Since I normally seem to be the weekly bearer of bad news regarding the performances of various BBs across the sundry courses we favour with our custom, it is with great pleasure than I am able to report this week a significant improvement in our results.
Last week I calculated that about 36% of our scores at Huntswood were blobs = big fat zeroes. This week the winningest pair, MikeS and Nick, posted 36% of their scores as 3 and 4-pointers and the winning individual, MikeW, posted 33% of his scores as 3-pointers. As far as the BBs are concerned, one or more birdies does indeed make the summer.
We had later tee-times than normal after lunch which provided an opportunity for us to have lunch in the clubhouse before start of play. Sadly our organiser for the day, PeterR, was delayed leaving home and then ran into a road closure through Bisham so had to make do with a sandwich on the fly. On the other hand, as the photo opposite shows, Nick arrived in time to indulge in a Temple lunch followed by his very favourite sponge cake and coffee.
One has to wonder whether or not BBs are, by nature, oriented to peaking later in the day rather than at sparrow-fart given the better scoring this week.
The balls fell so that MikeS and Nick were partnered and they were playing with Roger and myself. The other 4-ball comprised MikeW teamed with Bill playing with PeterR teamed with RobM. We won the toss and went off first. Mike stuck his drive in the woods and I was on the back of the green in 2 and thinking that it looked like we would take an early lead – mistakingly as it happened since, despite intense practice on the hyper-quick putting green, I continued my habit of hitting the ball way past the pin, backwards and forwards, and thereby took 4 putts to go down for 1 point, while the sponge-cake fuelled Player A stepped into the breach as far as their team was concerned and posted 3 points.
Worse was to follow on the 2nd hole where Roger and I could only manage a point apiece while Mike and Nick both scored 4 points. Showing off we called it and took a small measure of delight in pointing out that only one of their scores would count, it being a Better Ball competition.
They must have been upset by this because on the next hole they both scored blobs. I was again on this green in 2 but once again did some fly-past putting before scraping 2 points. However Roger and I were optimistic that the effect of the sponge-cake was now wearing off. We were rapidly disabused of this notion when they scored 3, 3, 4, 4 and 3 points over the next 5 holes and we found ourselves behind by 24 to 15. It was some, but only small, consolation when I birdied the 9th (only 1 putt!!!) and they both blobbed it.
Player B then put in an appearance and Roger and I managed to establish a 1 point lead on the back 9 as we left the 16th green. Sadly for us we were then close enough to the clubhouse for Player A to smell sponge cake and eager to finish the round as quickly as possible, he popped in two 3-pointers which we could n’t match and thereby lost the back 9 to them as well.
It now being almost horlicks-time a couple of us had to leave pronto while Player A and others headed to the clubhouse for tea and, yes you guessed it, more sponge cake.
The results were made slightly complex by Bill having to retire hurt after the 12th hole – at which point that pair of 2-balls became a 3-ball and I re-scored the last 6 holes for them using the standard BB handicap adjustment. The result was that they won the back 6 while Mike and Nick won the front 12 and overall. Roger and I thereby funded their winnings which was just about what we deserved.
Team scores:
MikeS and Nick 29 + 13 = 42
Roger and Richard 24 + 11 = 35
PeterR and RobM (front 12) 23
MikeW and Bill (front 12) 20
PeterR, MikeW and RobM (back 6) 15
Individual league scores:
MikeW (34), MikeS and Richard (33), Nick and PeterR (31), RobM (25), Roger (20) and Bill (dnf)
