Coffee Morning 3 clubs and a putter
The first competition for 2026 only attracted 18 competitors although the weather was welcoming.
First prize for the ladies went to Stephanie with a magnificent 20 points, in Second place Janet Metcalfe with a respectable 15 points.
For the men…..in first place Michael Rimmer with 19 points and second Peter Taylor with 18 points.
SENIOR COMPETITION WINNER 2025
Senior Trophy Presentation 2025
From Left to Right
Dan Anandan Alec London Trophy
Janet Farrington Spring Tournament - Bolton Rose Bowl
Joan Hickman Eric John McKaig Trophy
Rob Sorrell Sandy Gray-Smith
Michael Marriott Seniors Past Captain – Shield
David McAlpine Spring Tournament - Veteran’s Cup
David McAlpine Autumn Tournament Trophy
Olive Corr Senior Knock Out’s Ladies - Cup
Janet Metcalfe Easter Trophy
Other Winners not at Presentation
Janet Duff Summer Trophy
Jeff Miles Wass Memorial Trophy
Javan Argent Senior Knock Out’s Gents – Cup
Chris Harrison-Smith Over 80 Ocean Trophy
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| Prizes presented by Stephanie Crook to Olive Corr and Steve Wilcox |
Damp and windy conditions greeted 32 intrepid golfers for the traditional Christmas Cracker competition but due to tricky weather conditions a Waltz seemed more appropriate. Despite the conditions some members, particularly two, managed to find their game and waltzed around the course quite nicely.
1st place (only a two ball) with a magnificent 37 points was Olive Corr and Steve Wilcox
2nd place with 36 points, Viv Chappell, Mick McCarthy and Mark Hotchkin
3rd place with 33 points, Zillah Taylor, Roger and Janet Metcalfe
The wind blew and the autumn leaves swirled all over the course, despite the tricky weather conditions 24 competitors turned out to compete in the latest coffee morning fun competition. Some faired better than others. The results were as follows:
3rd place with 32 points were Keith and Janet Duff and George Clayton-Jones
2nd place with 33 points we’re Janet Roberts, Steve Cheeseman and Stephanie Crook
1st place with a magnificent score 35 points was Bob Pimlott, Chris Clarke and Chris Masters
Well done everyone and thank you Stephanie for organising this event.
The Christmas Cracker fun competition is on the Seniors Board (Monday 1 December) so please sign up. Following this competition Seniors Trophy presentation will take place.
This annual event took place on Thursday the 16 October with 48 participants playing a pairs better ball aggregate competition.
A most enjoyable meal of ham egg and chips followed the competition, followed by the Seniors’ Captain, Paul Coates reminding us of the origins of the McKenzie Cup and in particular some interesting stories about Bruce McKenzie himself before presenting the trophy to the Ladies’ Captain, Michelle Powell.
The ladies were on form beating the Seniors once again with a grand score of 448 against 435.
Monday the 13th October saw the first of the cooler season’s coffee mornings in the form of a Mexican Scramble which was very well attended. Well done Stephanie for organising.
Nearest the pin on the 3rd won by Mick Marriott
Third place: Clare Farrell, Bob Pimlott and Pip Kirby with a nett score of 36.5
Second: Olive Corr, Alan Gray and Mark Hotchkin with a nett score of 35.2
First: Viv Chappell, Marilyn Marriott and Mick Marriott nett score of 34.2
it was good to return to winning ways for the final Seniors match of the season. Having lost 6 1/2 to 1 and 1/2 at Oundle earlier in the season, it was good to get revenge, But Winning has not been the main focus Over the past five months.
Ironically, after Peter Hickman and myself winning against Colin Stanyon at Oundle, Colin was able to return the favour with he and Chris Dix winning one up against myself and Rob Sorrell. Chris and Colin combined well Chris playing particularly well on the front nine and Colin playing particularly well on the back night. A stunning long putt on the 14th placed us 2 down with 3 to play and we were unable to recover over the next few holes. Rob however played the 18th quite beautifully with two excellent shots down the fairway but his approach shot was held up at the top of the slope with the grass being slightly lusher than expected. Rob was rewarded however, for his good play on the back line with a nearest the pin win on the 16th.
A very good win by Mark and Richard followed although their opponents were a tad upset by Mark’s excellent play, and questioned his handicap!!!! but if they had seen him over the past few weeks they would’ve known that he’d been playing well and is slowly returning to the good form he had a few seasons ago. A close for victory from David and Phil followed by halves from Mike and David and Clive and Mark meaning that we were in a good position going into the last three matches. Keith and Niel played very well to beat the consistently good Peter Izod and his partner Mike 2 up and then Michael Earl and Kevin won with a very comfortable 5 and 4 to give Burghley Park victory on the day.
