ROMILEY GOLF CLUB

January, February 2018 NEWSLETTER

Jimmy and Barbara Leith (LC)

perfectly attired for the Burns’ Night Supper

Saturday, 27th January, 2018

Peter Healey

12th June, 1933—14th December, 2017

He met Marjorie at a Valentine’s Dance at the Jubilee Hall on 14th February, 1953. Peter was then seconded to the RAF to do his two years’ National service. Most of this time was spent at Withernsea, East Yorkshire. They wrote to each other every day. He played cricket for the RAF and in one match against a Yorkshire County side which included Freddie Truman, he actually bowled out Brian Close! They married on 16th March 1957 and have two sons. They celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on 16th March 2017. Peter loved his holidays in the sun and as soon as school finished for the summer holidays the family would set off with their trailer tent for 3 weeks to Argeles in South East France, listening on their journey to Rod Stewart tapes. On his retirement Peter went walking with his brother-in-law, Graham. They met every Wednesday, hail, rain or shine, and covered many miles over the Pennines and elsewhere. Serious stuff. No pub lunches for them, just a packed lunch and a bottle of water. They had many tales to tell. He took up bowls and played at Dukinfield Park and Stalybridge Rec. He used some beautiful wooden bowls given to him by cousin Tom. Peter shared many wonderful times with his cousins Alan and Doreen and his brother-in-law Don who, I am sure, have their own happy memories. Peter was a quiet man, a man of few words unless it was about sport. He was kind, had a witty sense of humour and, above all else, was a gentleman. He is greatly missed. Jez Healey

Peter was born on 12th June 1933. He was baptised, confirmed and married at St John's Church, Dukinfield. Peter was a keen sportsman who played cricket and golf and supported Manchester United. He spent many happy hours playing golf at Romiley and still played off single figures when he was 70. He was made President of the Club in 2007.

Ladies’ Stableford Singles, Thursday, 28th December, 2017

1st Angela Slate 22 pts 2nd Irene Barrow 20 pts 3rd Carolyn Brinsley 19 pts

Vets’ 9 Hole Stableford, Friday, 5th January, 2018

1st Nigel Ingle 19 pts 2nd Jack Thomasson 18 pts 3rd Mr C, Steve Harrison 18

The top of the wall in

the car park? Yes! But

a clean top of the wall,

thanks to the Brash

Lads.

Men’s Romiley Foursomes, Saturday, 6th January, 2018

1st Martin Arrowsmith and Peter Milnes 37 pts

2nd Kev Jones and Paul Wagstaff 37 pts 3rd Colin Davies and Al Martin 36 pts

Ladies’ Scramble, Thursday, 11th January, 2018

1st Diane Houghton Sally Hebden Liz Wilde 37 pts

2nd Sandra Hayes Bernadette Draper Marcia Conway 26 pts

3rd: Angela Slate Lynn Schofield Isabel Wright 25 pts

The Quiz, Friday, 12th January, 2018

What a turn out for the quiz with 50 people in 12 teams gathered in the lounge. Alongside the “straightforward” main quiz of 10 questions in 10 rounds, the quiz master, Keith Selby, had a parallel quiz running alongside. It was entitled “All the President’s Men.” How appropriate that it should be won by the President’s team, pictured on the left, with Wendy and Alan Masterman, Joyce Glynn and El Presidente himself.

Was it embarrassing for the other eleven teams that the winning team should consist of just two people? Yes. It is a rhetorical question as the two were Judi and Peter Howcroft, pictured right. What a win. It must be pointed out, however, that Peter had just returned from Australia and had been eating a lot of fish.

Mt Rushmore will never be the same!

It was a very good turn out and the atmosphere was superb. Laughter and ribaldry abounded. The food was fulsome and nourishing and money was spent in a profligate manner over the bar. Social events are crucial to the life blood of our Club so do your best to support the Club events.

First!

