2020

The articles in this section represent the stories behind the names on the board of the 2020 Board Competition Season for this golf course ... 2020 AGC captain Stuart Mason is pictured . These articles could be completed for any golf club ... contact us for details . The scribe who created all of these reports and this website is Paul Hackett . If anyone has pictures of the winners / contenders they are welcome to contact this website .

2020 Captain Stuart Mason built on his quartet of 2019 wins to take the Watson , beating his 51 rivals and securing a two stroke elementary victory with a magnificent display of accurate hitting and good course management in the dry and sunny conditions . Promising Alty 2019 rookie John Thompson flattered to deceive with consecutive net eagles on the back 9 but fell away at Amen Corner to finish third whilst rejuvenated Peter Higgins regrouped superbly after a poor back 9 to snatch 2nd place .Alty stalwarts Goodall ( best gross) and Boardman both shot gross 36 on the front 9 to stumble on the closing holes and that quintet all received cuts from the handicapper as well as Ian Cheetham , who received that accolade for the first time . Overall a day where only 5 members beat par and showing that our beloved course can still provide a stern test even in seemingly benign conditions .

Magical Matt Astbury takes his second victory in a week and strolls away with the F Cox Memorial with a dominant 44 point haul , a 7 point win giving him his first Board Competition and a massive 4.8 cut from the handicapper which meant that his handicap is an incredible 8.4 lower than last week . Messrs Neersoo, Dickens and Cawley were the only other players to beat their handicap equivalent score on a day where members were clearly still adjusting to the post-lockdown conditions with defending champion Nicholls down the field and our elite players struggling to post a decent score in the sunshine. . Read More...

Big-hitting Richard Paulson has won the Bailey Cup ( his maiden Board Competition victory ) in the Committee room after the original declared winner Lee Cullen was DQ’d because of an oversight in his handicap . Paulson , whose front 9 brilliance on the day (continued to him getting to -6 after 12 holes ) was then sensationally dimmed by our Amen Corner to fall behind but regroup and hold on to prevail by a stroke whilst a second Cullen (John) staged a late rally to take second place with Paulsons’ golfing chum David Doughty producing a round worthy of his name to claim 3rd. place . Down the field former Secretary Goodall bemoans poor play on the easy holes , Carl Grout had his challenge ruined by Amen Corner whilst rookie Greg Hall , playing his first Board comp unfortunately NR’s on 17 when he was in the lead ... dry and sunny conditions today with little wind yet only 3 members beat their handicap as our recovering course punishes us on those delicate greens .

‘Lucky loser’ former Captain Gordon G. Boardman took full advantage of his good fortune by taking advantage of the front 9 leaders frailties by recording a superb 'best in show'+2 back 9 , storming through the field to take the prestigious Cooper trophy for the 13th Board Competition of his long Alty career . Post-lockdown handicap-cutting sensation Matt Astbury rued wayward driving after an electric start but still came through for second place whilst Messrs Goodall and Lomas filled the minor places both despairing of poor performances on the 'easier' holes . Further down the field front 9 leaders Lee Cullen , Grout and Mr Captain (Stuart Mason) were all completely blown away in their back 9s on a day where no-one recorded a 'plus' score to beat the course for the third year running and the handicapper did not find it apt to cut any players handicap.

Simply stunning Keith Ralston and Mark Snape take the Wilson Trophies by 5 strokes with an inclement weather masterclass whilst precocious duo Thompson and Astbury are undone by Amen Corner despite a JT net albatross earlier in the round . Paul ‘best in show’ Southworth couldn’t quite inspire misfiring big bro Brian but the pair take third whilst legendary pairing Miller/MacDonald and Club Champion Rothwell/Grogan both struggled on the back 9 on a day where our beloved course was undoubtedly the winner in the face of squally showers and swirling winds on a tortuous day in midsummer .

Golfing Methuselah John Wilks sensationally outlasts Alty giants Balfour Cup hero Keith Ralston and NR’d multi-Club Champion Glen Rothwell ( who both crucially leak shots on the ‘easier’ holes ) to snatch the Tommy Barlow trophy out of their grasp on the final hole and take the first Board Competition of his Alty career . Another legendary figure Danny Miller takes third place with Messrs Nicholls and Grout ( derailed by a pair of 8’s) completing the top 5 on a day where the course again bossed all but 2 of us with just one beating their handicap on the front 9 in the tricky conditions .of fine rain and gentle but swirling winds .

