On a blustery but mostly dry morning, in the 18 hole category, 7 teams of four took to the field in an am-am format. Inevitably there were changes to the teams and a strong outfit comprising David Carter, Frank Lambert, Geoff Chaplin and Tony Sumpter emerged the winners with 81 points. Tony Turner's team, consisting of Norma Young, Ian Gold, and John Mackay came a very creditable second with 79 points and in third place were the team led by John Gough, with Mike Doyle, Kit Morton and Neville Haygarth on 78 points. The sponsor, Mike Doyle, for whom we are most grateful, presented the prizes.  

In the 9 hole Pairs category, Mike Padmore with partner Margaret Lambert, emerged from hibernation, to snatch a win at the death, from three other pairs on the same points. On count back, Rob Toogood and Barry Hudson were awarded second place.

To add to the golfing glitterati were an extra twenty diners at the Lunch, where we congratulated Ken Wilkinson on his forthcoming 95th birthday, Lynn Harris on his forthcoming 90th celebration, and an unnamed lady member who also reaches the same venerable age, and like Lynn is still playing golf!  A very pleasant Lunch was enjoyed by the 66 members present.     KM

As the Shirley Captain, Brian, said at the Lunch, why is it that when we play each other, the weather decides to take a terrible turn for the worse on each occasion. We had all four seasons in our one round of golf with high wind, heavy rain, hail, sunshine and normal pleasant conditions. But when you play Shirley, you know you are always in for a tussle.

And so it proved. Captain Neil, with Richard Blasdale were soon five up, but nearly lost their lead as the round progressed, but rescued the situation to win 4 & 2. Richard Lea and John Martin sailed through their match winning 3 & 2, but when Peter Siddall and David Burke reported a loss (2 down), the result was always going to be in doubt. However, Mike Doyle and Syd Madeley, Mike Whitfield and Graham Siddle, and Terry Hanley and Kit Morton all turned in halves the result became a narrow win for Olton, 3.5 - 2.5, and Olton had returned to winning ways..             KM

May 21st. A cool but not unpleasant morning dawned, which later became somewhat mizzly, then cleared again, so the early and later players had the best of it. The course was looking great, the greens were quick, until the mid-morning moisture got to them, and the second Olton Senior's Singles Competition got under way under Tony Sumpter's excellent registration organisation. 99 competitors took part, of whom 60% were visitors, from 36 Clubs around the Midlands.

Early finishing scores were not particularly good, and it wasn't until late morning that they improved. In the Nearest the Pin attempts, it was perhaps appropriate to see that Olton President, Bruce Wilson, won the 5th, and the Mercedes Car-for-a-Weekend, so he will discover what real driving is, and I am sure he will want to exchange his Jaguar at the earlest opportunity! The 8th was won by Brian White (Stratford Oaks), the 13th by Tim Barnby (Coventry), and the 15th by Alf Gordon (Robin Hood).

In the 55-65 age Category, the runaway winner was Dick Birkin (Olton), recent winner of the Olton Senior's Medal Comp, with 44 points. Second behind him was Terry Hanley (Olton), with 36 points, and David O'Rourke (Ladbroke Park) was third with 33points.

In the older 66-plus Category, the winner was Rod Spears (King's Norton) with 35 points, hotly pursued by Mike Symons (Olton) and William McCracken (Coventry, Hearsall), both on 34 points, with Mike awarded second place on count back. 

President Bruce Wilson presented the prizes, and Senior's Captain Neil Brenton thanked all the organising Committee who had contributed to the obvious success of the event, and particularly Dennis Pick, as promoter. He also thanked the match Secretary, John Hall, and Cathy McMaster for their hard work on the visual data input on the screen. He said he had received many favourable comments about the quality of the course and the friendly atmosphere of the Club. And he also thanked the Almighty for staving off the rain!

