MiniatureGolfer.com
BMGA BRITISH MASTERS 2006
Adventure Island, Southend-on-Sea, 6 May, 2006
System: adventure golf
TREVOR EXALL WINS
Exall wins all-clever Trevor Masters Sarfend
Last Saturday Hastings held the Jack in the
Green festival. In which a man dressed as a bush is led by Morris dancers through the streets of Hastings to the
castle, where all his leaves are ripped off. This ritual slaughter symbolises the end of bleak barren winter and the beginning of fertile febrile summer.
One week later a similar scene was re-enacted at Southend minigolf course -
where the old gods of British minigolf; Tim Davies, Ted McIver and Robert Vallory were cruelly butchered by the next generation of
British minigolfers.
A capacity field lined up to tackle the Inca Course, many would prove inca-pable.
Local journalist Charlotte Potter was welcomed to the course and the organiser explained to her what a
fun, friendly, funky sport minigolf is, not the popular image of sad old men shuffling around the course in fleeces and sandals. This was rather undone by
Charlotte playing in Tim and Bill's group. In the past years Tim's excuses for poor
performances have included;
stones in the hole, sand on the course, a bad back (three prolapsed discs no
less), not being able to practice properly, room mates running the shower at
2.30 am to test if there really was a water shortage, snuffling hedgehogs and having
to be friends with Ted McIver because
nobody else would be. After a poor 42 Tim now added a chatty photographer to the list of things that have ruined his chances.
Bill, although in the same group hit an unruffled 38 to keep himself in
contention, that may have been because he was the one initiating the chats.
"Thats a nice
camera" etc etc.
In the absence of blue skies and sunshine, there was no more welcome sight than Mr Michael
Webb, on his long anticipated return to top flight minigolf, hitting a steady 42.
Newcastle's international Rubiks cube player John Moore swapped a square for a
round, getting 39, alongside British Doubles Championship winner Jon Angel and London Open winner Steve Vallory, 3 shots behind the reigning British Masters champion Big Top Ted
McIver, and Kent's Trevor and Andy
Exall. The Exall brothers seem to have been part of some Cold War genetic experiment to
increase and enlarge the crazy golf chromosomes contained within the human body,
being crazy golf this would be not x or y but tee chromosomes. Since their impressive performance at the
World Crazy Golf Championships these boys have got better and better. Thankfully
their wives have kept them from practicing too much.
In the second round
Paul Hayes found a remarkable reversal of fortune, a first round of 49 was followed by a second round of
43, going the opposite direction though was Steve Vallory's disappointing 45,
whiskery Jon Angel with a 42 and Bearded Bill Bullin 42, their tournament left as ruined as Southend pier.
Remarkably Sally Weddell, playing her first competition for nearly a year shot the best score of
39 - outstanding on such a difficult course, where aces are as hard to come by as a Labour
party local election victory. She actually equalled the course record held by
Aceman Davies.
The shot of the day also took place at the
Aztec - where Chris Harding bellowed in pleasure and surprise as his tee shot on the near impossible third actually went straight in the
hole, "its an easy shot really" Chris said later.
Southend may be known for beers, piers and leers at some rears, but for the
Exalls the only slap and tickle was reserved for their balls, as unerringly as Watford's strikers Trevor Exall slapped and tickled the same minigolf
ball - a pirate - into the 18 holes of Southends Aztec Adventure. For Big
Top Ted, surely the favourite to capitalise on his first round - the Aztec proved a
night-maya, a az been on az tec.
Carlos Martinez comfortably strolled off with the novice prize after two steady rounds and took the scalps of many a tour veteran in the process.
At Peter Pan's playground it turned from never-neverland to trevor-trevorland as a mistake free round of 41 secured Trevor his first major title,
a cheque for £150, a trophy and a truly terrifying tweed jacket of reds, yellows and
mauves. Remarkably it fits very well, though a little short in the arms. For Ted the bitterness of defeat was sweetened by finally ridding himself of the jacket.
Both Andy Exall and Ted were tied in second place joined by John Moore, who having played a round of 40 deservedly joined them in a sudden death play
off (sorry lets not mention play offs).
The rewards for second place were £75, the spoils for third place £50 and for fourth,
just sad regret.