Danny Miller takes his second Coronation Cup and 31st Board Competition of his legendary Alty career spanning 23 glorious years with a dramatic countback victory over the unfortunate front 9 leader Richard Paulson whose net bogey at the final hole gifted Miller the win in the windy cool conditions today. Solid performances from Stewart Royle , David Doughty and Norman Crowther saw them all agonisingly finish just one stroke behind ( and bemoaning lapses on the easier holes ) and complete our top 5 whilst down the field Andrews’ Window and Moss both suffer cruel back 9 collapses when in challenging positions on a day where our beloved course again was the winner and was card-wreckingly brutal to some unfortunate competitors .

Former Alty Captain Roy Dickens sensationally spreadeagled the field for a virtual wire to wire demolition of his 51 rivals with a quite magnificent handicap-busting net 64 to claim the 7th Board Competitionof his Alty career on a day where he seemed to be the only golfer to truly master the cool conditions ,swirling winds , sticky fairways and greens . 6 shots back , Derek Cullen recorded the only other sub par round whilst Matt Astbury took third place with both also attracting the notice of the handicapper whereas 4th placed Nick Alderson recovered from a poor start to fire the best back 9 of the day .Many thanks to Mr Captain and his team whose non-stop offering of refreshments throughout the round were perhaps a factor in the scoring as his generosity was fully exploited by all.

Ian Wood has taken the first individual Board Competition of his Alty career and second in total with a superb display achieving a slender one-point victory outlasting fellow low handicappers Butterworth and Ralston who both inexplicably faltered on the benign 16th. Front 9 joint leader Ian Cheetham had crucially blobbed 15 to miss out in fourth whilst joint leader Paul Southworth sensationally fell away to score only 6 back 9 points to finish 33rd . Bailey hero Richard Paulson completed the top 5 who all attracted the attention of the handicapper whilst defending champion John Thompson rues missed chances to finish 11th and your scribe completes the miserable journey from winner to runt scorer in just 44 days on a day where members fared much better than of late against our challenging course in the calm , cool conditions.

Dave Drury sensationally comes through the field to snatch a countback victory from an 8 point deficit at the turn with a course management masterclass in the wet conditions for the second Board Competition win of his Alty career . He overhauled front 9 leader Andrew Moss , whose extraordinary 27 point front 9 salvo included a 5 point net condor 3 on the 4th but whose inability to cope with our Amen Corner holes cost him dearly . Lee Lomas similarly faltered after a great start but finished 3rd with Messrs Butterworth , Roberts and Miehe completing the top 6 on a day where the Woods struggled in the family comp and only 4 beat their handicap on a day where the wet conditions made the course more difficult than usual .

The legendary family Royle finally re-enter the Board Competition winners circle after 2 years in the wilderness as David and Neil Royle take the Greatbanks Trophy on +8 by a solitary win from last years Gyves&Gardner winners Window& Cheetham with top 2019 rookies Astbury and Thompson in third . At the bottom of he leaderboard DQ’d pair Wilks and Grouts’ score was the equal of the winners and lament inexplicably marking their own card on a day where members fared much better in the sunny and windy conditions .

Mark Snape is in pole position to land his first Club Championship with a superb 76 that included 2 birdies . He leads by two from David Royle who recovered from a horrid start to produce the best back 9 and be a definite threat for tomorrow . Former champion Stewart Royle lead after 9 but couldn't cope with Amen Corner today whilst Danny Miller is also 3 shots back. after a solid but unspectacular round . Reigning Club Champion Glen Rothwell sensationally slumped to his worst round for over a year and his 84 leaves him a massive 8 shots back ... whilst he undoubtedly has the class to produce a superb round is he too far behind to contend ? We will see ...