Rachel Broster Colin Davies Fran Davies Chris Broster Mr VC, Glyn Roberts

Glen Caseley

Bob Simpson Andrew Cainen Nick Smeaton

Sam

Mel Farrow Banner-Ayliffe

Second—on a cpo

Third

Keith had many people puzzled as he gave them examples from his Uxbridge

Dictionary which gives alternative meanings of common words:-

Misinformation - female member of the Red Arrows

Hairspray - German urinal

Shakespeare - Arab-owned seaside attraction

Unfettered - Greek salad with the cheese taken out

Liverpool – organ sharing scheme

Onomatopoeia – incontinence during a yoga session

Keith and Sue Selby

Interrogator and interrogatrix

Men’s Pairs’ Scramble, Saturday, 13th January, 2018

1st Phil Roberts and Ian Smith 34 pts

2nd Ian Kershaw, MBE & Tony Gallagher 33pt 3rd Gary Evans and Simon Hebden 33 pts

Men’s Romiley Foursomes, Saturday, 20th January, 2018

2nd Paul Wagstaff and Simon Tipping 35 3rd Dave Cole and Ken Jackson 35

Ladies’ 9 hole Stableford, Sunday 14th January, 2018

1st: Pauline Walker, 15 2nd: Jackie Purcer, 15 3rd: Diane Houghton, 14 pts

1st Lee Hopkins and Gary Williams 38

Winners but I can

remember when

A Blast from the Past

Neil Shawcross

On page 113 of the marvellous book created by Frank Beard to celebrate 100

years of Romiley Golf Club, you will see that a certain Neil Shawcross won the

Sisis Trophy, a coveted award presented by the Cheshire Agricultural College to

the best young greenkeeper in the country!! At that time Neil was on our greens

staff. Some years later he left to join Baden Hills Golf Club in Germany and is

the Head Greenkeeper there.

Having a few days spare, after attending a conference in Harrogate, he took the

opportunity to pop in and see Romiley. He still thinks it is the best lay out of any

course he knows. It was a delight to see him and to enjoy his enthusiasm for his

job.

Ladies’ Winter Dinner, 25th January, 2018

The ladies turned out in force for this team game, 2 scores to count, but were

grateful that the competition was reduced to 9 holes because of the conditions

and the trolley ban.

The evening presentation meal was well supported too, and the ladies were

treated to a trio playing singalong music, Colin Hall working his magic and a

story from Denise Booth.

Colin confessed to being a little nervous, and probably wasn’t expecting that his

sleeves and waistcoat would be searched (he didn’t object), but he very skilfully

handled the cards and mesmerised his audience. He’d been practicing hard

and it showed in his very professional performance. Not a clue how he did any

of it!

On each table, together with the after eight mints, was a chocolate orange and

everyone was wondering whether to eat it or not. Fortunately, the ladies just

looked longingly at the box because they found out later that it was to be passed

backwards and forwards round the table during the course of a story about the

Wright family. There were lots of giggles and no doubt mistakes along the way

but on most tables the winner of the chocolate shared it out. Great fun.

Many thanks to Lady Captain Barbara for a delightfully different evening, and

thanks to Acoustic Set for the nostalgic trip to the past.

The winners with 43 points, Hilary Craven, Angela Slate and Lynn Schofield

Lottery Winners, Saturday 20th January, 2018

1st: Ken Fendall 2nd Gill Thompson 3rd Catherine Blundell £100.13 £60.08 £40.05

Ladies’ 9 hole Stableford, Sunday, 28th January, 2018

1st: Audrey Jones, 22 2nd Pauline Walker, 21 3rd: Diane Houghton, 20

Burns’ Night at Romiley Golf Club

The first Burns’ supper was held in memoriam at Burns’ Cottage by Burns’ friends on 21

st July 1801, the fifth anniversary of his death; it has been a regular occurrence ever

since. Rabbie Burns would have been delighted to greet the Romiley devotees on Saturday 27

th

January. 40 members and friends gathered at our Club to be met by a splendid Scottish themed room with soothing background music. Our Captains led the way and I have to say that Lady Captain’s husband, Jimmy, was resplendent in his kilt, looking the part. Pam and Ken produced a fantastic meal, starting with cock-a-leekie soup. The haggis, tatties and neeps then arrived, followed by the traditional glass of whiskey. Lady Captain gave the address to a haggis, reciting the famous speech in that lovely Scottish lilt before raising a sharp knife and plunging it into the haggis, much to the delight of the room. The main course of prime Scottish beef was then served, and what a treat of culinary perfection. Cranachan and coffee sealed the deal.

The evening was a testament to our Club and caterers, enjoyed by all present and a must for next year’s diary. Scottish correspondent for the night – Andy Reed.

