Golf club celebrates achievements at annual awards presentation evening

THE achievements of Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club members were celebrated at the annual trophy presentation evening.
The day began traditionally with the playing of the Massey Poyntz Cup, although this year, while the course remained open, the competition was cancelled due to the appalling weather and was rescheduled for tomorrow (Sunday, December 23).
The presentation evening saw 86 trophies given out to members, with highlights including the Avalon League division seven winners cup going to the victorious club side.
Champion of the Ladies game was Charlotte Ross, who not only won the Ladies Club Championship Hosegood Trophy but also the Clanville Bowl and Wimbush Cup.
In the Club section, John Fisher won the Club Championship with the best gross score over 36 holes.
He also won the Ridler Trophy for the best nett score in the same competition, the Dawson Thomas, and President's Trophy with partner Tony Hardick.
The most successful golfers during the season were Nancy Marshall, who collected four individual and two pairs trophies, Nigel Grabham. who collected one individual and four pairs trophies, and Keith Babb, who collected five individual trophies.
Six new trophies were played for this season.
In the Senior's section, the Dixie's Bogey, a trophy presented by member Ken Sims and named after his dog which regularly accompanied him on his round of golf, was won by Peter Heddercott, who, coincidently, also had his dog with him from time to time.
Club steward Graham Walsh donated the Stewards Challenge Trophy and this was won by Allan Burton and Clive Gurr.
In the Club section, four new trophies were presented for the first time.
The President's Trophy, given by club president Ben Gliddon, was won by John Fisher and Tony Hardick.
Another 'new' trophy was the Artisan Cup, originally presented to the club in 1959 on the disbandment of the Artisans - a group of about 40 who were not full members and who used to arrive at the club by playing their way across the beach, subject to the tide being out.
The trophy was found and reintroduced by club Captain Denis Compton as a 36-hole competition played in one day, and it was won by Andy Atkins.
The Freddie Burton Bowmaker Salver was given to the club by Mrs Burton to be played for in the memory of her husband Freddie, who died this year. Freddie was one of the club's characters and is sadly missed. The winners were Steve Gay, Adrian Ryan, and David Ryan.
The final new trophy to be awarded was the Fagg Cup, donated by the HH Fagg Golf Society. 'The Faggs' are a group of golfers from the Windsor and Ascott area who have visited Minehead each June for the past 30 years.
The new cup is therefore played for during the first week of June. This year, it was won by Steve Plenty.
The winners of Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club trophies competed for throughout the year were:
Seniors Section: Porlock Cup - R Rufus, Burgess Trophy - R Swallow, Barrett Cup - R Swallow, Marshall Cup - G Walsh, Metcalfe Cup - T Pope & R Ireland, New Century Cup - J Fulwell & P Heddercott, Charles Eaves Tankard - R Rufus, Dexter Neville Salver - R brown, Captain's Shield - G Jones, J Perkins & J Fulwell, The Roy Bishop - G Walsh, Trafalgar Tankard -G Jones & N Parsons, Steward's Challenge Trophy - A Burton & C Gurr, Dixie's Bogey - P Heddercott.
Junior Section: Norman Green Trophy - A Dover, Frances Adams Trophy - M Stent, The Brian Lewis - C Knight, George Hampshire Trophy - D Ryan, The Henry Dibble - T Heard, Ridler Trophy - S Stent, Somerwest World - C Knight, Junior Championship - W Knight.
Ladies Section: Hosegood Trophy (Club Championship) - C Ross, Junior Bowl - A Oglesby, Wimbush Cup - C Ross, Wimbush Bowl - N Marshall, Cromer Cup - S Hill, Berger Cup - J Stanlake, Poyntz Cup - N Marshall, Phillips Cup - P Hole & I Swinburn, Floyd Cup - R Chidgey, Dunster Bowl - S Bartlett, Leukaemic Trophy - M Gliddon, Coronation Cup - N Marshall, Powell Cup - S Bartlett, Ladies Luttrell Cup - N Marshall, Clanville Bowl - C Ross, Michaelmas Bowl - S Hill, Winter Matchplay Trophy - J Stanlake, Lorna Sparkes Trophy - G Bowyer, Centenary Trophy - L Davis, Bronze Cup - R Chidgey, Vets' Trophy - M Foot, Clover Cup - S Rigg, Captain's Salver - A Oglesby.
Club Section: Club Championship - J Fisher, Ridler Trophy - J Fisher, Captain's Winter Four Ball Better Ball - T Hardick & J Murphy, The Ray Boddy - K Babb, Day Dewdney Foursomes - N Grabham & C Knight, Martell Cup - G Latham, Spring Cup - P Collins, Brown Cup - R Holland, Grant Cup - T Bowden, Scorpion Cup - B McCaffrey & D Stevens, Elizabethan Cup - M Rutley & S Salter, St Audries Cup - S Clarke & D Oatridge, Centenary Trophy - A Whiting, Centenary Tankard - M Vickery, Billy Wynn Foursomes - P Truscott & A Whiting, Weston Cup - N Marshall & N Grabham, Alcombe Cup - J Murphy, Simplicity Box - C Sidley-Adams, Roy Sparkes Trophy - N Grabham & D Oatridge, Bushen Cup - G Yeates, Tipper Trophy - N Marshall & N Grabham, Bon Cup - C Sidley-Adams, D Hillier & M Vickery, Hayman Rabbit - D Day, Tarr Cup - K Babb, Clarke Cup - N Grabham, Harry Gould Trophy - B Jones, Tony Pendray Trophy - J A'Court & D Ryan, Todd Cup - P Davies, Millennium Trophy - Tom McGann, The Dawson Thomas - J Fisher, Weacombe Bowl - M Vickery, Luttrell Cup (Both Sections) K Babb, Scratch Knockout - K Babb, Eclectic Cup - K Murrell, Gold Star - K Babb, Best Nett - G Yeates, Atrizans Cup - A Atkins, Fagg Cup - S Plenty, President's Trophy - J Fisher & T Hardick, Freddie Burton Bowmaker - S Gay, A Ryan & D Ryan.

