The Bag
This is the reason we were at Five Lakes Golf and Country Club on March 28th. Reg Sheldrick's 'lucky' prize winning out of Golf News...apparently there were not too many entries and mostly from the Essex area. Anyway Reg organised a superb day (weather included) at Five Lakes and with the sponsorship raised in the region of £350 for the cricket club. As for the clubs did they work...well probably a little more practice needed as he finished second bottom.

Nervous chatter as the field head for the fairways
Off the tenth tee on the Lakes Course, the players make the short walk to begin their rounds. Who will become the inaugral winner ? of what is hoped will become an annual event in the calendar.

The Mexican team on the first tee
Here they are especially flown in from Mexico the 'four bandits'. They look very happy with themselves probably because they have fooled the handicapper into giving them high twenty handicaps. Joy is temporarily shortlived as Lurch is threatened with expulsion from the course because he is wearing trainers !!

Batty and Scot tee up
Batty looks good on the tee but disaster is about to strike as he tops his ball 50 yards. He scores a duck on the first, and there are plenty of giggles from the gallery as he hacks his way up the first.

One of his playing partners is Scot Fathing who plays consistently to return 35 points to finish fifth.

The not so famous South African Golfer makes a guest appearance
Good to see the South African golfer Des Terblanche make a guest appearance at our golf day.He looks uncannily like our first team captain. Nice 'after shot pose' (left), must be one his better shots !!!. Also note the belly putter in the right hand photo. Terblanche finishes stronger than he starts, eventually totalling 32 points to finish 9th.

President struggles
A nightmare round for the President who does not possess the golfing expertise of his father or son. On the twelfth he slices badly on to the famed Crab 'n' Winkle railway line (pictured right especially for Mel Hughes), reaching the seventh he scores his first point of the day and his only point of the front nine. Picks up 5 points on the back nine, but ends up tailed off in last place. Simon Lambert arrives just before the scheduled tee off time, and records a solid 30 points.

Lurch takes the tournament by storm
Chris Storer takes the lead at the third (scoring a birdie on the par 5 which ended up as a net albatross and scored him 5 points). Accumulates 22 points in the first half. Leads all the way up to the last, but a disastrous nil pointer on the last lets Stud in for victory, however, his consolation is the runners up prize.
Not bad for man with trainers !!! Needless to say he will have his handicap slashed next year.

Reg the model golfer
The clubs may not be working as he would have liked them to, but at least he looks the part as he surveys the next hole.

Stud checks the scores
Stud meets up with the Bandelero's at the half way point to tot up their points to see what he needs to do in the second half. Three of the Bandelero's Storer 22, Rutter 20 and Young 19 are ahead of him. Adam Rutter has also driven 290 yards to claim the longest drive award on the thirteenth. However, Stud is a semi professional now and comes storming home with 22 points to take the title with 41.

Pre-drive routines for Goldy and Harney
Mat Golding and Dan Harness go through there pre-drive routine at the twelfth. Goldy returns a steady 16 & 17 to finish 6th with 33 points.

One of the bandits struggles
Unlike the other Mexicans, Conners is struggling...scoring 15 on the first half he comes home with 12 to record 27. Putting seemed to be his problem, always hits the ball hard no matter where he is...as this photo illustrates he was just two foot from the pin but the ball as raced by !!

Mexican Bandits Young and Rutter pose for photographs
Alex Young (he's only been playing six months, hence the 28 handicap) and Adam Rutter (first ever 28 handicapper I've known to win the longest drive) pose for photographs on the eleventh tee.

Hewes happy with his form up to the ninth
Kevin Hewes playing his first round for 18 months is enjoying himself scoring a consistent 16 points on the first half. However, the wheels come off on the back nine, when a snap happy photographer starts to get in the way. His misery is compounded when the photographer laughs uncontrollably as Hewes slices one into the lake, indeed had the photogrpaher not had a broken arm he could well have ended up in the same lake. Hewes comes in with 12 points to finish on 28.

And they were worried about Lurch's trainers !!
Mick Laver is not only contending with the course but having a battle with his footwear...however, after a scratchy start he is more consistent on the back nine and returns a creditable 25 points. The footwear sees him resemble the firemen out of Trumpton !!

Action shot !!
How is this for an action shot. Reg shows great bunker skills as he explodes out of the bunker true Phil Mickleson style.

Nearest the Pin
Stud was nearest the pin (20 feet) until the last group reached the 143 yard seventeenth. Funny that the last group always win it. Mark Fowler (no Eastenders jokes please) plops his ball to within sixteen feet to claim the prize. Unfortunately he was unable to nail the birdie.

This is a bit serious
Graham Bowers must be in contention as this is all a bit serious....he even looks like a professional. Bowers scores 37 points to take third place.