The odds are shortening on who will be the eventual winner of the Winter Order of Merit. With the last 3 games of the 24 game series  being cancelled due to snow, it now comes down to a mad dash in the last round to try to get as many points as possible. Three weeks ago in round 21, anybody from 20th place upwards could have put a run together; when that was cancelled anybody in the top 12 still had a chance. The round 22 game came to a halt half way through thanks to snow laying on the greens making putting an impossibility.  

In round 23 last weekend we were down to only the top five who had a chance to win. However, winter returned with a vengeance and for the final round it is really the top three who have the best chance. Club Captain Trevor Smith, who leads the series, Paul Jenkinson in second and Steve Anderson are now the main players who have any realistic chance of taking the win. With only fifteen points separating the three, if Paul or Steve wins, Trevor needs to come in no worse than second to take the overall win. If they have a complete nightmare on the course, Carl Causbrook and Tony Mould in fourth and fifth, some 35 points behind, could still take it. There are an awful lot of “ifs” but it has been that sort of up and down series this year. Former winner Adam Clegg is back this week after injuring his shoulder in a ski-ing accident, he and several others could still improve their positions. The leaders will be going out last as a three ball and they will no doubt be keeping a very watchful eye upon each other.

It isn’t just about the win however: players in the positions below the top three still have a lot to play for. The prizes go down to twelfth place and everybody from twentieth upwards still have chances to either get into the top twelve or to improve upon their position within the top twelve. Organiser Neil Harris has added a further twist to the competition to keep the interest going for players outside of the top twelve. He has put aside a separate fund to reward the top player outside of the main prizes with the most points gained in rounds played on a Saturday or Sunday.

The WOOM, as it is known, started last year on 20th October and after Neil changed the rules from the previous year to give a two shot penalty to the winner, one shot for second and a half for third, nobody has won it more than once. The final round will take place on the Lakes Course, snow permitting, on Sunday 7th April.

The WOOM has been confirmed as a club competition for next year but this doesn’t mean that the Winter League will disappear. Club Secretary Dennis Millington confirmed that the competition will still go ahead, providing there are enough entrants to make it a viable competition.

Sunday 24th March was also supposed to be the finals of the Winter League but that was also snowed off. The semi final was played the weekend before in atrocious conditions, high wind, snow, sleet and rain. Ben Gasson and Matt Asher were scheduled to play Peter Key and Peter Zimmer Smith, unfortunately Peter Key had to play them on his own as his partner couldn’t play in the semi final due to a long standing family commitment. Peter did very well to give Ben and Matt a game, he took it to the fourteenth where he finally lost five and three.

Pete Dickinson and Peter Smith beat Bill Skinner and Graham Day four and three and will now play Ben and Matt on a day to be set by Dennis Millington and whoever keeps throwing snow all over the course.

Lady golfers are made of very stern stuff and a bit of rain and snow doesn’t put them off. Greetham Valley’s Mail on Sunday team of ten played host to Burghley Park Ladies in the team knockout competition at the weekend. The teams had horrendous conditions to contend with: very high winds, hailstones, snow and driving rain. In the first game Captain Gilly Grant led from the front and beat Anne Hughes one up. Sue Brand kept up the momentum by beating Joan Hickman four and two. In game three, Pat Jamieson had a comprehensive win against Carole Hollman, Pat won seven and five. This was enough to put the Valley through to the next round with two games to go. Mandie Cassie lost to Kay Hircock four and three and Sophie Beardsall lost to Hanna Vaughan three and one.

They had the option of just tossing a coin instead of going out in the tough conditions but it says a lot about both teams that they wanted to play the game to have the chance of going through with a win. Gilly said that both teams did very well to play not just against the course and their opponents but against some of the worst weather conditions that she ever has played in. Greetham Valley now go forward to the next round of the Mail on Sunday in a couple of weeks’ time.

The March Medal was played the previous weekend before the snow hit and was played off yellow tees; because pick and place was in force, it couldn’t count as a qualifier. Alex Carter thought that he had won division one with a net sixty three but unfortunately his handicap was ineligible, it only counted towards his three cards needed to get his handicap up to date. Trevor Smith, playing off two, won the division with a net 68. Jordan Burdall, off scratch, took second place and the lowest gross on countback with a fantastic 69 consisting of fifteen pars and three birdies. Fourteen handicapper Neil Baker took third and Fraser Denholm off six was pushed back into fourth.

Division two was also a very close finish with two players in with a net sixty three; Ken Mason took the win from Steve Burgon who also won the lowest gross. The next three places were also settled on countback as all three scored a net sixty eight. Adam Smith took third, Paul Childe Freeman was fourth and Simon Bell was pushed down to fifth.

For the second week running the Winter Order of Merit was affected by snow. The field of thirty six hardy individuals soldiered on through the rain which quickly turned to snow, unfortunately organiser Neil Harris had to call it a day half way around as the snow was laying on the greens and putting was impossible. With only two games left in the series, this means that the top five are the only players in with a realistic chance of taking the title this year. As the players came in the snow stopped and it started raining, clearing the greens.

On one of the very few good weather days this week the Seniors got their season off to a good start with a terrific win away to Thorney Lakes. The day didn’t get off to a very good start, an accident on the A1 meant that five members of the Greetham Valley team were late. Captain Rod Wells changed the teams around to get the games under way, if the rest of the team didn’t arrive they would have to forfeit those games, luckily they did and quickly got changed, onto the course and into the games.

Alan Sorlie and Rod Wells lost their game two and one, Mike Guy and Colin Bateman won theirs by the same score. Greetham went behind again when Peter Macdonald Pearce lost five and four, they were soon back on an even par after Fred Aspin and Jack Vernal won their game three and two. Denis Cleggett and Keith Godwin then put Greetham ahead with a win, two up. John Taylor and Ken Upton won two and one, this meant that the visitors couldn’t lose and needed a half or a win from the next two games to take the match. Brian King and Martin Boothman lost their game by three and two. Stu Dodd and Ken Moore won the final game three and two to give Greetham a five and three win. Captain Rod was very pleased with his team and grateful to the latecomers for settling in so quickly. Their next match is also away, they visit Belton Woods near Grantham and hope for good weather again.