the Rushmere Society Turkey Trot at Leighton, beating Robbie John on countback after both finished with 33 points, a shot clear of Richard Stimpson.
PICTURE CAPTION:
Barney Hallam table toppers (left to right) Nicholas Brown, winner Matt Byrne, Seniors Captain Andrew McDonald and third-placed Paul Bishop.