In the final match, Peter and Saj lost on the 17th Though both played well.
Afterwards in the clubhouse, we were treated to a delicious chicken curry courtesy of Aziz who has worked extremely hard for the club over the past three weeks. We thank him for his brilliant efforts. I would also like to thank Joan Hickman and her team for supporting us at the halfway house.
It is appropriate for me to say at this point that being Captain of the Seniors has been a real pleasure this season. I have no doubt that we are the friendliest Club on the circuit and the camaraderie between our players and their opponents is 2nd to none. On occasion I have had to request late substitutes and without fail people have stepped in at 24 hours notice to play in matches. The support from every player has been excellent and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to play with so many different members.
Paul
Burghley Park slipped to its sixth defeat in a row at the hands of Girton Golf Club but there were a lot of positives to take from the match with two close defeats that could’ve gone either way. Before the match, Captain Paul had mentioned that preparations for winter teas had gone on recently and unfortunately we had a couple of bad bounces of these winter tee areas. Nevertheless, the course played well, although I think Burghley Park greens are in much better condition.
Congratulations to Kevin and Neil who won three and one in the final match. Niel once again proving that arriving early and practising before a match is totally unnecessary. Neil was spotted by quite a few players as he strode over the First and 18th fairways to get to the 17th tee, with helpful directions from several of the Girton members.
Congratulations to the two Michaels, Earl and Marriott who won the third match one up. One of our other Michaels, Michael McCarthy and Rob Sorrel, had a very close match losing on the 18th.
Richard and myself could arguably have won, although our opponents Paul and Dave played very well, scoring a better ball 74, 5 over.. I three putted two greens, including the 18th, where two putts would’ve given us the hole. Our better ball of 77 include some really good holes and in fact, Richard and I won the back 9 1 up.
It was good to see Peter Hickman back to his winning ways with the nearest the pin prize.
Paul and Dave were exceptionally friendly opponents and we had a good chat long after most people had left for the long journey home. Thank you to Girton for being such excellent hosts
Onward to next Thursday when we play and Oundle Golf club in our last match of the season. A home win would be nice
Paul
We were indeed fortunate that the weather held off for our match against Rutland Water. Earlier in the season, the members of Rutland Water had suggested that their course was in quite a lot of trouble and was struggling with the early season dry weather, however when this match came up the course had much improved. The fairways had certainly recovered and the greens were in a good condition. Very well done to Rutland Water ground staff.
Arguably the good state of the course was the only major positive Burghley Park could take out of this fixture. Four of the matches were over before the 16th tee was reached. The only positives were the halves achieved by Tim Chapman and Peter Hickman and Mark Hotchkin and Pip Kirby, so very well played to them.
In my match, Richard Cook played exceptionally well, but it was not enough against Chris Mallon and Bill King Smith. Chris and Bill combined brilliantly to finish with a better ball score of three over gross, a 75. Captain Chris in fact had an 82 including a seven at the difficult part three. Richard and I were beaten easily but on glancing at the scores after the match I realised that we had had a better ball score 6 under our Par. Richard had indeed played well, including a birdie at one of the Par fives, but we won only 2 holes.
Nearest the pin for Burghley was Peter Steele and Mike Martin for the hosts
I have no doubt that local knowledge at Rutland Water and experience of playing the course helps considerably.
The conversation in the clubhouse after the match was extremely convivial and I think everybody had a most enjoyable day certainly George playing with an old friend Robin Old was a highlight as was one of our opponents buying several bottles of white wine!
Paul
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| Parsonage Bowl 2025 |
This years winner Past Captain Pip Kirby’s Team
Nearest the Pin winners
3rd Hole. Lynn Collen (Ladies)
13th Hole. Alan Gray (Gents)
16th Hole. Phil Hunt. (Mixed)
Middleton Hall located a few miles out of Kings Lynn is our furthest destination on the Seniors Tour. It is so far that I actually threatened to Wild Camp to make sure I was there for the 8.15 meet up, as it was I left home at 6:30 AM, for me a very early start.
In the lead match, Mark Hotchkin and myself played very well to beat Declan Byrne and Stephen Vincent. At Burghley we had halved our match but a gross 79 better ball by Mark and myself led to a comfortable five and four victory, Mark’s birdie on the tricky 14th sealed the win
Steve Wilcox and Peter Steele then came in with a two and one win which gave Burghley hopes of a surprise team win at the notoriously difficult Middleton course. Unfortunately the only other win we had was from Dave Lennie and Jim Scutt, two very determined players, with a hard fought one up against Kevin Scott and Robert Croxford.