Photos will appear here or on the Senior's Gallery.                         KM

Friday, May 17th. A  bright, chilly day dawned and a strong (on paper) Olton team took on a tougher Copt Heath team than of recent years at Copt Heath. Unfortunately Olton once again came unstuck and went down heavily, 1 - 5. The only bright pair of stars in a somewhat disappointing display were Geoff Chaplin and John Molesworth who won comfortably 5&4. The losers included some illustrious Olton names such as John Duncombe, playing with Gary Miller, who lost 6&5, and the strong on paper pairing of Bob Young and Mike Doyle, who lost narrowly, 1down. Captain Neil, playing with Olton's most successful partner, Tony Turner, lost 2&1, while Barrie Corless with Harry Orme and Tony Sumpter with Ian Major both succumbed, 4&3. However, our intrepid Captain called the day a great success, after the best away lunch spread he has had so far!     KM

Monday, May 13th. The Senior's Annual Medal was played on a chilly, blustery morning which gave little help to the competitors, and most of them appeared to be freaked out by the speed of the greens. However, there is always one person who manages the Course better than the rest, and on this occasion it was Dick Birkin, who came home with a very creditable net 71, and reduced his handicap from 16 to 15.

Despite a high standard scratch on the day, the ever-steady Paul Evans, a part-time Senior, also managed a reasonable net 75, and his handicap was also reduced from 13 to 12. In 3rd place was David Honeybourne, with a net 76, - and the rest, as one says, were not very good behind them!       KM   

Thursday April 25th - Sincere congratulations to John and Eileen Molesworth who have reached their Diamond (60th) Wedding Anniversary this Thursday. In a age where such longevity is relatively unusual, I am sure all the Seniors will want to wish John and Eileen all the very best on their special day. It is rumoured that the news has got as far as Buckingham Palace, so who knows what is in store! Well done, John and Eileen!                KM

Saturday 20th April. Those Seniors who attended the Club AGM were delighted when one Senior followed another into the role of Club President. Terry Smith's excellent, but on occasions difficult, two years came to an end tonight, and he was a happy man as the pressures of the job were passed on to his successor, Bruce Wilson. Bruce, of course, is well known as a straight talking Yorkshireman, with long experience on Committee, from his days as Handicap Secretary and his Club Captaincy a couple of years ago, and we know that he will do a first class job in the true traditions of OGC. Olton Seniors Section wish him well in his new position.       KM  

On Monday morning, 15th April, Dennis Pick, Chairman of Greens, and Members of the Senior Section, gathered by the beech tree donated in November 2012 by the Seniors, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty, the Queen. Captain of the Seniors, Neil Brenton thanked the Seniors for their support for this project. Dennis Pick thanked the Seniors for their contribution to the cause, as so many trees were now coming to the end of their natural life, and handed the plaque to Course Manager, Mark Smith, to plant beside the tree, to commemorate the planting.      KM   

Mon 8th April - the Competition for the Bill Danter Salver, by the members of the Working Party, finally went ahead, having been previously postponed due to bad weather. It was a cold morning, occasionally brightening up, but we were all glad to get home for a good fry-up! The course was in great condition after all the bad weather, but sanding work on the greens made putting difficult. Scores were, therefore, not great, but Peter Siddall, always an elegant golfer, came home with a very respectable 33 points, with Frank Lambert, ever the steady-eddie, in hot pursuit with 32 points. The seventeen players then enjoyed the hospitality of the Club over Lunch, and Dennis Pick, as Greens Chairman, thanked the WP for all the work they do, and hoped they would continue - in fact, he foresaw that the brook looked as though it was ready for a bit of a clean-up!

Dennis praised Neil Brenton's leadership, which was duly echoed by the WP glee-club, who gave a fine rendition of the song "All over the place", which not only reflected Neil's ubiquitous presence around the Club, but also recorded his golfing prowess!   KM    

After a relatively low Senior turn-out last year, some 20+ Seniors made themselves available for consideration this year. So, on a bright sunny morning, with the hint of chilliness in the air, 96 players turned out for the Pistol Pete Memorial Competition, for the Silver Spoon Trophy.

The matches, played as a fourball better ball, were keenly fought across the spectrum, and a just result should have meant a win for the Toffs, by one match. However, by the somewhat ludicrous rules by which the Competition is run, in which the overall result is decided by the number of holes won, even beyond the winning match score, the Tuffs won by virtue of the size of their slightly lesser number of victories.

