Greetham Valley’s Sophie Beardsall has had a rather hectic eight or nine days. She and playing partner Sally Bowker were the stars of the field in the recent Coronation Foursomes competition which they won with a fantastic score of forty points. Sue Brand and Annie McCulloch were second with thirty two points. Jacky Bayley and Jackie Friend took third with twenty nine points.

A few days later, Sophie, off scratch, competed in the County Championships at Blankney Golf Club, winning her first game against Michelle Willerton two and one. In the quarter finals she was up against the number three seed, one of the County’s up and coming juniors, Billie Jo Smith from Woodhall Spa; again, Sophie won two and one. The semi finals saw some high quality golf in very tough, wet and windy conditions, Sophie was drawn against plus three handicapper Helen Hewlett from Seacroft golf club. The match was nip and tuck throughout and could only be settled on the eighteenth. Unfortunately, Sophie lost when her final putt lipped out.

While she was disappointed to have lost she took great comfort from taking Helen all the way and playing some great golf in very trying conditions. Helen went on to win in the final beating Holme Hall’s Emilee Taylor three and two. Sophie was very happy to find that she and fellow Greetham Valley member Emma Tipping, off two, have been picked once again to be part of the County team who in June, will play at Hawkestone Golf Club in Shropshire where they will try to regain the title that they lost in last year’s County finals. Greetham Valley and County girls’ Junior organiser Pat Jones, was praised by County Captain Cindy Ireland for the great work that she has put in with the County Girls over the past couple of years.

Sophie was back in action at the weekend playing in the Colin Easson Trophy. The competition was played on the Lakes course in extremely high winds. Wittering, which is only a few miles away as the golf ball flies, registered gusts up to 59 miles an hour. Playing at Blankney must have given Sophie a bit of practice but after a slight argument with a tree, unusually for her, she bogey’d the third. She put that behind her and followed it up with thirteen pars and two birdies to take the win with a splendid thirty seven points. Sue Brand was second with thirty six points and the ever improving Cathy Steele came in with thirty five points for third place.

The Seniors, who had beaten Thorney Lakes five and a half to two and a half away continued their winning ways in high winds at home on the Valley course with a five and a half to two and a half win. The Ladies had a tough match on the Lakes course against Stoke Rochford and went behind after the first game but managed to turn it around to halve the match.

The Ladies Midweek Medal was played on the Lakes course in what this year almost seems to be obligatory rough weather. Twenty five handicapper Rita Knapp seemed to take it all in her stride, winning with a nett seventy one. Gilly Grant off ten took second place and the lowest gross with a gross eighty three. Cathy Steele found herself in the top three again with a nett seventy four to take third.

Bob Beverley and Neil Harris won the Tudor Springs Foursomes, they came in with a net seventy one and will represent Greetham Valley in next yea’rs Mail on Sunday Foursomes competition. Brett Skerritt and Paul Childe-Freeman were second with a nett seventy three point five. Third place was taken by two seniors, John Taylor and Peter Wood, they came in with a seventy five.

Ken Mason, playing off twenty six had the game of his life in this month’s May Midweek Medal. Played on the par 68 Valley course in warm conditions, Ken played to twelve to shoot a gross eighty four, nett fifty eight to win the medal and, as a reward, had his handicap cut to twenty three.

Neil Chatterton off thirteen was cut to twelve after taking second place on count back from twenty three handicapper Simon Bell. Both players came in with a net sixty two which would normally be good enough to win. Neil was cut to twelve and Simon to twenty one. Jordan Burdall playing off scratch shot a fantastic sixty five to take the lowest gross.

The Seniors’ May qualifying stableford was also played on the Valley course but in cool and blustery conditions. Keith Heppenstall, taking time off from his acting commitments, took the win in division one with thirty seven points and was cut to seventeen. Second and third were settled on count back after two players came in with thirty four points, Ken Stewart off ten took second place ahead of seventeen handicapper Tim Lee.  

Mike Hooper off twenty four took the honours in division two, he also had thirty seven points. Peter Keast was second with thirty six points, Charles Guttridge took third place on count back from Dave Lucas after they both scored thirty five points.

Greetham Valley’s Mixed Team entertained Stoke Rochford on the Lakes Course. Men’s Captain Trevor Smith and Ladies Captain Sheila Douty had a comprehensive win in the first game winning five and four. President Martin Boughton and Rena Lister lost their game two down to level the match for the visitors, this didn’t last for long however as Bill Skinner and Jackie Friend came in as three and one winners. The visitors struck back to win the next game and to level the match once again when Vice Captain Shaun Denholm and Chris Edwards lost five and four.

The game tilted back in favour of the home team after Fred Aspin and Angela Wheeler won what was quite a fractious game two and one. The result of the match now depended upon the final game out on the course. This was a very close game and went all the way to the last green but Jim Wheeler and Beryl Crosland took it with a winning putt to win one up. The result was a win by four to two for the Greetham Valley team.