Four convincing wins for Middleton and a close win by Ian Hind and Simon Brown over Burghley’s Richard Martin and Neil Cheddar gave Middleton a 5-3 victory.
There is no doubt that the handicap system is a very fair one but giving on average six shots to home players makes it quite tricky for an away side. Middleton seldom lose Home matches so full credit to Burghley for running them close.
This was unfortunately, our fourth defeat in a row and whilst our mission is to play good golf in a friendly and positive way it is also nice to get a team victory occasionally. I know Declan enjoyed both his matches this year and he was an excellent host.
Paul
2025 Seniors Captain – Paul Coates
Although small in numbers, the Seniors away trip to Forest Pines was undoubtedly a BIG success. The course combo proved a challenge to all, particularly Tuesday when the wind blew. Phil Hunt’s trolley did not hold up well to the high winds, Tuesday it ran away, toppling into a deep bunker and Wednesday a branch fell on it and broke his integrated satnav device. Thankfully, Phil came out of it unscathed. The handicap slope, at least, gave us lots of shots to help with scoring round tricky courses.
The prize table Wednesday evening was a delight with a prize for everyone….a lovely gesture by Captain Coates.
6 Teams played in three balls, best two to count.
Third place went to Joan Hickman, Alan Kinch and Janet Roberts Coming in with 76 points
Second place went to Keith Duff, Marilyn Marriott and George Clayton-Jones with 77 points, and the winners…
Stephanie Crook, Brian Ross-Jones and Michael Marriott with 81 points
Poet extraordinaire…..Chris Harrison-Smith penned an amusing poem to conclude the day and our enjoyable time away…..it says it all…
… Captain Coats …
I’d like to say a word to … Captain Coats,
Cause he’s the one that got our votes,
In fact some call him two coats Coats,
Undercoat or top coat - whatever floats your boats.
Coats is caring and considerate to all,
Nothing it seems is trouble for Paul,
Arranging matches, and who to call,
Seniors away - and we’re having a Ball !
Who plays with who, then there’s scores to do,
His flippin quiz - I hadn’t a clue!
Getting prizes, and a few surprises,
And the aftershave that he advises!
The winning teams - so it seems,
Lots of laughs, and smiley beams,
Brian and George are tops once more,
Most lost balls, and on the green once more.
So thank you Paul - you are the man,
These couple of days have gone to plan,
The weather, the golf and this hotel,
All your arrangements have gone well.
So one coat or two - our Captain’s a star,
We’ll join him later - in the bar,
In the meantime, let’s raise a cheer,
Cause Burghley Park golfers are loud and clear -
… Hip - Hip - Hooray…
Driving down to St Neots through some pretty heavy rain made me think it was going to be a tough day at the office but apart from a shower at the beginning of our round the weather was very good and by the end of the round the conditions were excellent .
it was my first to St Neots and I was made very welcome by the extremely affable Mick Mitchell their Seniors Captain. Equally affable was his partner Adrian Dack and it transpired the Adrian I shared mutual friends that we had both made in our time in Asia in the 1980s and 90s. Perhaps this was a deliberate ploy by Mick and Adrian and I should’ve spent more time concentrating on Golf than chatting. Mick Marriott and I were soundly beaten five and three although we didn’t play that poorly it was just that Adrian hit some tremendously good shots to the Green and Mick was quite outstanding with his chipping and subsequent single putting. Well played to those two.
A good win from Phil Hunt and Michael Wright which included Phil winning nearest the pin on the very tricky eighth hole much to the chagrin of our pin supremo Peter Hickman, who had previously hit a really good shot. Also a good win from David Shales and Kevin de Trafford. David has had three matches this week and has played well in all three. This included a Pairs Match on Tuesday. Kevin fresh for his win against Middleton Hall once more played below his handicap and as I said yesterday he is a dangerous player on his day, especially if he doesn’t drive straight.
St Neots ran out comfortable winners 6 points to 2 our only close defeat was Richard and Peter H in the final match . Michael Whitlock was Nearest The Pin for the Home Team and the outstanding performance was a run of 10 holes where Martin Forster was 2 over par wresting the initiative from Stephen and Mark, who had been 2 Up, finishing 4 down with 2 to play.
We had had a 3 Tee start the eight matches all finished within a relatively short time of each other which enabled us to dine together. I have to say gammon is not my favourite choice of food but it was very tasty as was the spotted dick which I certainly would never choose, too many inedible school puddings. There was very animated conversation on all four tables during dinner which was testament to how well the players had got on with each other. Captain Mick made reference to the camaraderie on show. It was a most enjoyable day despite the result.