John Molesworth & Dave Mosley, Geoff Chaplin & John Jarvie, Frank Lambert & Dick Bowen, Ian Gold & Pete Levenger, Richard Blasdale & John Standley all went down pretty heavily to their opponents. John Belcher & Colin MacMillan came close to winning but lost by a hole. And Gary Miller and Rob Weatherly playing with non-Senior partners were equally unsuccessful.

On the winning side, the only full Senior partnership, Bruce Wilson & Kit Morton, scrambled home 1 up at the last, However, Dennis Pick, Neil Brenton (playing with the lovely Bev Belcher), John Duncombe, Roger Cupitt, and Ian Major all came through successfully with their non-Senior partners to assist in the overall match position.

In the aftermath of the golfing event, everyone had a story to tell about a miraculous chip-in, an opponent whose handicap needed cutting, a missed sitter etc, and good humour and cheer were the order of the Lunch. During this period we also remembered those who had passed away during the last three years, and the older ones amongst us wondered how long it would be before we were immortalised in like manner! 

A very good event and our best wishes and thanks to all the organisers.                            KM

The John Lattey Winter Fourball came to an end just before the snow engulfed us again. Hard fought league matches during the winter months, with the top two in each league going into the knock-out stages, saw two strong pairings emerge in the final - Tony Turner and Richard Lea, and the ultimate winners, the reliable John Belcher playing with the unpredictable David Farrar. In the final, I have heard that the better game of the unpredictable Farrar turned up, and turned Tony Turner and partner over. The final result was 3 & 2 to a deserving partnership.            KM

Despite the snow of a late winter lying thickly on the ground, and golf out of the question for another week or so, once again the Seniors were to the fore at the Olton Golf Club Dinner and Prizegiving. Despite increasing age, creaking limbs and general decrepitude, the usual suspects came away with a variety of trophies to enhance their reputations and uphold the spirit of our Senior section.

President, Terry Smith, led the Dinner with Grace, and Colin MacMillan, a relatively new recruit to the Senior section, entertained the diners in his speech welcoming the guests, who included, perchance, another Senior and Past President, John Duncombe, who was present in his capacity as President of the Old Silhillians Golfing Society.

Among the Olton trophy recipients were John Belcher (A Team Medal), Graham Hoskin (F.L.Nock Tankard), Bruce Wilson (Hodson Shield & G.G.Clark Captain's Vase), Stan Birch (W.L.Highway Trophy), David Honeybourne (Veteran's Cup), Frank Lambert (Cecil Bayliss Rose Bowl), John Molesworth (Barry Hudson Trophy) and John Arnold (Les Holmes Trophy).

Congratulations to them all, and we hope we will be as successful in the coming season - if we could only get back on our wonderful Course!       KM

It was good to see some 25 Club Members turn up for divoting - admittedly most of them from the working party, but also some potential new and younger recruits! The Course was very wet after heavy rain on Saturday night, and this made the job a bit more difficult. However, the organiser, Neil Brenton, had been hoping to have had closer to thirty, which would have given even greater coverage than we were able to manage in the allotted time.

The Working Party season comes to an end next week, when we play for the Bill Danter Salver, and will start again in October, when we are sure there will be new challenges to face. But it won't surprise me if there is not a call in the next few weeks to do a special or two on the brook! Do turn out and help - it is great fun, as well as useful and productive to the Course Manager. We are  certainly not a closed shop or an elite corps, and anyone and everyone is welcome.   KM

On a very cold Monday morning (10th December) the Working Party held their annual Christmas Golf Competition. There was some mist about, the frost was reasonably light, but everyone was wrapped up to the eyeballs. A good turnout of some 18 players took part, including Course Manager, Mark Smith, and we were all relieved to get back to the warmth of the Clubhouse after a difficult knock. Denis Pick, as Chairman of Greens, also joined us on the course, and Club Captain Ian Phipps joined us for the Lunch which followed.   

