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 .