Herald - Issue 420

v WE’VE BEEN YOUR LOCAL SINCE 1994 v Page 68 • The HERALD • 10th March 2022 SPORT IN THE HERALD Continued Success for Fawley RFC 1st XV The Fawley RFC 1st XV team have been enjoying an incredible 2021/22 season in Hampshire Div 1. Their last 4 matches have seen them go from strength to strength and winning 10 out of their 13 games puts them well on course for the top slot at the end of the season. A blustery match at their home ground in Newlands Park against visitors Ventnor on 27th November saw Fawley start on the backfoot with their defence managing to hold Ventnor o initially before two tries were scored but not converted. e home side rallied and Captain Rob Dean crossed the line a er a multi-phase attack, bringing Fawley some welcome rst points. Now in their stride, Fawley’s Cyle Weatherall ran through two defenders to secure another try and a touchline break enabled Jon Dean to increase the score line further. e wind was not on the side of the kicker for this match, snatching the ball mid-air from the conversion attempts on several occasions however a successful conversion on the third try ended the rst half. e second half was a cat and mouse a air with neither side showing dominance for some time however, Fawley were victorious in this closely fought battle with the nal score 36-20, enabling a top of the table position. 4th December brought about a 34-38 away win against Portsmouth 2nd XV with an identical start to the previous match with Fawley 10-0 down and Portsmouth keeping Fawley rmly in their own half. However, by half time it was three tries apiece. e second half went Portsmouth’s way at the start but they were unable to proceed past their nal 34 points. Winger Luke Edinborough was rewarded for his initial sprint with the ball up the touchline when, a er several phases the ball found its way back to him to score in the sixth phase of play. A fantastic demonstration of skilful passing between Rob omas and Rob Dean enabled Chris Soards to brush o four desperate defenders to dive over for another ve points. Fawley’s quest to keep pole position was successful at the nal whistle. e New Year saw a rested team face the Southampton University Hospital side back on Fawley’s home turf where once again the elements played their part in proceedings. Constant wind and rain piled the pressure on both teams as Fawley put the rst seven points on the board only three minutes into the game. e Medics responded, spotting a gap in Fawley’s defences putting the score line at seven a piece. Centre Joe Butcher scored two tries in the waterlogged pitch enabling the home side to secure a 24-12 win resulting in a second-place position in Hants Div 1 but with a game in hand. A week later the team were back again at Newlands Park versus Romsey 1st XV, hoping for a big win to close the points scored di erence in the table. Manni Harris opened the scoring for Fawley and it didn’t stop there with a further three tries for the home team taking the score to a reassuring 26-0. Romsey recovered just before half time, taking full advantage of a penalty to score a try which was also converted. However, the second half saw Fawley dominate with a successful lineout enabling back row Tim Gascoigne to make his mark on the scoreboard. At 31-7 Romsey were not discouraged and a er a series of unfortunate events for Fawley a penalty try was awarded to the visitors. A penalty and two tries later and Fawley were back on the hunt and the last three tries were converted before the nal whistle heralded a 57-14 win to Fawley. At the time of writing Fawley are holding second position in the division with only 7 points separating them from leaders US Portsmouth but with two games in hand. It’s all to play for in this most exciting of seasons and all are welcome to support the team by coming to matches or subscribing to Fawley’s YouTube channel where you can watch recordings of the matches. Any queries can be directed to: enquiries@ fawleyrfc.co.uk Joe Jordan powering through the defence New Forest Golf Club Seniors New Forest Golf Club Seniors club matches, monthly medals and 40 or so trophies plus many roll-ups are contested between 1st March and the date of the AGM near the end of November. However they are in no way idle during winter months. By the end of February, 21 Winter League pairs had played 63 rst round matches, while the regular Tuesday and ursday roll-ups comprising 13 individual competitions and 12 team events attract increasingly large numbers. Team events include such things as Bowmaker, Better Ball and Aggregate games, Russian Roulette and various forms of Texas Scramble, but it was a Division 1 vs Division 2 Four Ball Better Ball Matchplay competition that attracted the largest eld of 50 New Forest Seniors to the club at the beginning of February. With the dazzling prize of a single golf ball for each player in the winning Division, competition was erce. e end result of ‘All Square’ caused some consternation until something akin to a penalty shoot-out came into play. As so o en happens with team events, a certain amount of exibility had been required to ensure everyone got a game, hence one group consisted of just 2 players instead of the usual