Scores were average across the board, mainly because putting was difficult, but one member, with a little bit of good fortune on occasion, I understand, got round with a very creditable 36 points, and that was Tony Sumpter, now released from grandparental duties, and a regular once again in our group. In 2nd place, with 31 points was Doug Money, who never seems to be far away from the prizes.

Denis Pick thanked the WP for its efforts during the past three months, and was particularly pleased with the job we had done on the brook. He hoped we could find a new project to get our teeth into. Captain Neil thanked everyone for their attendances, the club for looking after our spiritual needs after a hard mornings work, and he reminded us all that despite three new members to the WP this session, we had also lost one or two to illness, and we were always keen to accept new recruits to our august and elite body of men! The Lunch was followed by the usual cheerful banter for which the group is well known.     KM

It was a freezing cold morning, and Bill Danter would not have appreciated the weather at all. But it stayed dry,as 24 pairs took to the field to play for the trophy in his name. A little later, a number of 9 holers followed suit, and judging by the expressions on their faces in the clubhouse later, they had not enjoyed the experience too much. The Course would not normally have been adjudged to be playable, but discretion was observed and some good scores emerged.

In 3rd place, on countback, with 35 points were Stan Birch and Peter Harrison. With a better countback and also with 35 points were Richard Blasdale and Terry Hanley. But in 1st place, with a score of 36 points, were the winners, Geoff Chaplin and Gary Miller, who played a very steady round throughout. Geoff was winner last year, and despite a poor year by his standards, has finished with a triumph. Gary and Geoff both spoke to thank all concerned and paid tribute to Bill Danter in whose honour we play. John Fitch (86) was the winner of the 9 Hole event.

Captain Neil then thanked Jan Fraser, the bar staff, (Pat Coleman, Trevor and Tracey), and also the kitchen management, (Emma and Chris and their staff), who had been so helpful during the past year, and also the author of this piece and his wife, Jo, for their help with the web site and the organisation of the entertainment.

There followed the usual sing song, a topical rendering of Much Olton in the Marsh, and the best singing so far by the Working Party of "The Handy Men" based on Sammy Davis Junior's "The Candy Man". We finished with Silent Night and Come All Ye Faithful. (Pictures in Senior Gallery)

A lovely meal and a great party - and a new member confided that it was the best Senior's do he had ever been to!      KM      

Despite all the gloomy predictions of rain and bad weather, the inaugural Winter Pairs Open got off to a dry start, on a chilly but fine day, in good order and good cheer. Old acquaintanceships were renewed, money for raffle tickets and the 2's was taken, coffee was drunk and bacon sandwiches scoffed, and at 10.30am precisely, the hooter sounded, and the 88 players (including 56 Visitors) were off. Considering all the rain we have had recently, the course played well, and a lot of work done on the leaves and brook (by the working party), really paid off.

The eventual winners were inevitably a dual Olton pair, Arthur Huke and Mike Symons, who amassed a goodly total of 41 points. In 2nd place - Steve Pinder, Stourbridge GC, and partner Ieuan White of Forest Hills GC with 39 points. In 3rd place came a deadly Olton duo - Tony Ridding and Graham Hoskin with 38 points. (Pictures on Senior Gallery).

Other interesting scores included Tom Blunt of Coventry GC who scored 2 x Two's on the 8th and 13th, respectively; and Charles Reen, Hagley GC scored a Two on the par 4, 3rd! Tony Ridding (Olton GC) won the right to use a Mercedes car for a weekend, from our sponsors, by being nearest the pin on the 5th. 

Olton President Terry Smith presented prizes to all the winners, and congratulated Senior Captain Neil Brenton and his organising team for their hard work. In finalising affairs, Captain Neil profusely thanked all the competitors, the bar staff, the catering staff, and above all the Greens staff who made it all possible on the day, not, however, forgetting the organiser, John Martin, who had done all the promotion work behind the scenes, for the event. The competition was the first time we had run such an event at this time of year, but it was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and will, undoubtedly, be repeated again next year.           KM

On a somewhat grim morning on which serious rain had been forecast, some 60 Seniors took to the field to play in the End of Season Stableford Shotgun Competition. This would be followed, traditionally, by Lunch and the AGM. The course was in good shape, the greens, after tyning a week or so ago, were quick, and good scores were the order of the day. The rain held off until the last couple of holes, and was then only light.