Vets’ 9 Hole Stableford, Friday, 27th January, 2018

1st Jack Thomasson 21 pts 2nd Bill Barrow 19 pts 3rd Bill Swindells 19 pts

Men’s Romiley Foursomes, Saturday, 3rd February, 2018

1st Gary Evans & Paul Mellor 35 pts

2nd Nick Gorman & Paul Wagstaff 34 pts 3rd Neil Brindley & Andrew Reed 34 pts

Joyce Dickinson—95 years young

Flowers and a card from the ladies, presented by Lady Captain, Barbara

On 5th February a healthy and independent (still driving) Joyce celebrated her

95th birthday. It was a three day event with family for the weekend and lunch

and scones the day after with all her friends at the golf club.

When asked what’s the secret, Joyce said, “It’s in the genes.” Her father was 88

when he died 50 years ago! She’s the youngest of five children, and two of those

reached the ages of 95 and 88.

“I’m a lucky lady to have a close and loving family who look after me,” but

there’s a suspicion that she doesn’t need that much looking after because she

lives alone and her family don’t live close by.

Whatever it is you’re doing, keep doing it. It’s definitely working. You’re an

example to us all. Happy birthday Joyce, and we wish you many more.

Sunday, 4th February, 2018

Teams of 3, yellow ball competition

1st: Carolyn Brinsley, Alison Reed and Rachel Broster, 67 points

But it’s Tuesday and we play on a

Tuesday! Putting is hard enough

on temporary greens but trying to

putt a snowball in the hole! Had

to give up in the end.

Audrey Jones

Ladies Team of Three, 9 hole Better Ball, Thursday, 8th February, 2018

1st Lynn Schofield Sandra Hayes Angela Slate 46

2nd Isabel Wright Jill Woolstencroft Sally Hebden 42 pts

A Howcroft Quiz, Friday, 9th February, 2018

There was an exceptional turn out of 13 teams of 4/5, despite wet, cold, and windy weather. The questions were set and delivered by our Eggheads couple Peter and Judi Howcroft. They devised a very varied 10 rounds of posers, ranging from TV soap villains, cocktails contents, and literary famous last lines. Half time refreshment provided by Ken was a perfectly spiced chicken curry, though when Pam realised there was universal praise she admitted it was all prepared by herself! The quiz became a neck and neck battle between four teams; Hillrisers, Over't'hill, Corinthians, and Peaky Blunders. The "Where are we?" round became the nemesis for Hillrisers and Peaky Blunders, who failed to identify Blackpool Tower. This left Corinthians and Over't'hill tied on 71points each with the last round of sport to come. In the end Over't'hill just prevailed scoring an overall very impressive 80 out of 100 points. Corinthians came second with another creditable total of 77 point. The winners and second shared the usual selection of Aldi's finest plonk and chocs. No expense spared. Many thanks to Peter and Judi for creating and presenting a challenging but entertaining quiz, and Pam, Ken, and their team for keeping us well fed and watered during the evening. The next quiz will take place on Friday 9th March and RGC will be taking part

in the World’s Biggest Pub Quiz. Not sure yet how that works but it

will be a unique experience for Romiley quizzers. Make a note in your diary

Phil and Gaynor Norbury Anne Granby Chris Cook Colin Granby

Winners

Lindsay and Steve Kershaw are pictured with the youngest ever contestant to attend a quiz at Romiley Golf Club. Ada, at just 6 weeks old, managed to sleep throughout the evening. Grandparents, Geoff and Judi Dixon, were on hand, ready to take over!

The Corinthians, Keith and Sue Selby and Joyce and John Glynn were in a meritorious second place

Peter and Judy

Howcroft

And The Wilde Bunch of Michelle and Gary

Wilde and Malcolm and Ann Oliver, scored a

superb 20 out of 20 on a separate run-along-side

quiz and quite deflated the Corinthians who had

been sooo pleased with 19 out of 20!

4 man team event, Saturday, 10th February, 2018

1st Paul Wagstaff / Simon Tipping / Nick Gorman / Kevin Jones 77

2nd David Loughman / Alan Walker / Mark James / Rick Downes 77

3rd John Mawdsley / Antony Cocks / Lee Hopkins / Tommy McGlinchey 76

Rain—New Zealand Style!

It rained and rained and rained and rained

The average fall was well maintained

And when the tracks were simple bogs

It started raining cats and dogs.