four. us the match was nally awarded to the Division represented by the winner of that one game to the delight of Second Division Seniors. Many of last year’s winners Monday 31st January dawned bright and dry, once again the weather gremlins were being kind to them as 36 Bramshott Hill Seniors took to the Dibden Golf Course for their weekly competition. e game this week was a Texas Scramble. In this format teams of three players are given a combined handicap and stroke play is recorded for the team not individual members. e results were as follows: 1st Paul Wastell, Dave Kellaway and Jeff Andrews , 2nd Stuart Bulbrooke, John Manning and Chuck Stone, 3rd Mike Wells, Alan Rogers and Richard Short . Monday 7th February, 35 confused Senior Golfers set out to play a Stableford Quali er game on the Dibden Golf Course. Why confused? At this time of year at Dibden, the course is normally down to only 7 or 8 holes open due to the weather conditions but this year someone has smiled on them and the weather has been very kind and the whole course is open. A big thank you to the magni cent work being done by the ‘MyTime’ ground sta . Back to their competition, this was a Stableford quali er being played from the Yellow Tees. Some very decent scores were returned, and the results were as follows: Division 1: 1st Stuart Bulbrooke , 2nd Mike Wells , 3rd Brian Lewis ; Division 2: 1st John Manning , 2nd Bill Merrett , 3rd Gerard Murphy ; Division 3: 1st Terry Wiseman , 2nd Graham Hill , 3rd Brian Cox . e weather gremlins decided to teach them a lesson and su ce to say that the weather on Monday 14th February was atrocious. So bad that the Bramshott Hill Seniors Monday competition was abandoned. Some hardy (and some say foolish) seniors took to the nine holes of the course still open and played a friendly Stableford game. e results of which were: Brian Cox - 20pts; Alan Rogers - 19pts (countback); Brian Lewis - 19pts. Dibden Open Golf Society (DOGS) Results February 1st 2022 : e ‘D.O.G.S.’ is week played a Stableford game/winter card: at the start of February in cold weather some good scores being returned by those very hardy golfers. e winners: 1st: C Walters (39 C/B) 2nd: C Peall (39 C/B) 3rd: D Ferguson (37) 4th: S Lawson (36) 5th: K Barge (35) Nearest the Pin Winners: 4a (18) T O’Conner & 7th (9) S Lawson and Pros Approach Winner 1st Hole: (9) D McManus – 2s Competition Winners: D Thorpe, S Lawson, K Barge, Jo Renyard and T O’Conner . is week’s star: S Lawson : 4th Best Stableford Score, N/P Winner and 2s Competition Winner February 8th 2022: e ‘D.O.G.S.’ this week played a team Texas Scramble game/ winter card, those hardy golfers returning some very competitive scores in cold wintry weather. Winning team: P Wastell , A Richards & S Lawson (45.8) 2nd Placed Team: J Stoker , P Blackwood & U Symes (46.4) and 3rd Placed Team: P Mortimer, B Cox & B Coombs (46.9) Nearest the Pins: 4a (18) T Oliver, 4th (9) P Mortimer and the 7th (9) D Thorpe . is week’s star: P Mortimer playing in the 3rd placed team and nearest the pin 4th (9) winner. February 15th 2022: e ‘D.O.G.S’ this week played a three ball team Stableford (winter card) 24 players braved the wet, windy and rainy conditions playing the 9 hole course, well done to all those brave and hardy golfers who completed the competition including those two lovely lady golfers Ursula Symes and Jo Renyard . Winning team: R Gooding , J Poore & K Matan (43) 2nd Place: C PeaII, C Walters & D Ferguson (41) 3rd Place: 8 Phillips, P Mortimer & B Cox (38/CB) Nearest the Pin winner: P Wastell 4th and Pros Approach Nearest the Pin in 2 on the 8th Hole: C Walters and e highest Stableford score returned by J Crumpler with 21 points, No star/s this week, just very wet golfers! 1st February Winners (left to right) C Walters, C Peall, D Ferguson, S Lawson & K Barge 8th February Winning team (left to right) S Lawson, A Richards & P Wastell 15th February Winners (left to right) R Gooding, K Maton & J Poore Bramshott Hill Seniors Results e annual Yellow Peril fun team game provided a very close run match with only one point between the rst three placings. Yellow Peril: Winning team - J Weatherdon, E Thomas & L Bell (76 points), 2nd place - L Compton, S Hallett & U Symes (75), 3rd place - S Rothwell, P Kellaway & E Smith (74). Qualifying matches resumed this month with some great scores in winter conditions. e winners score included 1 birdie and 3 pars with runner up coming in with 5 pars. 3rd February Stableford Qualifier: Division 1: Winner - M Tennant (36 points), 2nd L Dunkason (31), 3rd C Davis (29); Division 2: Winner - J Physick (32), 2nd J Bailey (32), 3rd W Davies (30). 9 hole short course: Winner - Jan Richardson , 2nd Pat Greenham, 3rd Liz Moore. 17th February Stableford: Sadly the qualifying competitions were short lived with the arrival of the storms. Not to be outdone by the weather the ladies reformatted their game with a shorter course and a shorter starting list. Congratulations go to all who played regardless of placings. e team fun game results were: Winners: J Howells and L Compton (45 points), 2nd J Renyard, H Moseley and C Jones, 3rd J Weatherdon, L Dunkason and H Hanmore . Bramshott Hill Ladies Face the Yellow Peril