'Michael and Kevin'
Kevin Carter writes:
The final of this annual competition was held on 20th September, at Surbiton, with 23 participants. The winner was Michael Broadway, whose club is Enfield but who qualified through the Watford heat and his handicap is 12.
'Michael and Kevin' |
Players were invited to 'wear something green', the house colour of this year's charity, Macmillan Cancer Support. Michael (pictured, with Kevin Carter) wore a resplendent white three-piece suit with a green bow-tie.
While Michael received the engraved crystal decanter for his 7 wins from 8 games, his nearest rivals received runner-up goblets: Colin Groves (6, Woking) and Stephen Wright (-3, High Wycombe).
The final is always played in a great spirit, this year aided, too, by lovely weather. Surbiton put on its usual feast, and also generously donated the surplus income, after costs, to our charity fund.
This year's competition was both delayed and curtailed, with only half the number of heats: 22, and a much smaller number of players in those heats: 214.
It is a tribute to all of our regular supporters that we still managed to raise £3733, along with a further £624 Gift Aid, for charity.
A number of this year's heats were unusual. Two had no players! Both Tunbridge Wells and Bowdon were unable to go ahead with their heats but each had a whip-round anyway and raised impressively large contributions to the final total. Conversely, Lym Valley held two heats: one just before lock-down and another just before the final. High Wycombe was another club which managed to get in its heat early: at xmas 2019. Finally, we made a first-time welcome to Carrickmines, Ireland, which held its heat and raised a significant amount but because Macmillan does not operate in Ireland, they donated it to a local charity instead.
Let's hope we shall be back to normal next year, but with all this generosity and innovation, there is nothing too bad about the 'new normal' ......
| Updated 24.iv.24 |
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