. David Royle defeats club legend Danny Miller to take his first J Ford Club Championship after both had played superbly to finish deadlocked at +12 in a tense first-hole playoff . First round leader Mark Snape had a frustrating day on the greens but a quad bogey on unlucky 13 cruelly lost him the title to finish joint third with 2017 champion Stewart Royle who again showed front 9 excellence but crucially couldn’t master the back 9 whilst a quality round from John Hogan holds off Glen Rothwell to take fifth , with the defending champion unable to mount a challenge in sixth . An absorbing weekend which saw the lead change on several occasions with our beloved course firmly in control of our elite players in the largely benign conditions.

Recently deposed former Club Champion Glen Rothwell responds magnificently to pair the excellent Ged Grogan to a truly magnificent countback victory over the evergreen Sainthouse-Kay duo in the dry and stuffy conditions today . Rare pair Bartley/Hadfield and local chums Mills/Doughty fill the minor places on a day where the competition had no less that 5 pairs in contention with one hole left . A 5-point tremendous Nat Thomas eagle on 1 and an exceptional 25-point Higgins/Caffrey front 9 were other highlights on a day of drama on our beloved , uber-deceptively challenging course .

2020 Altrincham GC Captain Stuart Mason (78/13/65) delivered a tee to green ball-striking masterclass to claim his second victory of the season by a three stroke margin over fast-finishing Raymond Corcoran , who played his final 5 holes 6 under his handicap to edge playing partner Andy Mills into third place as he faltered in the closing holes after sharing the lead with 3 to go . David Christian scrambled well in the face of poor play from playing partners in 4th whilst Messrs Brickhill and Ralston had solid rounds with the latter stalling after a superb gross 36 front 9 had flattered to deceive in the stiflingly hot conditions .

Stableford specialist Dave Drury picked up his second Board Competition of that genre this season with a sensational four birdie assault of the course displaying a razor sharp short game and course management nous , prevailing by 3 points from revitalised enforcer George Sainthouse whose Amen Corner frailties crucially cost him dear . Club Champion Royle (3rd) and fellow low-handicappers Snape(4th) and Ralston(5th) all started poorly to blight their chances whilst Walton Junior and Senior joined the aforementioned in celebrating cuts in their handicaps on a day where the benign sunny conditions made it slightly easier for our membership with the back 9 easier than usual on our fast improving fairways , greens and (most) bunkers .

Captain-elect Danny Miller captured his second Trafford Leisure Trophy in 3 years for his 32nd Board Competition win , now only one away from fellow legend James West . He prevailed after shooting a phenomenal level par gross 36 back 9 to snatch victory by a single stroke from the unfortunate Nathan Butterworth , whose occasional frailties at the easier holes ultimately cost him today after an otherwise superb round . Solid performances of occasional brilliance from Grogan and Cawley in the minor places whilst neither front 9 joint leaders Johnson and Grout were able to reproduce their best when it mattered in the closing holes .Overall only 5 of the 43 competitors managed to beat their handicap on a day of ridiculously high scoring by some of our number as the course continues to recover but with green and fairway pace sometimes impossible to judge on a warmish , dryish summers day .

Classy Keith Ralston outlasts the superb Stephen Whyte to take the Gibson on countback for his second victory .of the season and 12th overall . Both contenders gave scintillating displays with Whyte essentially denied an overdue first Board Competition by a crucial error on his penultimate hole . Messrs Miehe , Paulson and Alty new boy were the only other members to beat their handicap on a day when the course again reminded us that it presents a difficult challenge on all holes .

Red-hot audacious pair John Thompson (15/20/35) and Matt Astbury (20/23/43) produced a devastating back 9 performance to destroy their 23 rival pairs and take their first pairs title in the difficult conditions today . Glory-seeking Miller and Johnson took second place a distant 12 points behind with the Fallon brothers impressing in third with new pairing Caffrey and Mills fourth and serial contenders Ralston and Snape fifth . A veritable blob-fest as the course dominated all but the winners on an attritional day of golf. as the vast majority of members struggled to cope with the intermittent rain and swirling winds today .

David Doughty outlasts the 44-strong field to win his first Board Competition .to crown a fine display crucially mastering Amen Corner in an incredibly tight contest where a quartet shared the lead with just one hole to go .Second-placed Ian Cheetham showed a welcome return to form whilst third-placed Club Champion David Royle had the huge consolation of achieving a spectacular hole-in -one on the 3rd hole to join a select few .and can now expect the joy of an AGC hole-in-one tie ! Tee to green wet conditions meant that the course was undeniably the master of the membership today with several of our top players totally humbled with indecently high scores .

