FIRST ROUND
On Saturday June 14th, the inaugural London Open Minigolf Tournament took place at the revamped Broomfield Park Adventure Golf Course in North London. In all, 37 people including eight of the top ten British Minigolfers turned out for what would prove to be an unforgettable event.

Jon Angel, the tournament organiser was first to arrive at Broomfield Park for some pre-tournament practise followed by Tim Davies, John "Ted" McIver and Mr. Michael Webb, but of the four, it was McIver who had the most to prove. The reigning British Champion had recently lost his UK no.2 spot to Mr. Michael Webb and had never played a satisfactory round in London.

Playing groups were drawn prior to the tournament, which eventually got underway with a shotgun start at 11:30am. 

Starting off at the 4th hole were Anna Orchard, young Mitchell Vallory and his dad, Robert Vallory. Robert, past winner of the British Masters has mastered many a minigolf course, but admitted at the start that he hadn't played at Broomfield Park for around three years. The lack of practise told, as he shot a round of 45. Mitchell carded a 50, but the highlight of the round for both Vallorys was a 2 at the 17th.

UK no.1 Tim Davies did not hang around, signalling his intent straight away by aceing the 1st. The rest of his playing group, Nico Ghirlando with newcomers Roly Edwards and Phil Warner must have wondered what was going on, as Davies went on to drop only two shots and ace the 16th to score a dazzling BMGA course record-equalling 36. Ghirlando's erratic putting was even more incredible. After getting down in 2 at the tricky 12th, he then hit a maximum 7 at the 13th followed by an ace at the next hole and then a 5 at the 17th!

Fiona MacDonald, Neil Bishop, Paul Meanwell and the 2002 Players Champion, Lionel Bender made up group 4. Fiona showed great composure to score 2s on the 11th and 18th, while Meanwell duplicated that score on the 11th and 12th. But it was Bender who showed his class to come in with a score of 40, the highlight of his round being an ace at the long 18th. The celebrations could be heard at the other end of the park!

The next group saw James Gaillard and Michael Wheeler pit their wits against the UK no.7 and 2002 London Invitational Tournament Champion, Graham Southern. Wheeler shot a 52, while Southern shot a 43 - a good score, but not by his standards. Graham would need to achieve a lower score in the second round.

Russell Dent partnered Martin and Steve Vallory in Group 6. A second round score of 43 in the recent London Invitational Tournament confirmed Russell's ability. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be his day and a 6 on the 30 foot 18th proved costly as he finished the round on 49. Steve, captain of Welwyn Garden City CGC and Martin reminded everyone why the Vallorys are such a talented minigolfing family, both players shooting 42s. It could have been a sub-40 score for Martin but for a 5 on the 'Rocky Horror Show' that is the 17th green.

Carl Meanwell, Sally Weddell and Will "2 Putt" Eagar were drawn in the next group. Weddell, captain of Victoria Harriers MGC and Eagar of London MC were fighting it out for their respective minigolf clubs. Eager to build on his recent London Invitational victory, it was Will who led the charge, aceing the 3rd and two-putting almost everything else on his way to a 40. The ever-improving Sally stayed in touch with a career-best 44. The Women's Championship later in the year will look very interesting if Sally enters. Meanwhile, Meanwell junior, who has played at Broomfield Park before but never in competition, scored a fantastic 46.

Starting on the 18th tee were Kevin Meredith and Grant Orchard along with keen golfer, Ian Parker. Parker, playing in his third event at Broomfield Park had a few tricks up his sleeve. A remarkable ace at the 6th and a 2 at the 18th ensured that after 18 holes he would be tied with his good friend Graham Southern on 43.

Dominic Griffiths, Rob Latimer and Jon Angel started at the 14th tee. Angel dropped shots at the 2nd, 9th and 18th, but aces on the 1st, 3rd and the 16th gave him a piece of the course record and a tie for the lead with Tim Davies. It was a relief for tournament organiser Jon, who will be grateful for the 50 bonus ranking points.

Group 10 saw the BMGA Chairman and UK no.4 Peter Parr partnering Mick Graves and Louise Guthrie. Parr, a seasoned minigolfer, was playing a cool, unruffled round. Aces at the 2nd and at the long 8th and only three dropped shots took him to the 19th in 37 strokes. A great round for Peter. No doubt inspired by Peter's fine display of putting, Louise carded an impressive 47 in her debut competition.

