The Texas scramble once again proved to be a club favourite, and a brisk up to three club breeze wasn’t a barrier in the end after all, although it was fun to see one of the teams all playing a driver off the fairway for their second shots on the 11th. To be fair, this did bring much enjoyment and one spectacularly successful effort. The Charity Day saw 13 teams, 52 players, very welcome last-minute substitutes, teams starting off the 1st and 10th tees from 9.12 to ensure pace of play, and some unbelievable scoring due to playing off the forward yellow tees for the men and fairways seeing a lot of roll to help the shorter hitters. The winning team, Bradley Francis, Norman Howard, Rudy Ridwand, and Thisanayagam Umasunthar shot a nett 50 which translates to 22 under par. This is effectively equivalent to a birdie on every hole plus an eagle or two, a feat rarely seen among PGA professionals who would be statistically expected to shoot around 55 on a tour course, or a 1:3 chance of going below 55 on a standard par 72 course. Amazing golf gentlemen and well played. Runners up were Ian Cox, David Kear, Jack Magee and Terry White with a nett score of 53, and third pace went to Liz Ellis, Annabel Heywood, Martin King and Sean Barton with a nett 54. There were six other teams with a score of 59 or better. Remarkable stuff. Prizes for long drives at the 6th went to Theo Brown and Liz Ellis, nearest the pin on the 4th went to Jarlath Brine and Liz Ellis, and nearest the pin on the 10th to Colin Bailey (mightily relieved that he didn’t have to fund a repeat of his hole in one the previous Captain’s Day). Sadly none of the women members hit the 10th green which the cross wind did make a tough tee shot. This left an extra prize and the opportunity for a big shout out to Steve Finn who had done a significant amount of work (above and beyond) to help the organisation before and on the day. Cheers Steve. Thanks are also due to Penny and Carole for all their work, The after-round BBQ was a very well organised operation and our thanks go to the catering team for timing and cooking the food so well. The team and club spirit and really inclusive atmosphere was manifest with people staying around for a long time after play had finished. This is a great club strength and one we mustn’t take for granted, although the pride with which some members were wearing West Ham shirts did raise more than a few eyebrows. The committee did check and no R&A rules were contravened by this, although the committee do have the power to set local rules … The Oxford Children’s Hospital representatives, Jane from the communications team and Laura from the fundraising team, gave the players a fantastic overview of the impacts the hospital has: from the care to the children to supporting and feeding parents through times of great emotional stress. The Club were pleased to announce, with huge thanks to the generosity of David and Julie Brimble in giving all the green fee takings to the charity, that £1575 was raised on the day. A superbly organised raffle, again with the wonderful help of Barbara Wynn drumming up trade and making sure all the draws were done and prize winners badged up during the competition, raised a further £655. This was a truly “club” effort and a great credit to all members and their guests on the day and others who purchased raffle tickets but couldn’t be there. And remember, there is still the silent auction which closes on Sunday 5th July, the charity jar for any small change you have to spare, and the Captain’s Charity Bunker on the 10th for all the honest golfers who end up in there to contribute donations for the remainder of the season. It was wonderful to see everyone there today and the fantastic team spirit. Thank you. The next club majors coming up for sign-ups are: • Men’s Club Championship 11th/12th July • Women’s Club Championship 25th July • Men’s Pro 4 Ball 26th July Please note that to be eligible for the club majors you must have played in three competitions in the previous 12 months. Finally, a reminder that club night roll ups are becoming very popular, attracting new and existing members, and run every Thursday from 6.10: sign up on the tee sheet or turn up on the night by 6.15