Alty hotshot John Thompson bullies the course into submission with a phenomenal net 64 to show disdain at the difficult conditions to cruise to a dominant six stroke victory to take his 3rd Board Competition of the season as longtime challenger Brian Southworth throws away the majesty of his play by erroneously signing for the wrong score whilst Keith Ralston makes a stout attempt to defend his title inheriting second place . Alty stalwarts low handicapper Gordon Boardman and high handicapper Brian Price took the minor positions on a day where the vast majority still found our beloved course difficult .

Stewart Royle shows admirable calm amongst the storm created by the difficult conditions to ease his way to a landmark 20th Board Competition victory , victorious on countback from the rejuvenated Brian Cawley whilst serial winner Danny Miller bemoans poor high Stroke Index holes in third . Brian Price gloriously held the lead for the first 15 holes but was heartbreakingly derailed by a late collapse in the final holes on a day where not one member beat their handicap as our beloved course again got the better of us all .

Matt Astbury eases to an incredible fourth Board Competition of his breakthrough season , outlasting the admirably consistent Keith Ralston on countback courtesy of a teak-tough mindset after a poor start , a hot putter , great scrambling and good course management . Ralston also had regrouped well after a poor start but his excellent finishing burst proving not quite enough whilst third placed Andrew Moss bemoans a net triple bogey 8 on 9 when threatening to take charge of the competition .

Glen Rothwell (70/5/65) takes a landmark 20th Board Competition with the lowest round of the trophy season as he sensationally took the course apart , just enough to prevent Alty hotpot John Thompson (86/20/66) from collecting a 4th gong of the season but bemoaning a crucially poor start whilst taking his handicap cut to a staggering 9.4 shots since May . In-form Brian Cawley was the only other member to beat his handicap as our beloved course again proved too hot to handle for the vast majority of us on a day where the front 9 was unusually harder to master .

Club champion David and father Neil make it a right Royle occasion as they sensationally net eagle the final hole to cruelly snatch the Gyves and Gardner Trophies from the grasp of the similarly excellent long-time leaders Johnson and Price and take their second pairs trophy of the season . JS Chorlton winners Grogan and Rothwell finished never nearer to challenge in third place with local chums Doughty/Mills 4th and evergreen pair Wood/Boardman completing the top 5. Defending champions Window and Cheetham got themselves in contention with just 4 holes to play but they spectacularly collapsed perhaps under the weight of their own expectations on a day where members seemed to enjoy their annual experience of the quirky world of greensome golf .

Restricted this year to just 15 events , this prestigious competition has again been largely forgotten by some members and not even known about by our newer ones . 2020 Player of the Year candidate John Thompson took the fourth and most prestigious Board Competition of his incredible campaign without realising his accomplishment, ‘holding off ‘ serial contenders Keith Ralston , Glen Rothwell and Danny Miller with 2020 Captain Stuart Mason and Ged Grogan completing the top 6 with strong campaigns in a competition blighted by the added difficulty in scoring caused by the tricky conditions of our beloved course on occasions through the season.

Glen Rothwell continued his domination of this prestigious event , cruising to his sixth consecutive victory , seventh in all and thus now increasing his overall Board Competition haul to 21 with a series of outstanding performances to win by 16 strokes . Fellow Hall of Famer Danny Miller can be very encouraged by his excellent second place finish with another stalwart Stewart Royle holding off Club Champion David Royle to finish third . Keith Ralston should take great satisfaction from his fifth position with his great chum Mark Snape in sixth in an event much restricted by the pandemic but our elite golfers still managed to perform to a high standard this season . Much respect to them !

John Thompson and Matt Astbury (4 wins each) were the outstanding Board Competition players of 2020 with Thompson having no less than 9 finishes in the top 3 with Astbury on 7.

Multi -winners John Thompson and Matt Astbury took the prestigious pairs trophies defeating Lee Lomas & Keith Walton Jr in the final .