2002 British MiniGolf Club Championship

Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club won the inaugural British Club Championship by 9 shots against the London Minigolf Club.  The Hastings club took a twelve shot lead to Broomfield Park for the return leg and hung on manfully against a full strength LMC side bent on turning the tables.

Second Leg – Broomfield Park, London 13th October 2002

The damp, cold and misty conditions in which the second leg was played were more suited to the Hound of the Baskervilles than playing minigolf. London could see a glimmer of hope, however, as, although twelve shots behind, Hastings could field only three players. And this time the teams were to be drawn in pairs, to add match-play tension to the proceedings.

British Number One Tim Davies of Hastings and Michael Webb were paired together in the opening group. Webb played steadily, only dropping shots at the three obstacle holes, reaching the eighteenth in 36. There, his first putt failed to get through the obstacle. His second made it through but then, unluckily, jumped over the boundary wall behind the hole. Having to take his third shot from the same place behind the obstacle, Webb this time got down in two, scoring a four and totalling 40, one more than the course record. His partner Davies, the Welsh Dragon, played consistently throughout, making thirteen twos and finishing on 42. However, little did both players know of the fireworks going on behind them in the second group.

The home club’s Graham Southern had been paired with B.M.G.A. Chairman Peter Parr. Parr, making use of his dead ball, raced to the turn in seventeen and reached the eighteenth tee in 35 shots. Southern, using only a course ball, reached the same point in 37. Parr chose to avoid the obstacle and lagged up wonderfully to four feet. He made no mistake with the awkward one left, punching the air in his trade mark salute; Southern solemnly announced the new course record of 38. For his sterling work organising the B.M.G.A. Tour, no-one could begrudge Peter his record. Graham, however, opted to take on the obstacle and made it through. Cool as a cucumber, he rolled in his tricky five footer for a sensational 39, surely the finest round of touch-putting ever seen in Britain.

By contrast, the third group of John McIver and London’s Jon Angel was close-fought, consistent but unspectacular. British Champion McIver, who confessed to struggling to get to grips with the Broomfield Park course, managed a 45. Angel, captain of the London Club, shot 44, marred by a five on the last. London’s other player, the experienced Scott Coe, played with B.M.G.A. newcomer Sally Weddell. Scott played consistently, but his good work was undone with two fives on his card. He scored 47.

London had shot 123, but Hastings had surely done enough to secure victory, taking 125. So, with only one round to go, Hastings led by a massive ten shots.

Davies and Webb went out first again in the second round and immediately resumed their titanic struggle. With an ace apiece on their cards, they came to the last tied on 36 shots. Sadly for Davies, he tangled with the obstacle and made four. Webb’s putt sailed through leaving him with a testing five footer to tie the course record. Other players crowded round to watch as, agonisingly, his putt lipped out. He would have to make do with 39.

This time, the Parr–Southern match was not as action-packed. Although both reached the turn in eighteen, Parr shot 42 (finishing with a five and a three, leaving him to rue what might have been), while Southern ended on a disappointing 46.

In the third group, a consistent Jon Angel made up four shots on John McIver, eclipsing him by 45 to 49. The margin could have been even greater if the London captain had not taken another five on the last. Scott Coe matched Graham’s score of 46, although a five on the seventeenth did him no favours. London, therefore had shot 130, to the 131 of Hastings.

In the final reckoning, Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club were worthy British Minigolf Club Champions, by 470 shots to 479. The crown entitles the south coasters to a place in the 2003 European Club Championship.

Not to be forgotten, of course, were the other B.M.G.A. members and guest players who played on the last day of the season. Lionel Bender shot a splendid 42 in the second round, to remind everyone that, as B.M.G.A. Players’ Champion, he is still the man to beat at Broomfield Park. Newcomer Sally Weddell, playing the course for the first time, took 56, but improved in her second round to shoot a creditable 51. Ian Parker had an excellent first round 46 and his second round of 56 owed more to the chilly conditions than to anything else.

Our thanks go to Mr. Ted Skelton at Clambers and Messrs. Ian Scagnelli, Paul Scagnelli and Alan Khadir for the excellent condition of both courses.

The conclusion of this tournament marked the end of the very successful 2002 season. The bigger, better B.M.G.A. Tour 2003 starts next May at the British Masters at Southend.

* New BMGA record

Best three scores selected from each side for each round

Planet Hastings CGC    Total: 256

    Round 1: 38 + 42 + 45 = 125

    Round 2: 42 + 40 + 49 = 131

London MC    Total: 253

    Round 1: 40 + 39 + 44 = 123

    Round 2: 39 + 46 + 45 = 130

Planet Hastings elected to double-up the opening two rounds of the British Open as its home leg of the 2002 Club Championship. So, in bright, sunny conditions, proceedings got underway with an early shotgun start. The four-strong Hastings team were firm favourites, fielding three B.M.G.A. Tour veterans and the British Ladies Champion. London, on the other hand, had three tour rookies, anchored by the experienced B.M.G.A. Players’ Champion, Lionel Bender.

First round honours went to defending British Champion, John "Ted" McIver. McIver, the Flower of Scotland, played the perfect round – 13 twos punctuated by 5 aces, totalling 31. Meanwhile, team-mates Tim Davies and Peter Parr, playing in the same group, both carded a 37. Davies, well-fancied for the British title, expressed disappointment at his score, which contained only two aces. Parr, however, put in a fine effort, considering he was responsible for the Open’s organisation. He recovered well after an opening four, playing the five closing holes in three under par. Their combined total of 105 left no place for Vicky Sweeting’s respectable 44.

As for London, Lionel Bender came in with a steady 40, marred only by a four at the fifteenth. Surprisingly, however, his score was discounted, as the team’s highest of the first round. Michael Webb carded a 34, although he was lucky to do so, as, on several occasions, putts that should have missed somehow dropped. Team-mate Graham Southern, the Pride of Merseyside, was delighted by his lifetime best of 35, containing five aces. At one point, Southern even led his playing partner Heinz Weber, the defending British Open champion, by several shots. Jon Angel had four aces in the first seven holes and finished in the end with a 38. This meant that London’s first round total was 107, a mere two shots behind their south coast rivals.

Sadly for London, things went awry in the second round. Luck finally ran out on Webb, his poor play thoroughly deserving his 43. Graham Southern, without a single ace, shot a 42. Bender and Angel, playing in the same group, scored 37 and 40 respectively. Lionel’s round was made by a wonderful run, taking no more than a two on fourteen consecutive holes. London scored 119, making a two-round total of 226. A sorry tale indeed.

Against this, all that was required by the Hastings club was steadiness. This they managed with ease. McIver scored an unspectacular 36, Davies carded another 37 and Parr a 38. However, some much needed panache was provided by Vicky Sweeting, who retained her Ladies title in grand style, netting four aces on the way to a terrific 36. So, with Parr’s round discounted, Planet Hastings’ second round totalled 109. The two-round total of 214 gave them a seemingly unassailable twelve shot lead going into the London leg of the competition.

Best three scores selected from each side for each round

Planet Hastings CGC    Total: 214

    Round 1: 31 + 37 + 37 = 105

    Round 2: 36 + 37 + 36 = 109

London MC    Total: 226

    Round 1: 34 + 35 + 38 = 107

    Round 2: 42 + 37 + 40 = 119

Planet Hastings lead by 12 shots going to the second and final phase. 

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