Group 2 consisted of Joanne Sergeant, George Christofides, Will Knight and the 'Chipper from Croydon', Mr. Michael Webb. Mr. Michael Webb, proudly wearing his England cap, was a picture of calmness as he reached the turn in only 18 shots. At this point, he was ahead of Tim Davies by a single stroke, but unfortunately for him, dropped shots at the unlucky 13th and on the 14th and 17th followed by a 4 at the 18th meant that Michael found himself 5 shots off the pace. Playing before Michael in the group, Will Knight was having a particularly good round. A hole-in-one at the 15th and amazingly at the 17th too, helped Knight to an 18 hole total of 39. With the cut expected to be at around 80 or 81 after 36 holes, Will would require a similar second round score to make the Final.

Could any of the players drawn in Group 11 - Debbie Bowler, John Hurst, Ted McIver and Simon Dicker - put any pressure on the leaders? The answer is yes, but not yet. McIver, wearing an outfit, which can only be described as a cross between 1970's wallpaper and a safari suit, refused to admit that he was playing up to the video cameras. "It's a ploy to put people off", he said. Ted then went on to score an unflattering 43. Debbie Bowler competing for the first time shot a 61, while Hurst and Dicker both managed to score 47s. Simon admitted afterwards that he wasn't happy with his round, the low point being a 4 on the remodelled 1st hole. "I'm hoping for a 44 in the second round" he said, "which will beat my previous best score". 

The players enjoyed some well-earned refreshments and a group photo in the break.


SECOND ROUND
By now, it was a scorching hot day and the park was full of sunbathers, budding young footballers and Saturday joggers, but the cauldron that was the London Open was even hotter still.

A shotgun start was again employed and Nico Ghirlando and Paul Meanwell improved on their first round scores, shooting 43 and 44 respectively. John Hurst put together an even more impressive 42 aceing the 'Loch Ness Monster' 7th in doing so, while Simon Dicker could only manage 48. Carl Meanwell carded a second round score of 47 and so won the family dual with his father, 93 - 96, while Sally Weddell and Louise Guthrie finished on 36 hole totals of 100 and 93 respectively.

Group I was brimming with talent. "Big Top" Ted McIver, Graham Southern and Ian Parker were capable of winning this tournament, but would all need sub-40 scores in order to make the cut. The shotgun start meant that they had to tee-off on the 5th hole and McIver began his round with a 3. Southern parred his first four holes, but he found himself in trouble at the 9th, scoring a 4. Despite that setback, he went on to play a steady round and carded a 42. It wasn't enough to make the cut though and neither was Parker's 46. Playing last in the group, "Big Top" Ted McIver was playing immaculate minigolf. Aces at the 8th and the improved 10th hole brought him in in 37 - McIver had finally exorcised his Broomfield Park demons. Who would be joining him in the Final Round? 

Never count the Vallorys out! Steve and Martin, supported by their family in the gallery, played well throughout. Martin made the cut, making two aces on his way to a 39. Mr. Michael Webb's measured approach was also paying dividends. Three aces, including one at the 'Loch Ness Monster' 7th gave Mr. Michael Webb a two-round total of 78 and 2nd place going into the Final Round.

Lionel Bender, showing off his unique putting technique, was on form. When he aced the 8th, he proved once again that no one can bend it like Bender. Bender was in the Final, along with Will Eagar who scored a whopping fourteen 2s, both players carding identical scores after two rounds - 81. Unfortunately, Will Knight could not join his friend Will. For the third consecutive competition, Knight's challenge crumbled in the second round and he found himself heading for the pub instead of the Final. Knight will hope to do better in the British Championships in Stratford next month.

That left Jon Angel, Tim Davies and Peter Parr to fight it out for the lead in Group L. Despite his new running-style stance, Angel got out of the blocks pretty slowly. A round of 43 including two poor 4s meant he had dropped back into 3rd. Tim Davies's round of 44 was even more bizarre. Davies explained "Everything was rosey until my 4 at the 11th and then things started to spiral downwards. I managed to get it back with a great tee-shot at the 17th and a crowd pleasing finish at the 18th". Even "2 Putts" himself would have been amazed at Peter Parr's second round performance. Sixteen 2s and two 3s gave Peter a 36 hole score of 75 and had him reaching for the sun cream. Hot stuff indeed!