Finally, a very very big thank you to Michael McCarthy who stepped in after recent injury to play for us. All playing squads need people like Michael a very steady player one with a great sense of humour and a very wide knowledge of rugby as the chat on our table showed.
We now have a rest for a couple of weeks until we play at Toft on the 20th of August . In between we have the Seniors Away trip at Forest Pines Golf Club next week.
Please signup for The Parsonage Bowl on the 18th.
Paul
It is never nice to come second in a two horse race and whilst losing to Middleton Hall is no new experience it was disappointing, but then again there is a rugby team in the southern hemisphere who has been more disappointed in the past few weeks.
Middleton Hall golf course is tricky, and therefore the handicaps that their players bring with them to their away matches, makes them very competitive. So it was at Burghley this week.
Very close defeats for George and Mike and Peter and David and David and Clive all losing on the 18th were difficult to take and there was obvious disappointment. The two halved matches with myself and David Shales where David played exceptionally well throughout the 18, and where Richard and Bill gained their half in the third match were very pleasing. However, the one win for Burghley for Mick Marriott and Kevin de Trafford by six and five was quite exceptional. Mick is a very steady player at all times and Kevin dare I say is enigmatic for on his day he is potentially unbeatable. Very well done to those two for a great result. Nearest the pin for Middleton Hall was Paul Gosling, awarded to him despite the fact that he bizarrely failed to sign the sheet, and for Burghley Park to David Court once more.
The course played very well recent rain has meant that the fairways have recovered very quickly and there’s plenty of grass around. The greens are in very good condition. Thank you to Malc and his team.
Catering as usual was of a high standard and I think it’s safe to say a higher standard than we see at nearly all other courses. Thank you to Sam and his team.
On to St Neots tomorrow
Paul
With a record of 9 wins, one half and 5 defeats Burghley Park were eager to notch up their 10th win. Team spirit was high after an excellent display against Stoke R. Back in May we had played well only to go down 3-5 at Spalding.
A good start with David Jackson and myself beating Captain Tim Baines an ex Burley Park member and Keith Tompkins two and one with David playing the last few holes quite brilliantly making the difference.
In the second match, Mike Barton and Bill Glencross were two down with 2 to play against former Burgley Park member Mike Stallard and Dave Halfteck. Mike Barton proceeded to birdie the 17th and Chip in at the 18th to grab a half.
Close defeats for Michael Wright and Richard Martyn and Clive Pearce and Keith Duff meant that with three matches to play the result was very much in doubt. Spalding were in fact 3 points to 2 up. However a very good win by Peter Hickman and David Shales and equally good wins by David Devlin and David Court and Rob Sorrell and Richard Cook led BurghleyPark to a 5 to 3 victory and thus our 10th win of the season.
Peter Hickman putting behind the disappointment of his defeat against Stoke Rochford GC won nearest the pin with Jon Guy winning nearest the pin for Spalding.
Yes it was a very good win but once more Golf was the winner as a very convivial match and a very chatty lunch between the two sides left all of us pretty happy.
Onward to a busy week with Middleton Hall on the 30th, at home, and St Neots away on the 31st. Club Captain‘s Away Day will test availability on the 31st.
Paul
Burghley Park went into this fixture eager to avoid Stoke Rochford GC completing the double over us. Back in May we had performed well at Stoke with every match going to at least the 17th hole so we entered this fixture with some confidence.
As it was the Home team recorded their best victory of the season beating Stoke seven points to one
There were some outstanding victories. Keith Duff and Kevin de Trafford won 7 and 6 whilst Michael Earl and Rob Surrell won 5 and 4 as did Chris Lees and Richard Cook, and. Richard Martin and David Shales winning 6 and 4. It was certainly evident that our higher handicap players all played exceptionally well and their partners without exception spoke very highly of their Play. Stoke Captain Stephen Major noted that his players struggled to beat inform players on their home course. There are occasions where the handicap system can appear harsh, but over a season it appears to balance itself out.
There were also victories for Mark Barton with Saj Chowdry and a close one for Jim Scott and Clive Pearce. Neil Chedd and I managed a 3 and 1 win which gave us a resounding victorY over Stoke. Neil putted well all day but particularly on the back line; he is a very steady, reliable player.
Nearest the pin for us was won by Rob Sorrell for BP and Simon Hudson for Stoke.
As usual, the course played well. The greens have been benefited from recent rain, Catering was its usual excellent self and the halfway house was very much appreciated by the opposition, as well as the home players. Thank you once more to involved in making our Seniors Matches a success.
Paul
Another lovely day for Golf and a super day for Burghley Park GC.
