Fun & Funds at the scramble!

Words Tim Allan, Pic Nick Toksvig

In a field flooded with single figure players, a team of three 20-plus handicappers took the honours at our Christmas Scramble.

With three teams recording net scores of 59 (yes…59!!), the winners on countback were James Bartholomew and his guests Charles Pender and Tom Dean.

James said: “I can hardly believe it! We were planning to leave early, never thinking we’d have a chance in such an illustrious field, but when word filtered out that we were in with a chance we were very happy to stay. What a lovely day!”

The Scramble was played at Worplesdon for the first time, because our usual venue, The Berkshire, was having work done on the clubhouse and could not provide food – always an essential part of our Scramble day!

Worplesdon proved a superb venue for us, with the course in excellent condition for mid-November. The food was excellent and the bonhomie as convivial as always!

James and his team, playing off 15 per cent of their combined handicaps and receiving 11 shots, pipped the two other teams who scored 59 – Evan Samuel with guests Rob Wall, Tom Wood and Maurice Brett, who played off 10 per cent of combined handicap and received five shots; and James Nursey, with guests James Smith, Chatree Selahom and Nick De Villiers, who played off scratch.

Nev Appleton, Tony Smith, Mike ‘Harry Potter’ Waker and Colin Hancock, playing off seven, were fourth with a net score of 60.

After lunch, Ian McIlgorm stepped up to the auctioneer’s rostrum (well, a large table covered with tat) and led us to raise more than £3,000 for the Journalists’ Charity – a magnificent effort by all concerned.

It’s looking highly likely we’ll be back at Worplesdon for the Scramble next year, because The Berkshire have just told us that they won’t allow four-person team Scrambles any more!

The full, confirmed fixture list will be published on the website (pressgs.co.uk) as soon as it’s nailed down, as well as in the newsletter.