Club teams ready for the Alliance Knockouts

The Manchester and District Golf Alliance is the biggest organisation of its kind in the country run by volunteers on a non-profit-making basis.

It has over 100 clubs and 70,000 players in its membership within a radius of 35 miles from Manchester Town Hall and runs regular competitions for professionals and amateurs throughout the winter months.

Joining the Alliance this year are Clitheroe and Ashton-in-Makerfield.

It also organises hugely popular Inter Club Knock Out competitions during the summer months for men, mixed seniors and juniors resulting in big finals days in the autumn.

The draws for the preliminary rounds of the Knock Outs have been made and they include the blue riband Dunham Forest trophy for the club professional and top six amateurs and the City Glass Men’s Foursomes.

In the Dunham Forest Trophy the holders Rochdale GC have a bye  and our local teams in the preliminary round are:, Werneth Low v Breightmet, Werneth v Styal, Stockport v Stamford, Leigh v Fairfield, Cltheroe v Saddleworth, Glossop v North Manchester and receiving byes into round one are: Brookdale, Crompton and Royton, Denton, Dukinfield, New Mills.

The Preliminary Round draw for the City Glass Men’s Foursomes, again Rochdale are the current champions and have a bye, included from our local teams: Bolton v Denton, Saddleworth v Marple, Werneth v Heaton Moor, Werneth Low v Dukinfield, Romiley v Oldham, Ashton v Northenden Receiving byes are:Brookdale, Crompton and Royton, Fairfield, New Mills, Stamford.

It’s looking like a game of two halves for the Manchester and District Golf Alliance.

The first half of their busy winter season saw a record of little or no rain and no lost fixtures for the first time in living memory.

The Alliance was aiming to begin the second half of the season at the great venue of Hart Common GC in Westhoughton but heavy rain preceding the competition saw it cancelled due to a very wet course.

The officials and players are looking to get over 100 competitors back in action in the second fixture at Stand Golf Club.

Report from Saddleworth pro Andy Earlam: Local professionals and amateurs were in action in the third event of the Pro's Winter series, the penultimate event of the series.

“Once again the event was a Pro-Am. 10 teams of 4 competed with a PGA Professional in each group. The competition was a best 2 from 4 and also a Professional individual event.

“The event was enjoyed by everyone and the cold conditions didn't put anyone off!

“The winning team took victory by an impressive six points! The team consisted of Stamford GC PGA Professional Mark Smith,and Saddleworth amateurs Andy Dunster, Gary Torr and Giacomo Cavallino.

“After speaking to the team members of the winning team it was made clear that Andy Dunster stole the show! Andy played the game of his life and shot an impressive 72 gross (level par) playing off a 10 handicap! Andy played it down when asked and claimed it was a team effort with great team spirit and his new Callaway Apex irons were the reason he played so well! Well done Andy, excellent golf! He would have finished third in the Pro individual event! 

“In the individual event, three Pro's tied for Mark Smith, Haydn McCullen and myself on 38 points. In the team event the runners up spot were PGA Professional Haydn McCullen, Allan Entwistle, Dean McKenna and Dave Atkinson on 84 points who took it on a better back nine from PGA Professional Phil Kelly, Paul Baddeley, Stuart Hanson and Howard Johnson.”

A Tuesday Stableford at Ashton had Martin Easthope top of division one with 40, two more than Antony Lambert, Nigel Kay Ryan Pennington and Amin Kiami.

The star of division two was Graham Hughes who won a cpo on 40 from Terry Pooley and Chris Bowker and the Yellow Tee winner was Hans Riedlsperger with a massive 44.

Martin Easthope was on form again in a Seniors BB Stableford steering G Whitehead to 50, five more than Ian Sherlock and B Hobson and J Meeks and F Turner.

The fab four of S, B and R Tuohy and M Cooke led in a Team of Four Stableford at Ashton with 78, two more than M Wild, A Reece, D Harrison and C Richardson, T Armitage, C Harvie, C Greenhough and A Jones and J and L Butterworth, C Wood and G Price, all 76.

The Sunday Stableford at Ashton had the three divisions led in by Fraser Sidebottom after a cpo on 42 with Neil Pragnall, Michael McGuinness 44 and Paul White with an impressive 45.

The Fourth Race to the start at Brookdale was close with Michael Dolan winning division one with 41, one more than Adrian Riley and Michael Arnfield.

Doug Unsworth was too hot to handle in division two with a great haul of 45 taking him well clear of Dave Turner 42 and John Stansfield and DB Taylor, both 41.

Doug Unsworth was there again in a Four Man Team Stableford leading J Cassidy. R Wolstenholme and P Buckley into top spot with 134 from S Bland, S Morley, C Jarvis and N Larsen 129 and C Tracey, D Dixon, R Charnock and D Hughes 128.

Plenty of action at Denton with a Wednesday Stableford led in by club legend Len Walker after a cpo on 36 with David Watson, one more than Chris Large.

The Saturday Stableford had division one topped by Ian Lakin after a cpo on 34 with Phil Beard and Mark Riding.

It also needed a cpo in division two to see Daniel Moriarty home from Shahnawaz Gauhar.

Margaret James was a clear winner in the ladies 9-hole Stableford with 21 from Sue Thompson 18 and Sheila McDonald 16.

Another tight finish in the Denton Winter Seniors League with T Davies winning a cpo on 28 from D Calder, one more than L Moss.