It is no mean feat to match Peterborough Milton on their course. At the beginning of May we had shared the points in a very good match at Burghley, one where Keith Duff and I had managed to clutch defeat from the jaws of victory, losing on the last. Today, however, a very enjoyable half in our match contributed to a 4 1/2 to 3 1/2 victory.
Excellent wins from Pip K and Mike B, Richard C and Dave L, and Mick Marriott and Neil Chedd put us on the way and a win in the final group from the very competitive Tim Chapman and Mark Crampton sealed the overall win.
But as ever it is not about the final result. Geoff Dyson, proving to be an excellent host, and his partner Phil Clark were excellent adversaries. Michael Earl had his usual solid game and steered us through some tricky holes with super shots to the greens - and he had no luck, whereas Geoff and Phil both holed from off the green. Geoff said it was the nicest match they had had this year, played in the best spirit.
Both sides appeared to have had a good day not least Sut Panchi, for PM, playing off 30. In May he had contributed to a 5 and 4 win over Richard and Pip, here at Peterborough it was a 6 and 4 win over Keith and David. Obviously, with a Net 59, a man to be avoided! Well played Sut.
Onward across The Fens to Ramsey.
Paul
The trip to Ramsey is quite arduous made especially so with uneven road surfaces and many undulations, due I suspect, to subsidence. The course at Ramsey has also struggled and it is not unusual to see numerous cracks on the fairways, but the greens and approaches were in excellent condition, receptive and true, a credit to their Course Staff.
Mark Crampton and I had one of those matches where we could do little right on the Front 9. Captain Kelly Richardson and Roger Tacq, who played quite beautifully throughout, reached the turn in Level Par but fortunately for Mark and I our fortunes changed and holding on we won the last 3 holes to halve the match. A most enjoyable round.
For Burghley P Jim Scutt played quite outstandingly with 6 birdies and he and Richard M won our only fourball 1 Up, not easy when you’re giving 9 shots to each of the opposition. Richard also won The Nearest the Pin on the 16th, beating 3 other BP members.
Very Good halves from David C and Niel C, Peter H with Stephen W, and Michael E with Kevin De T were not enough for us to hold off Ramsay, worthy winners, 5 to 3. This provided ample revenge after defeat at BP. Ramsey Seniors have in fact only lost 2 matches this season, full credit to Kelly and his team.
Paul
It was a bit of a fraught start on Monday morning as both Burghley Park and St Neots were one man short at 8 AM
Fortunately, Stephen Cheeseman and Chris Patterson of St Neots agreed to go out as a Singles match and Richard Gilbert stepped into the fray to play with me against Senior’s Captain, Mick Mitchell and Graham Bargraves. Stephen did really well to came back from Dormie 2 to grab a half with a Birdie on the last.
Thank you to those guys for changing their planned matches.
As it was Burghley Park won 3 matches quite comfortably and two more on the 17th and lost two matches on the 17th.
Of particular note was Stephen Wilcox‘s and Clive Pearce‘s result of seven and five . Stephen was full of admiration for the once more mercurial play of Clive Pearce.
However, their result was not the biggest margin of victory of the day . That came in the first match where Richard Gilbert and myself won eight and seven. Before Monday, I was really only aware of the name Gilbert in relation to rugby balls soon to be used in The Lions tour down under, Gilbert Jessup, the outstanding batsman for Gloucestershire in the early part of the 20th century and Gibby Gilbert who finished 2nd to Seve at Augusta in 1980. After Monday’s game, it will be Richard Gilbert‘s name that I will remember as he played quite outstandingly taking only 84 shots. In fact he and I had a better ball score of 78. It was difficult for Mick Mitchell and his partner, they didn’t particularly badly, it was just that Richard played exceptionally well. Well done Richard a real pleasure.
Thank you to all the support staff for making the day so pleasurable particularly Joan and Margaret in the halfway house. Onward to Peterborough Milton a week on Wednesday.
Paul
30 - Seniors took part in the Annual Over / Under 70 Stableford Competitions
Winners & runners up
Under 70s
Gents KB Trophy - David Lennie 19 Pts
Keith Terry 16 Pts
Ladies Bolton Goblet - Stephanie Crook 19 Pts
Vivienne Swift 16 Pts
Over 70s
Gents Ted Steel Trophy - Roger Metcalfe 18 Pts
Michael McCarthy 16 Pts
Ladies The Jones Trophy - Anne Fensom 20 Pts
Janet Duff 18 Pts
Over 80s
Gent or Lady. Ocean Trophy - Chris Harrison-Smith 20 Pts
Zillah Taylor 17 Pts
Nearest the Pin 3rd Anne Fensom