After a drought of half an hour

We had a most refreshing shower

And the most curious thing of all

A gentle rain began to fall

Next day but one was fairly dry

Save for one massive deluge from the sky

Which wetted the party to the skin

And then, at last, the rain set in!

Trudi and Alan Heavyside were on holiday in New Zealand on the west coast of

the South Island near the Fox Glacier. On one day they had 12 inches of rain. In

a café Trudi saw this poem and thought it was most appropriate for our own

situation at Romiley. How right she is!

Thursday, 15th February, 2018

Rollup and draw for partners, team of three with scoring:

1 on par 3s, 2 on par 4s and 3 on par 5s

The winners with 39 points: Teresa Hogg, Francine Walburn and Rebecca Byle

Rules question resolved

On the 5th hole at Romiley Trevor Wright recently had a disagreement with his playing partners as to the rules of golf. To settle the argument he sent the question to Golf Monthly, and the question and answer were published thus: “Q. In a recent game, having been sure that my ball had finished in a bunker, we could not see it at first. I eventually found it in a rabbit hole which was burrowed into the face of the bunker. Since the ball was beyond the bunker edge, I thought I was entitled to drop outside the bunker vertically above the spot where it was at rest. However, my playing companions were of the opinion that I should drop it back in the bunker. Who was correct? A. As the ball was found beyond the edge of the bunker in the burrowing

animal hole, the ball was not in the bunker. Free relief is available under Rule 25-1b. You would drop the ball without penalty on a part of the course through the green, within one club-length of the nearest point of relief to its position in the burrowing animal hole. It’s worth noting that the ball cannot be dropped on the putting green in these circumstances.

Shona McRae, R&A Assistant Director—Rules”

Well done Trevor. Hope you took the money that day.

(Reproduced with the kind permission of Golf Monthly)

Does the ball lie beyond the edge of the bunker?

I appreciate that many members will be now aware of the sad loss of my husband, John, just prior to Christmas. It was all so sudden but I feel that now is the time to write this letter. John had been a member of the Club for nearly forty years and enjoyed every one of them. The year that he got his name on the winners’ board was a particularly proud year for him. Over the years we attended the Club many times for dinner on a Saturday and made many friends during those visits. In the last few years John played on a regular Wednesday basis with our friend and neighbour, Brian Walton, and for the last few years accompanied by his mutual friend, Dave Turnock. The occasions were, of course, primarily golf but John found them highly entertaining and John always recalled what a good time they had and so many laughs were had by all. He told me that following the game they would join others for coffee and more laughs. To John the Club became not just a venue for golf but also for a great social experience. Romiley Golf Club was kind enough to have Club representation at John’s funeral and for that the family are very grateful. Dora Griffiths

Gents’ Evening, Friday16th February, 2018

What a wonderful Gentlemen's Evening! A superb comedian in Archie Kelly who kept the room in thrall to his talent. What a triumph for Mr Captain, Steve Harrison. His face captures the sheer enjoyment of the evening.

Archie Kelly

Mr. C

Bob Peter John

Blundell Wagstaff Glynn

Mark Lee John Glyn

Roberts Hopkins Murray Roberts

Is the

halo a

portent

of Dave

Blood’s

year of

office?

Mike Wilson Bill Barrow Carl Mellor John Hooper Charles Haworth

Les Ross Duncan Challen Ian Gibson John Harrison

Dave Blood Martin Clark Richard Hale Mark Kitchen

Jim Millington Mike Murray Dave Skillington Chris Broster

Steve Hogg Dave Ross Alan Torkington Rob Edwards Jamin Edwards

Gordon Harman Steve Carroll Andy Reed Colin Davies Tommy McGlinchey

Graham Drabble Matt Murray Alex White Andy Bulley Graham Palmer

Gary Williams Chris Woood Ian Cunningham Neil Cousins

Shaun Slate Robin Bennett Gareth Dodds Matthew Roberts

Men’s Foursomes, Saturday17th February, 2018

1st Lee Hopkins and Gary Williams 39 pts

Graham Nuttall and Rolly Hewitt 37 pts 3rd Tony Cocks and John Mawdsley 36 pts

Lottery, Saturday, 17th February, 2018

1st Phillip Sproson 101.75 2nd Rolly Hewitt 60.75 3rd Phil Barwick 40.50

What a good day for Rolly!!

John Glynn Audrey Jones Phil Roberts

Editorial Team

Monday, February 5th, 2018