Both Andy and John played solid tee shots on the first and second, in contrast to
McIver who's wildly erratic first shots resulted in long tricky putts that just drooped and dropped into the hole.
On the third Andy managed the equivalent of an eagle (sorry lets not mention eagles), by sinking a long putt for a two and really stir the hornets nest (sorry
let's not mention hornets). After John Moore took a three, Ted after another poor first shot, was left a
monstrously long putt for a two - it looked like Andy would be Prince of the palace (sorry lets not mention palace), but greed and avarice kicked in
and Ted holed the putt. On the following hole it was Andy's turn to hit a misdirected tee
shot - a missed second putt gave Ted a chance he gratefully took to rapturous silence from the watching crowd.
Amazingly McIver has taken part in 5 play offs and won them all.
The day though belonged to the Exalls - rather like the fifth Beatle, Phil Exall,
who finished 14th, seemed to fade into the background - Trevor though has promised to give him some tips and advice to help him improve his game.
Congratulations to all who took part, following the news that Noddy Holder plays Sandbanks golf course can he not be commissioned to rework the song
MAMA WE'RE ALL CRAZYGOLF NOW !!!
Whilst some consider
the 6th May as the
anniversary of Epping Forest being opened by Queen Victoria, others
will remember it as the day Trevor Exall became a Crazy golf legend. Apt
another Renaissance should start on the anniversary of the end of the slightly
more well known one.
And please remember next season Southend play host to Coventry City - does life ever get any sweeter?
Thanks to Mark Cohen, Tony and the rest of the staff at Peter Pans Adventure Island.
Words: Big Top
| Pos | Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | TOTAL | Average | Ranking points |
| 1 | Exall, Trevor | 36 | 41 | 77 | 38.50 | 615 |
| 2 | McIver, Ted * | 36 | 43 | 79 | 39.50 | 515 |
| 3 | Exall, Andy * | 36 | 43 | 79 | 39.50 | 515 |
| 4 | Moore, John | 39 | 40 | 79 | 39.50 | 515 |
| 5 | Bullin, Bill | 38 | 42 | 80 | 40.00 | 465 |
| 6 | Angel, Jon | 39 | 42 | 81 | 40.50 | 415 |
| 7 | Harding, Chris | 41 | 40 | 81 | 40.50 | 415 |
| 8 | Kellard, Keith | 42 | 40 | 82 | 41.00 | 365 |
| 9 | Davies, Tim | 42 | 40 | 82 | 41.00 | 365 |
| 10 | Shepherd, Brad | 41 | 41 | 82 | 41.00 | 365 |
| 11 | Weddell, Sally | 44 | 39 | 83 | 41.50 | 315 |
| 12 | Martinez, Carlos | 42 | 41 | 83 | 41.50 | 315 |
| 13 | Vallory, Steve | 39 | 45 | 84 | 42.00 | 265 |
| 14 | Exall, Phil | 41 | 43 | 84 | 42.00 | 265 |
| 15 | Gow, Steve | 42 | 42 | 84 | 42.00 | 265 |
| 16 | Webb Mr. Michael | 43 | 42 | 85 | 42.50 | 215 |
| 17 | Homer, Sean | 42 | 44 | 86 | 43.00 | 165 |
| 18 | Whitehouse, Paul | 40 | 47 | 87 | 43.50 | 115 |
| 19 | Moseley, Kevin | 41 | 46 | 87 | 43.50 | 115 |
| 20 | Trubridge, James | 42 | 46 | 88 | 44.00 | 65 |
| 21 | Vallory, Mitchell | 45 | 43 | 88 | 44.00 | 65 |
| 22 | Parsons, Neil | 42 | 47 | 89 | 44.50 | 15 |
| 23 | Hayes, Paul | 49 | 43 | 92 | 46.00 | 1 |
| 24 | Bullin, Rocky | 43 | 49 | 92 | 46.00 | 1 |
| 25 | Bullin, Ruth | 45 | 48 | 93 | 46.50 | 1 |
| 26 | Vallory, Robert | 45 | 52 | 97 | 48.50 | 1 |
| 27 | Homer, Marion | 50 | 48 | 98 | 49.00 | 1 |
| 28 | Potter, Charlotte | 64 | 59 | 123 | 61.50 |
*Second/Third/Fourth place decided after play-off. Won at 4th extra hole
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Previous results: 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