At the Lunch, Captain Neil Brenton introduced Vice Captain, Syd Madeley, who had invited Mark Melaugh, Chief Executive of the Solihull Care Trust, for the purpose of presenting him with a cheque for £2,127, resulting from contributions at the various Opens and Senior Charity events.

Captain Neil Brenton then presented The John Lattey Trophy, (the Dreaded Gnome - or Poisoned Dwarf), to the winners, Mike Whitfield and absentee apology, Bob Standley. Tony Turner and Stan Birch received a prize as losing finalists. He then presented prizes for winning the prestigious Hodson Shield to Bruce Wilson, and gallant finalist, John Molesworth. 

In the morning Competition, the three best scores were all 38 points, so it initially came down to the back nine scores. In first place with 21 points on the back nine, was John Belcher. Second and third places both had 19 points on the back nine, so over the last 6 holes, in second place with 14 points, was the ever-improving Ken Davies. In third place with 12 points, over the last 6 holes, was Frank Lambert. In the 9 hole competition, in which 5 Seniors took part, the winner was Past President, Bob Rodger. Prizes were given out by Club President, Terry Smith. (Photos on the Senior's Gallery).

At the AGM which followed, Captain Neil thanked all those who had helped him throughout his first year of Captaincy, including members of the Seniors, the Bar, Catering, Ground and Office staffs. He asked Seniors to remember Glynn Collins, who had passed away during this year, and Jim Murray and David Mosley, who were currently recovering from surgery in hospital, and he welcomed Malcolm Traves back after his heart blip.

Neil presented the accounts for the year, and the new fixture list for 2013. In AOB, Barry Hudson asked for more consideration for aged members in the Opens, and he had views on the prizes which would be discussed by the Committee.    KM

On Thursday 6th October, in the play-off for the Inaugural Les Holmes Trophy, an 18 Hole Stroke Play Competition for the Over 70's, John Arnold was victorious over Mike Whitfield by a clear margin (net 69 to net 74).

Congratulations to John, and better luck next year to Michael.                            KM

The Cecil Bayliss Trophy for the Over 70's was played on October 4th, over 9 Holes, on a pleasant morning, as a rearranged fixture. 24 good men and true, including a few golfers, took part, and Frank Lambert was the runaway winner, by half a point from John Molesworth and Bruce Wilson. Frank's score was a net 35, to 35.5 by the two runner-ups. John Lattey, as ever, was in 4th place. Frank's round would, I am sure, have been his usual steady effort. We were all very unfortunate, however, that John Molesworth missed a hole-in-one by a hairs-breadth, or we would all have had much to celebrate.    KM

At the recent Meeting of the Olton Hundreds, John and Jessie Tickell sponsored a Rye Foursomes Competition, which was competed for by 40 golfers, of whom 12 played 9 holes. A further 20+ diners sat down to an excellent lunch, called by the sponsors, and the winners were congratulated and awarded their prizes by Past President John Tickell. We were particularly delighted to welcome one newcomer in Mike Wiseman, who joined the Club at a very early age, probably while still in nappies(!), and he and his partner, Sheila Hudson, came 3rd with 37 points. In second place were Bob Young and Pat Bates, on countback from the winners, the ubiquitous and indefatigable John Lattey, and his partner Stan Birch, both groups with 39 points.  

In the Nine Hole Competition, in which the scores were not as distinguished, the winners were David Cadney and Shirley Harris. Bob Young and Pat Bates also collected a prize for getting two two's in their round. (For photos, see Senior's Gallery). Thanks were given to the sponsors, the green staff, and the bar and catering staff by the organiser, and the usual convivial gathering was advised that the next meeting would be on Friday, May 24th 2013.

Brian Warren organised a glorious autumnal afternoon for the Annual Senior's Yellow Ball competition. The course had been well cut back, and a little bird told me that there were no lost balls! Almost unheard of!. 46 players got off the mark to the sound of the shotgun, playing in fours (?).

