DARREN Nightingale and Stu Ridley narrowly overcame a superb effort from a lone Jeremy Saunders to secure victory in Evesham Golf Club’s Winter League finals.
The competition started in October and involved some 24 pairings split over four divisions, with the top two pairings from each division qualifying for the knockout stages and the bottom pairing for the wooden spoon play-off.
The qualifiers for the dreaded wooden spoon final were father and son team Derek and John Stanley against Ashley Curnock and Dave Morris.
The Stanleys took the all-important win, thus relegating last year’s winners of the Winter League Curnock and Morris to this year’s last place and proving what a strange game golf can be.
The qualifiers for the final were Nightingale and Ridley who saw off a lone Saunders whose partner Andy Jones was unfortunately having to self-isolate.
It was a tremendous effort by Saunders to take the match all the way to the 16th against one of the most consistent pairings within the club, but many congratulations must go to Nightingale and Ridley on a fine campaign.
Both finals were run alongside a competition of the day which ensured a good turnout for the various presentations afterwards.
The Betterball Stableford format was won by Chris Jewkes and his partner Grantham Speake with 44 points on countback on the back six from Mike Abraham and John Richards.
The Winter League is a long-standing tradition at Evesham Golf Club and, despite some very trying conditions on occasions when the half-time stop for breakfast is most welcome, it is a well-supported and friendly format which all competitors enjoy.