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OC
Golf 2002
OC's
Golf Team Wins first Match
The year 2002 has been a memorable year for the OC Golf Society. On 16th
October the OC's fielded a team against local Dorset club, Rushmore. To the best
of my knowledge this is the first time in Clayesmore's history that the Old Boys
have played a golf match against any opposition.
OC, Max Dowse is vice captain of Rushmore - a course recently extended to 18 holes in the stunning grounds of the house which was once owned by the Pitt-Rivers family - and is about 20 minutes drive from Iwerne Minster, near Tollard Royal.
The members of Rushmore were wonderfully generous hosts and 5 of the 6
matches went to the 17th or 18th green (for those of you non-golfers that means
the matches were very close!!) but I am glad to report that the OC team won by
four and half matches to one and a half.
My huge thanks to Max Dowse and his wife Frankie for thinking up the idea and arranging a brilliant day - and congratulations to an OC team of high calibre who secured the win for the OCGS. Among those OC's who played were Colin Scragg, Piers Sabine, Malcolm Peake, George Frampton, Colin Redstone, Ian Smith, David Caddy, Spencer Holtom, Julian Bailey and two honorary OC's for the day Tessa Padfield and Jill Dean.
The year was also memorable for Colin Scragg's victory in the annual OC Golf
Day at Temple on June 21st. This was the day of England's World Cup game against
Brazil but I am glad to say that the depressingly disappointing result did not
detract from the success of the day.
David Spence made a memorable arrival in the clubhouse at Temple in 'full-on' multi-coloured bikers leathers and crash helmet. Some of the older Temple members had never seen anything quite like this before within their hallowed portals!! David proceeded to play some great golf and got himself into the prize-winners circle as did Kevin Jones, Spencer Holtom, Ian Simcock, Ian Smith, Andrew Beaton and Piers Sabine but it was Colin who took home the Iwerne Cup. To his delight, the following morning, his small daughter wandered into the bedroom carrying the trophy chanting "My Daddy's the Champion"!!
The year was also marked with a very sad event for us all. Our President, Roddy Symes died in May. It would be difficult to imagine an OC Golf Day without Roddy's 'larger than life' personality at the centre of it all. I will miss the great support and enthusiasm he gave me in the early days of the OCGS and we will all miss the 'champagne' moments outside the clubhouse at the end of the OC golf days, which marked his generosity, love of good company and the finer things in life.
An OC Golf Society report would not be complete without acknowledging the generous support we receive from the OC Society. The recipe for these golf days always seems to work well. Throw a couple of dozen OC's together on a golf course for a day, mix up the players into different matches, stir in an OC from the '40's and '50's with a couple of OC's from the 1970's and 1980's, blend in some good food and wine and some gentle competition and everyone goes away at the end of the day thoroughly content, remembering, with hazy affection, that Clayesmore wasn't half bad a place to have spent 5 years of your teenage life!!
The next OC Golf Day will be on Friday June 20th 2003. If you want to join us
email jbail@microsoft.com
Reports & Pictures - 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998