FINAL ROUND
Martin Vallory, unable to continue, handed his place in the Final to brother Steve and so it was Steve Vallory, Will Eagar, Lionel Bender and Ted McIver who made up the first group. Eagar immediately found himself at the mercy of the 'fan' obstacle at the 1st, running up a score of 4. Bender ran into trouble early on too, dropping shots at three of the first four holes. Both players would need aces if they were to make a comeback. Solid minigolf was the order of the day and it was being served up by McIver and Vallory. The realistic target for both players was the £25 third prize, but when Vallory had to retire at the 12th, it was left to Ted, an avid Coventry City supporter, to lead the push. But Eagar had other ideas. A hole in one at the 8th took Will to '1 over par' and standing at the 16th tee, was at least three shots ahead of the rest of his group. So in the words of Sue Barker, "What happened next?"

Frankie and Ally could never have guessed it, but Will lost his focus (was it Ted's outfit?) and ended up taking 13 shots over the closing three holes to finish on 44 for the round and 125 overall. A disappointing finish for the current 'LIT' Champion Will Eagar, who will be taking his putter to the British Championships in Stratford-Upon-Avon next month. In contrast, Ted finished strongly. Pars on each of the last five holes gave him a third round score of 40 and 54 hole total of 120. By far his best ever performance in London. Lionel's three consistent rounds of 40, 41 and 42 proved again why he is ranked 6th in the UK and feared by all. The current BMGA course record holder at Stratford-Upon-Avon will be licking his lips at the prospect of playing there again on July 12th.

The second group saw Tim "Ace Man" Davies playing alongside Jon Angel, Mr. Michael Webb and Peter Parr. Mr. Michael Webb began the Final three shots adrift of Parr and needed to start well to close the gap - so he calmly aced the 1st! The 6th hole proved very interesting too. Davies thought it would be a great psychological boost to get the ace. Unfortunately for him, his tee-shot was a little short of pace and he had to settle for a 3. Whilst it was a good attempt by Tim, Jon only had himself to blame for his 3 at the 6th. Putting for a 2, he refused to trust his notes and struck his ball too firmly. Unsurprisingly, his ball skated three feet past the hole. Even more incredible was Jon's tee shot at the Unlucky 13th. A line favoured by few players, Jon elected to play down the left side of the fairway. His ball struck the first rock and flew out of bounds. That was the end of his challenge and he eventually went on to make 41 - 120 for the tournament overall.

Peter also bogeyed the 6th and 13th but came back with an ace at the 14th. At this point he was in the driving seat and the trophy was within his grasp. Tim played a near faultless back nine and was on his way to another course record-equalling 36, but starting the Final five shots adrift of Peter proved too much for him and he finished tied for 2nd with Michael who hit 3s on both the 17th and the 18th to card a 38. Putting up a hill at the 18th which his beloved Barnet's Underhill Stadium would be proud of, the gallery appreciated Peter's fine performance. Despite suffering in the heat, Peter managed 3 consecutive sub-40 rounds to take the title. 

With a sudden-death play-off for second place looming, Mr. Michael Webb offered Tim Davies his hand and the £75 prize money, ensuring that both players finished 2nd. Mr. Michael Webb also generously donated his £25 winnings to the BMGA. This was a huge gesture by Mr. Michael Webb, who will be heading to Germany with the British Team for the Minigolf World Championships in August.

So Peter Parr became the first London Open Minigolf Tournament Champion with incredibly consistent low scoring - 114 over 54 holes. It was a well-deserved victory for the BMGA Chairman Parr, who takes home £150 prize money and the fabulous new London Open Trophy. "This victory means a great deal to me because it was a long time coming" Peter said afterwards, "and it proves, that if you really set your mind to something and you focus on your goals, then it'll happen". Peter's next goal is to commercially publish a novel next year. We all wish him the best of luck with that.

As for Ted McIver, it was suggested that he wears a kilt for the British Championships in Stratford next month!

Special thanks must be given to Ian and Lorraine Scagnelli along with Alan Khadir of Broomfield Park Adventure Golf for allowing the BMGA to use the course and for their effort in making the London Open such a memorable event. 

Report: Jon Angel

* Equals course record

*** Peter Parr is first London Open Champion