The winners included the highly competitive duo of "A"team Captain, John Belcher, and Mike Whitfield, with assistance from "Steady Eddy", John Mackay, and "Along for the Ride", Vic Tracey, who boasted a total of 96 points.

In second place, our Club President, Terry Smith, organiser, Brian Warren, Stuart (back after a long lay-off) Crawford, and veteran of veterans, Barry Hudson, came home with 93 points. In third place were the elegant team of Peter Siddall, Mike Doyle, Alan Bates and Gary Compson, who had been specially flown over from Spain by his team Captain, at great expense! Their score was 91 points.

President Terry Smith presented the prizes to the winners, and John Belcher thanked all and sundry, and in particular, Brian Warren, for his wonderful organisation.   (Photos can be seen in Senior's Gallery.)    KM

Thursday, 23rd August. On a lovely sunny morning, the inaugural Les Holmes Senior's Trophy was played for by those over 70, capable of playing 18 holes of golf.

Les Holmes is a long standing member, who, although now retired from golf, wanted to put his own stamp on the Club. This latest competition is in addition to the Trophy he put up to be played between Robin Hood and Olton at the time of the Centenary, and is played for every year on an alternate Home and Away basis. Les was a lovely man, a true gentleman, always with a few sweets in his bag to dole out to all and sundry.                                                                                                                                                                                    The results are now available, with the omens confirming a play-off between two players whose handicaps should have been reduced long ago! John Arnold and Mike Whitfield tied with an excellent net 66, with David Farrar close behind with a net 69. A play-off is now required to establish the winner. 

On the same day, the Barry Hudson Trophy was played for, - eligible to those over 80, and capable of playing 18 holes of golf. There were just over half a dozen entrants and the winner was that old war horse, John Molesworth, who has become the winner for the second year running, with a very creditable net score of 70. John Lattey was not far behind him on a net 73, with David Ince third on 76,

Congratulations to all those who took part in both events. The 9 hole Cecil Bayliss Trophy for the over 70's will take place on Tuesday Oct 2nd.                                 KM

In the delayed play-off for the Senior Annual medal, two of the heavyweights of our Senior Golf Section, Graham Hoskin and Geoff Chaplin, went head-to-head in a tussle for ownership of the Senior Annual Medal. The game developed slowly, and was close for the first 7 holes, but Geoff Chaplin then began to putt brilliantly, to put in a card for a net 72 against Graham's 76. Graham was generous in his praise of Geoff, and spoke of Geoff as a worthy winner. Congratulations to Geoff.           KM

Olton and Walsall Golf Clubs did a swap Away Day, but neither club outdid the other in terms of the conditions. It rained quite hard for the whole of the first 9 holes, abated a little during the second nine, and gave us a shower across the last few holes just as we were getting used to being reasonably dry! In other words it was a pig of a day! But we all survived and produced some reasonable scores to show that it hadn't been a total waste of time.

The prize giving took place in a babel of confusion, and Brian Warren should really have dragged the body round the corner from Martineau St into Bull St, - if you don't understand this reference ask him to tell you the joke!

In the end, a result was produced. In First place with a very creditable 35 points was Tony Beer, who received the beautiful Captains Prize Trophy, playing off a handicap of 25. Do I hear the footsteps of the Handicap Secretary?

In second place was John Arnold with 31 points, and in third place was John Belcher, playing in his first away day, on 30 points. The nearest the pins went to David Johns (on the 18th), and Ken Davies (on the 10th), and they both received a Bottle of Scotch. (Photos in the Gallery Section).

