Conditions were chillier than of late and there was mud and four temporary greens (so non-qualifier for handicapping) to contend with. There were some very good scores – Tamas Ladacs winning with 39 points from Richard Owen 37. Tamas completed the harder back 6 without dropping a shot. Results…

Tamas and Richard share the lead to date in the Duke’s Eclectic on 69.5 – 6.5 ahead of nearest rival Stephen Mason. R2 Leader board…

Stephen and Colin Pizzey lead the overall Winter Competition on 96 – 2 ahead of Tamas and Richard. R3 Leader board…

Ladies

The rain of the previous day gave way to sunny skies that warmed considerably as the morning wore on, but underfoot was the usual winter challenge. Or was to most of the ladies. There was a significant distance between the first three, Val Riziotis (37), Jane Fraser(34) and Jayne Maxwell(33), and the other eight. With four temporary greens, the competition was a non-qualifier for handicapping purposes. Results…

In the associated Eclectic Val and Jayne have a commanding lead after two rounds, with Val 3.5 shots ahead of Jayne. However, only eight ladies currently have a full eclectic score. R2 Leader board…

Men

The sun made a welcome appearance and in spite of some heavy rain overnight, Duke’s was not as muddy as some anticipated. However, mud hampered many competitors and there were four temporary greens making putting a lottery at times – a non qualifier for handicapping purposes. At the top of the leader board is Russell Bryan with a commendable 37 points. Four 36s followed with Pete Davis 2nd on countback from Paul Rockett, Lee Marshall and Stephen Mason. Nick Rogers followed up a magnificent drive on 17 with a rifled high iron shot to the green and a putt to claim the first perch on the 2016 Eagle Tree. Results…

In the associated Winter Competition James Barker currently leads by one point on 103 from Stephen Legg. R3 Leader board…

Both James and Stephen share the lead in the Duke’s Eclectic. R2 Leader board…

A still slightly chilly and foggy day greeted competitors. A number of holes on Prince’s were indeed muddy. After a shaky start, Colin Pizzey got into his stride returning 39 gross on the back  to win the medal with net 67. Richard Owen pipped Manny Hernandez on countback (both 70) to take second place, Richard returning the best gross of the day. CSS was elevated to SSS+1. Results…

Despite the rain, 16 competitors turned out for the first competition of the year. The tough conditions raised CSS to SSS plus two but there were good scores especially. from winner Ed Henery on 37pts from Tony Kopczak 36 and James Barker 35. Well done to Ed who is now solidly in single figure @ 9.1. Results…