Outcasts' C. C. Silver Boot Awards Night

Friday 3rd November saw the annual Outcasts' Awards Dinner, organised this year by last year's joint Silver Boot recipients Chris Truesdale and Jeff Stanton. The venue was Rozafa's Greek restaurant on Princess Street in the city centre of Manchester, with club members convening in the City Arms for a pre-meal drink (or three).

15 Outcasts turned up, with apologies from several stalwarts including Peter Taylor, Eric Shufflebotham and Paul Graveling, Paul having set off from Newcastle to get as far as Durham only to find that the trans-Pennine trains to Manchester had all been cancelled!

The meal was hugely enjoyable with a pick and mix assortment of starters and mains sufficient to keep everyone happy, and a range of Greek beers and wines as an accompaniment. Unfortunately the atmosphere was far too lively for the presentation of awards, and the Outcasts diners had to retire to a local, quieter, bar for the voting and presentations to take place.

For the first time on record, all the major awards were shared. There were 8 nominations for the Champagne Moment - with both Chris and Paul being nominated twice. In the end the award was shared between Eric, for his match-winning 6 in Dorset, and Jeff for his match-saving final over against Rammy Traders. Honourable mention must go to Paul M, Andy B and Chris T who all received recognition for their exploits. The votes including 2 forwarded in advance from members who couldn't attend on the night.

The Golden Duck award was equally tight, with 9 players being nominated. The votes were spread around with the final outcome showing that Andy Broadhurst and Colin Wood were joint winners with 4 votes apiece.

The tension mounted as votes were counted for the prestigious Silver Boot award for player of the season. Five Outcasts received nominations, but for much of the count it was neck and neck between Steve Potter and David Walsh, both of whom had excelled with the bat. At the end of the count they couldn't be split with 6 votes each and, once more, the award was shared.

Thanks go to Chris and Jeff for organising a most enjoyable evening, to the 15 members who made it on the night, to those who would have liked to have been there but who couldn't make it for one reason or another and who sent their apologies, and to Roger and Ted for standing in for the absent Paul and assisting with the votes' count.

So it's down to Steve and David to organise next year's event. In the meantime, there's a pie and peas social evening scheduled for the 12th December at Stalybridge Buffet Bar, and we look forward to all meeting up again there.

OUTCASTS GOLF DAY – BOYSNOPE PARK GOLF CLUB, 1^ST SEPTEMBER 2017

After several years at William Wroe Golf Club in Flixton, the annual Outcasts’ Golf Day moved to Boysnope Golf Course on the A57 between Eccles and Irlam, as the William Wroe course had closed to be developed for housing. The weather gods were smiling on us and the weather looked set fair for a good day. Bacon butties and tea and coffee were served as the intrepid eight prepared for their round. Many of the players were trying out brand new Taylor Made clubs, courtesy of Paul Mooney’s wife Geraldine, and her employer, the Prince’s Trust.

The first group included last year’s winner Steve Potter, as well as the previous champion Nick Thompson, accompanied by Paul Mooney and Ted Noone. The following group was made up of Ron Truesdale, Les Cooper, Bob Sproat and Alick Cross. The first challenge was nearest the pin on the 3^rd, the shortest hole on the course. In the first group, Nick Thompson’s tee shot was right at the pin and about 15 feet short. None of the others in the group were on the green. The second group had one contender on the green but a few feet outside Nick’s effort.

At the turn, it was clear that Les was playing out of his skin so far, despite not fully grasping the Stableford scoring system, but could he keep it up? Steve and Alick were playing steadily and were waiting to pounce if Les faltered on the back 9. The next prize to be contested was the longest drive on the 11^th hole. In the first group, Paul Mooney hit probably his best drive of the day, in a round that was rapidly improving from a disappointing front 9. It looked like he was favourite for the prize until Les unleashed his drive which landed a couple of yards beyond Paul’s. Ron’s satellite technology confirmed that Les was just the winner.

At the end of the round, the eight gathered in the clubhouse, for welcome refreshments and the final reckoning. Nick took responsibility for the scoring, and the results soon emerged. Honourable mentions go to Ron and Nick, who played steady rounds. The least said about Paul’s, Ted’s and Bob’s rounds the better! In third place was reigning champion Steve Potter on 32 Stableford points, a good effort playing off the lowest handicap of 18. Second was Alick Cross on 33 points. But the winner by a huge margin was Les Cooper, who had played the round of his life, with an outrageous 41 points. Well played Les. He certainly won’t be playing off a handicap of 28 next year!

Nick was presented with his prize for nearest the pin, and Les for the longest drive, before defending champion Steve handed over the coveted Keith Ambrey trophy to Les. The new venue had proved a big success, offering great value, a well-kept and challenging course, and a welcoming clubhouse. I think we might be coming back here next year, especially if Les has any say in it!

TN 2/9/17