The weather has not been golfer friendly of late, particularly to the Seniors. First, the September 13 Away Day at Derllys Court, keenly anticipated by all, had to be abandoned at the last minute because the course was saturated, then the ever popular Tommy Hutton Bowl tournament, scheduled for September 15, was cancelled due to torrential rain.

Hoping for an improvement in our fortunes, the Seniors studied the delightful Carol’s predictions on the morning of Wednesday, September 20, when we were travelling to Fairwood Park to play the last match of the Summer season - hoping for sunshine and gentle breezes at the parkland course. Sadly, this would also be the last competition under the captaincy of Dudley Williams, since he hands over the reins to his vice-captain, Idwal David, after the Seniors’ AGM on Tuesday, September 26.

So - How went the day?

Well, my research highlights the following points; first, the request from the owner of Fairwood that jackets and ties would be required for the match meal in the somewhat dilapidated World War II building serving as a dining room/games room/lounge and bar - seemed somewhat OTT!

Second; and this may just be a personal point, the journey was interesting because the GPS directions and the geography didn’t seem to exactly coincide, so that our arrival was delayed just a tad - which brings us highlight three.

The universal start to an away fixture is the traditional ‘Bacon Butty’ and coffee -tragically, 16 Tenby visitors were shocked and dismayed to find that BBs were not available and that coffee could be obtained only from the single machine!

On the positive side, the Fairwood Seniors made us very welcome and it was pleasant to meet up with past opponents and acquaintances again; the course looked to be in excellent condition and things seemed to be looking up as the first fourball tee’d up under a grey sky.

Captain Dudley led from the front with his partner Brian Waters, competing against the Fairwood Seniors’ captain John Jones and his partner David Evans.

Unfortunately, the grey skies became black and eventually a couple of fairly brief but really heavy showers swept across the course driven by a strong wind. There followed a flurry of activity as players struggled to don waterproofs, erect and control umbrellas and attempt to keep clubs and gloves dry.

Play did continue, but as the conditions deteriorated and the rain became permanent and heavy, the dismal question “Shall we pack it in?” could be heard around the course, followed swiftly by the response “Yes!”

And so it came to pass that the match was abandoned and 32 saturated Seniors traipsed back to the clubhouse, keen to get out of soggy kit and into dry clothes, have a meal and a drink and then get home.

Sadly, the premature termination caught the staff by surprise, and a delay of two hours before a fairly indifferent meal was served was a trifle irritating. Such a shame that the last contest of the season turned out to be a disappointment - however - as captain Dudley pointed out, Tenby beat Fairwood 5.5 to 2.5 when we played at home on May 23 this year - so that result is the aggregate score of the two matches.

And finally, just a little look forward. The AGM and 15-hole Stableford competition takes place on Tuesday, September 26, the re-scheduled visit to Derllys Court is on Friday, September 29, and a new date for the Tommy Hutton Bowl will be announced as soon as possible. Better still - the long awaited and keenly anticipated first Chicken Trot of the Winter season will start early on the morning of Friday, October 6.

See you there!

M.F.