By all accounts and from the scores there was a fair bit of excitement out on the course for the second round of the Fred Howe despite the smallish field. The weather was a bit on the iffy side but Noodles managed to keep it up (doesn’t he always) and brought home the bacon and collected his biggest for the year (trophy, that is).
Not too far behind, by a ‘short’ head was the sharpest shooter in the club (gun) Targe who, if it wasn’t for a couple of wobbles along the way, could easily have stepped up to a higher plane. Ever consistent Oliver was not quite so consistent this time but still put in a creditable performance to get the points for third place.
Bean-counter Brendon could easily have been suffering from post-hole-in-one-stress-syndrome but despite that he improved on the previous week’s effort and presented to the judges in fourth place. Mehmet was the big mover on the day with a six point improvement to leap up the ladder into 5th place.
And, as for the rest – less said.
The little birdie had no info on the nearest the pin competitions but we did manage seven birdies. The Eagles nest has shrunk back to a paltry single ball so undoubtedly there was little incentive to even try.
The event that did almost over-shadow the major though was the first place round of the Matchplay. This was contested between Snags and Blighty and they both obviously meant business. Craig has obviously been saving himself for this and put together the best round of the day (and for quite a while for him) with a total of 41 points. Blighty was not far behind on the points total and as a result they finished the 18th all square. So, according to the rules, they will have to slug it all out again to try to break the dead-lock. So still a bit of excitement left with Targe and Damo to also fight it out for third place.
Also a big welcome to another Craig (Cameron) who came along and put in his first card with us. Craig is a Cats supporter but we can’t hold that against him. With a pretty impressive 75 off the stick, the handicapper has his pencil out and looking to be writing out a fairly small number after the three rounds. Well done Craig and hope you have a great time with Ivanhoe Social.
The iffy weather resulted in a decision to have a pizza feast instead of a bar-b-q and it seems that Oliver excelled himself on this score as well and the tucker was enjoyed by all in the comfort of the Clubhouse.
Arrangements for the Annual Challenge trip are under way and deposits are required to Gordo by 9th August ($100). The cost is estimated to be $260 per player and $410 per couple (1 player). You can join Murray Downs on line and qualify for a 10% discount on everything at the Club (except scores)
Results for Saturday, 26 July 2014
1st Stephen Butterfield(38, 39, 77) 2nd Targe Mifsud(37, 38, 75) 3rd Oliver Gross(37,35, 72) 4th Brendon Mitchell(34, 36, 70) 5th Mehmet Akdag(31, 37, 68)