A six-strong squad of golfers from Leighton Buzzard’s Plantation Road club have won a coveted trophy for a record breaking 14 times.
Senior golfers from Leighton, Aspley Guise, Stowe and North Oxford compete annually for a trophy donated in 1981 by the family of the late Rhys Richards, who loved playing the four courses.
The honour of hosting the event rotates annually, with Leighton this year staging the stableford fixture for which each club Senior Captain selects six members over the age of 55.
Leighton’s Senior section captain Fred Ritchie led his Dad’s Army team with distinction, his 39 point haul being the best individual score which helped the home team record a trophy winning 199 points. Fellow Scot Denis Leitch finished individual runner-up with 38 points, and team mates Terry Wright, George Darbyshire, Harry Adam and Bill Blackhall all made significant contributions.
Runners-up were 12-times winners Aspley Guise with 196pts with Stowe finishing third with 192pts. Bottom-placed North Oxford will host the event next year.
The Leighton Senior team has been experiencing mixed fortunes in recent inter-club contests, beating South Beds, drawing against Redbourn and losing to a strong Dunstable Downs outfit.
Skipper Ritchie and Terry Lingham, Morley Smith and Andy McDonald, Paul Johnson and Kelvin Young, Denis Leitch and David Newby, Will Sampson and George Darbyshire and Richard Lancaster and Keith Camp won for Leighton in a 6-2 victory over South Beds.
Harry Adam and David Newby, Mike Turnock and Derek Browning, and Keith Camp and Martin Broadley won for Leighton in a 3-3 draw against Redbourn, with Denis Leitch and Mike Turner and Paul Johnson and Danny Nairne halving their games.
Terry Wright and Derek Browning, Mike Turner and Victor Albertella and Denis Leitch and Will Sampson returned winning cards for Leighton against Dunstable Downs who won the other five matches.
Less than a point separated the top three finishers in Leighton’s Ladies/Seniors Texas scramble for the McKinnon Cup. Winners were Derek Browning, Ian Alexander, Elaine Powell and Avril Simpson with a nett 57.2; runners-up Richard Lancaster, Harry Gray, Sandra Carter and Janet Dunn had 57.5 and third placed Fred Ritchie, Terry Wright, Jackie Stimpson and Debbie Pollard Barns finished with 57.9.
Richard Samuels and daughter Rebecca won Leighton’s closed Mixed Foursomes Table Topics trophy with 35 points, beating David and Norma Stevens Hack on countback. Sandra Bellis and Mick Myatt were third with 34 points, pipping Ian and Carol Alexander who had the same score.