• OUR photographs show: TOP - Trophy winners at Minehead and West Somerset Golf Club line up at the annual presentation evening (left to right): Back row - G Yeates, A Whiting, M Vickery, B Jones, D Hillier and P Collins. Middle - P Salter, R Holland, A Atkins, P Davies, J Fisher, A Hardick, B McCaffrey, D Stevens and K Murrell. Front - G Latham, D Ryan, J A'Court, J Holland (Ladies Captain), D Compton (Club Captain) N Marshall, N Grabham, S Clarke and K Murrell.
  MIDDLE - Ladies section winners (left to right) with Club Captain D Compton: Back row - P Hole, I Swinburn, A Oglesby, M Foot, S Hill. Front - J Stanlake, C Ross, J Holland (Lady Captain), N Marshall, M Gliddon.
  BOTTOM - Junior section winners (left to right) with Club Captain D Compton (front, centre): Back row - W Knight, D Ryan, T Heard, A Dover. Front - M Stent and S Stent. All photos by John York.

Students help police express crime reduction message

SIXTH form students of the West Somerset Community College, Minehead, have been working with police to help find ways to put across crime reduction messages to the local community.
It was part of the teenagers’ public services course as they looked at ways of solving problems such as reducing theft from sports changing rooms.
Their ideas included crime prevention pop-ups on school computers, new crime reduction posters, and better lockers.
The course also involved working with West Somerset Council and the West Somerset Crime Prevention Panel.
Minehead Police crime prevention officer PC Charlie Fitzpatrick, who organised the initiative, said: “The council, ourselves, and the crime prevention panel were very impressed with the level of work carried out by the students.
“They were given a real problem to research and solve and their ideas were innovative and positive.
“The school has seen a small number of thefts from changing rooms, but we are hopeful the number will be reduced following the students’ ideas and the crime reduction advice we have been able to give them.
“I am hoping this will be a regular part of the public services course and that in future we can give them some other local issues to look at.”
Council community safety officer Pete Hughes said: “These projects are an excellent example of young people taking ownership of an issue that affects them and other users of the sports facilities.
“Their breadth of thought to identify ways of stopping these thefts is to be commended.”
One student, Emma Taylor, said: “The project was a fun and interesting. It is amazing to think that we as a group have come up with something to reduce the crime.”
Another of the students, Emily Ketchen, said: “The project enabled us to work closely with the local police on a subject that directly affects us as a college and we hope our ideas can be taken forward and put into action, benefiting the community as a whole.”

• Our photograph shows Minehead Police Inspector Carol Pearce (front, centre) and PC Charlie Fitzpatrick, with council community safety officer Pete Hughes (front, second from left), college principal Nick Swann (front, right) and some of the staff and students involved in the course. Photo submitted.

An extra five years for Hinkley B while wait goes on for Hinkley C

HINKLEY Point B nuclear power station is to be given an extra five years’ of life with part of a £90 million investment by owners British Energy.
The news comes hard on the heels of the company’s announcement that the site had been earmarked for a new build Hinkley C station.
The twin advanced gas-cooled reactors in the B station were due to be decommissioned in 2011, but now they will continue generating electricity at least until 2016.
Hinkley B is currently running at reduced capacity due to boiler repairs following a closure earlier this year.
British Energy said it had completed the necessary technical and economic evaluation for the station, one of West Somerset’s largest employers, to continue operating beyond 2011.
Station director Nigel Cann said: “This is great news for all of us at Hinkley Point B and for everybody in the local Somerset community.
“The decision means we can continue to provide highly skilled jobs and bring major investment to the area.
“It also shows that British Energy recognises the professionalism and commitment of our staff in safely supplying low carbon electricity for more than 30 years.”
The station employs around 535 full-time staff, as well as 150 full-time staff from contract partners, and puts an estimated £30 million a year into the local economy.
Hinkley B has produced some 215 terrawatt hours (TWh) of generation since first supplying the National Grid in 1976.
During its working life so far, the station has saved around 140 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
To achieve the same annual carbon-avoided benefit would require the entire population of Bristol to reduce their carbon emissions to zero.
Hinkley trades union representative Tom Armstrong said staff were delighted with the news.
Mr Armstrong said: “This life extension is a major bonus for the station.
“It is the result of a tremendous amount of hard work by everybody involved, both on and off site, to secure a further five years of safe, reliable generation - an achievement of which we are all very proud.”
British Energy chief executive Bill Coley said the extension of Hinkley B’s operating lifespan would help combat global warming by supporting the UK’s climate change goals for the reduction of CO2 emissions.
The Government is expected to announce next month if it will give the go-ahead for a new generation of nuclear reactors to be built in Britain.

• Our photograph shows Hinkley Point B (right) with the neighbouring Hinkley Point A station which is currently being decommissioned. Photo submitted.

Man trapped on Exmoor in overturned vehicle for two hours

FIREFIGHTERS from Dulverton helped to rescue a man who was trapped for two hours when his Land Rover overturned late at night on Exmoor.
The accident happened in Wellshead Lane, Exford, at around 10 pm on Saturday, December 8, but the fire crews were not called until a few minutes after midnight on Sunday.
A rescue tender from Taunton Fire Station was also sent to the scene.
The fire crews used heavy lifting air bags and hydraulic rams to free the mans legs and release him from the vehicle.
They also helped paramedics place the patient on a spinal board before he was flown by air ambulance to hospital for treatment.