Well done to Neil Brenton for his organisation, and thoughtfulness in remembering Glynn Collins, whose funeral took place today. And well done to Walsall Golf Club for a lovely meal and allowing us to play our Competition. The general feeling was that we would like to go back and play it again on a nice bright sunny day.       KM      

Following dreadful weather early in the week and a high-powered meeting to decide the fate of the Charity Golf Day, we woke up on Thursday 12th July to blue skies and sun! Although a little on the sharp side early on, the weather held for the morning and early afternoon and our Charity Day took place on a Course which was extraordinarily good, despite the greens having been hollow tined a few days before, Olton Members played with members from our other Clubs, as a quartet, in an  AM-AM stableford format. Early indications of decent scores were were not good, but, as usual, there are always the dark horses who creep in under the radar, and sweep the board - and so it turned out! Club Captain, Ian Phipps, handed out the prizes and congratulated all involved in a great days golf. 

1st   -  Bob Gay & Vic Tracey (Olton), with John Smart & Albert McKay (Kenilworth)  -  74 points

2nd  - Gary Compson & John Mackay (Olton) with Duncan Waters & Carl Wilson (Copt Heath) - 72 points     

3rd   -  Frank Lambert & Alan Bates (Olton) with Ian Bell & John Hickling (North Warwks)  -  71 points (on countback)

The assembled 48 Visitors from 12 of the 15 Clubs we play, plus 40 Olton members, sat down to a delicious Roast Lamb lunch, and were willingly accosted for Raffle tickets by the delectably dressed Jeannie Morrison and Dorothy Lucas (hopefully pictures will become available), and raised as yet unknown funds for The Captain's Charity, the Solihull Family Care Trust. When figures have been made available they will be posted and sent out to the Clubs involved. 

Congratulations to Senior Vice-Captain, Syd Madeley, and his helpers, for organising yet another tour de force Charity Day, which continues to be so popular with our opposition Clubs. A great morning's golf, in the dry (a rare event this summer), was enjoyed by all.      Kit Morton  

Under John Molesworth's admirable organisation, a packed field of 13 teams of 4 Players each, took to the course for the Annual Texas Scramble, on a chilly May afternoon, which initially belied the weather forecast, but got its own back with a full-blown hail storm towards the end of the round. Nevertheless,11 out of the 13 teams battled on and completed the course. 

President Terry Smith presented the prizes, and in 1st place with a net score of 58, were Graham Hoskins, Ian Cohen, Derek Birt and Richard Lea. In 2nd place, with with a net score of 60, were Dennis Pick, Colin MacMillan, Stewart Crawford and "golden oldie" Barry Hudson. 3rd place went to Bruce Wilson's team of Graham Siddle, Neil Brenton and Gary Miller with a net score of 64. Dennis Pick did his usual trick of garnering more than his fair share of prizes by being the nearest the pin on the 5th! (Photos in Senior Gallery).

Senior's Captain Neil Brenton thanked John Molesworth for all the hard work he had done to bring the event to a conclusion, and Colin Bonelle for his assistamce with the cards, and said that, despite the very mixed weather that they had had, it was the usual great competition. Neil also expressed the hope that David Mosley (still in hospital), and Brian Walker (now recovering at home), would swiftly recover from their recent operations, a sentiment that was roundly applauded by the assembled throng.    

Kit Morton

The question has arisen on a number of occasions, and it crops up in general conversations amongst Senior players, - how did the Senior's emerge? There had always been a history of the "old chaps" playing Tuesdays and Thursdays, (T & T's), with occasional sorties against local clubs, but it wasn't until Peter Watson took the bull by the horns in 1993, that this group became "Olton Seniors". Senior golf, in all areas, was developing - clubs were beginning to offer each other fixtures on a properly organised basis, and it was realised that such matches could make money, as well as encouraging older members to continue their active support of their Clubs. So Peter Watson, with the agreement of Committee, took command of Olton Seniors with initially a fixture list of some 10 local Clubs. Over the years, this has risen to 15, and has provided the Olton Seniors of today and tomorrow with wonderful opportunities to play competitive golf up to an age our forefathers would not have dreamed of.

Senior Captains: - Peter Watson 1993/4, Geoff Ward1995/6, Kit Morton 1997/8, Tony Wilde 1999/2000, Brian Cartwright 2001/2, Doug Money 2003/4, John Arnold 2005/6, Tony Turner 2007/8, Mike Doyle 2009/10, Gary Compson 2011, Neil Brenton 2012/13.