The morning golfers had to contend with rain for a while, but the bright, spring like conditions which developed before lunchtime attracted the biggest number of Sunday golfers to the course for many weeks.
After a long list of appearances among the lesser prizes, Tony Henderson made the long expected climb to the top when he lifted the Sunday Shop Sweep with 45pts off 10. He could put that long list of near misses down to individual unwelcome NRs and double bogeys appearing on each card, but on Sunday there were no such slip-ups as birdies at 4 and 15 helped him go round in just 1 over par for that elusive victory.
Mark Hughes has been another familiar name among the prize winners this winter and his 42pts, off 19, gave him second place. Although he had birdies at 1 and 11, NRs at 8 and 11 kept him out of contention for the top spot.
Third place went to Eddie McComb with 40pts off 22. This is the second time this year he has found himself among the prizes so he will no doubt be in very optimistic about the new season. With evidence of spring becoming ever more apparent by the day, that new season is drawing close.
Coner McConville, 18, also returned 40pts to take 4th place. He had the edge over Eddie after scoring 22pts on the front 9, but his 18 homeward pts left him being edged out by 1pt on the back 9.
Four players returned 39pts to contest the next 4 nett prizes. Conor Thompson’s 20 homeward pts, off 12, put him at the top of the quartet to take 5th place helped by birdies at 4 and 17. Iain Mulholland played his customary steady round to come next off 13. Olcan Kearney took 7th place, off 4, and his round included an interesting spell in the middle when he covered holes 7 to 9 in birdie, double bogey, birdie. Barry McDonald, 25, had finished third the previous Sunday, but triple bogeys at 3 and 17 saw him fall down to 8th place this week.
Joseph Carroll, 8, and Chris O’Neill, 17, took 9th and 10th prizes respectively with 38pts. Just 1 player managed to break par on the day and by doing so Gary Clarke took the gross prize with 38 gross pts. This week the birdie machine had birdies at 1, 4, 13 and 15 to add to the many already under his belt this year. The eclectic score for the three rounds he has played in the year thus far is 9 under par!
Gareth Moore took the second gross prize after a level par round for 36 gross pts. He matched birdies at 7 and 9, with bogeys at 1 and 11.