Having won competitions in both summer and autumn, Tony Gallery can now truly claim to be a Man for all Seasons after lifting the first week of the second half of the Winter League with 34pts off 9.
An NR at 7 had threatened to set him upon a downward spiral, but birdies at the short 12th and long fifteenth exemplified his versatility and enabled him to cover 13 of the 14 holes in play in level par.Joe Dowey Jnr is among an elite group of players vying for the top player of the Winter award so frequently has he appeared among the prizes. He took the runners-up prize with 34pts off 5 after a 1 under par round helped by birdies at 2, 12 and 15. This is the 10th time in his last 13 outings that Joe has played below his handicap so there is just no stopping him at the moment.
Another man in tip top form at the moment is Gavin Harbinson and he popped up among the prizes again by coming 3rd with 33pts off 12. Four over par after 7 holes he redeemed his chances with birdies at 10 and 11 only to drop 5 shots over the last 4 holes. Gary Clarke pocketed his second consecutive gross prize after a round of 2 under par for 30 gross pts. Four birdies and 2 bogeys saw him complete his fourth sub-par round in a row and bring him back into contention for the winter’s best overall gross prize. The low section went to Francis Tallon who carded his fourth round of 1 under par in a row for 33pts off 3. He had birdies at 1, 10, 15 and 17 to leave his regular playing partners once more in his wake.
Stephen Walter and Brian J Bassett, both 8, had 32pts each with Stephen claiming runners-up spot in the section over the closing holes. Brian was 1 under par at the turn but lost out on the prizes by dropping 5 shots on his way home. Alan Harrison took the middle section with 33pts off 12. He began his round with a birdie and thereafter did little wrong as he lifted his second prize in a row after claiming third place in the Wednesday Sweep three days previously. A great start to the year for Alan which he will be hoping continues well into the summer and beyond. Zach Best is showing no signs of slowing down as he lifted second place in the section with 33pts off 9. This was Zach’s third top place finish of the winter so far and he is among that elite group seeking overall individual honours. Ronan Smyth and Sean McKinstry, both 9, narrowly missed out on 32pts.
The high section went to Gary Totton with 32pts off 16. A birdie at 11, the longest par 3, was immediately followed by an NR at 12, the shortest par 3, to dampen his thoughts of victory. Mark Hughes came 2nd in the section with 32pts off 15. On each half of his round he had played himself into a very strong position only for NRs at 9 and 18 to conclude things in disappointing fashion.
Graham McNeill, 16, and Barry Murphy, 20, came up just short of the prizes with 31pts.
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