Stoke by Nayland

SENIORS NEWSLETTER
May 2026

Who would have thought in the days of course closures and incessant downpours that just a few weeks later the cry would be “we need some rain”? But be careful what you wish for: those of us who remember 1976 will recall that Denis Howell’s appointment as “Minister of Drought” in August was followed by a sodden September.

After three cancellations, April 8th saw our first monthly stableford of the year. Congratulations to one of our newest members, Matt Glover, who shot his best recorded round on his way to an eye-watering 45 points, finishing a distance ahead of his nearest challenger in Division 2. Rumour has it that he is being fitted for a brand-new sombrero! Modesty prevents me from saying who won Division 1!

We are now well into the Interclub matches, four being played during the month (I will report on the Gosfield match in next month’s newsletter). We won at home against The Warren, but succumbed to them away a few weeks later. We also went down at Brett Vale, a course where local knowledge is a huge advantage, but scored a notable victory at Colchester. So going into May, our record is won 3 and lost 4, but as we have only played two home matches, I’m hopeful we can improve on this, especially as we have four home fixtures in May.

The seniors took on Lexden Wood in the first round of the John Day trophy on 17th April. This was a closely fought contest, with two matches going to the final hole, but sadly we came out second best, going down 5-4. Many thanks to Ian McKay for managing the team.

On the subject of matches, as mentioned in my previous newsletters, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Team Manager site on Club V1 has still not reappeared, although I understand this is being developed. Therefore, everything still needs to be conducted via Whatsapp. We have a site set up, but I suspect that not everyone who wants to play is in the group. Therefore, if you want to take part in the interclub matches, please email or Whatsapp me (grahamcork@outlook.com or 07773 395620) and I will add you. Don’t forget to include a mobile number if you want to be added to the Whatsapp group. Unfortunately, only members in the Whatsapp group can be considered for selection. Once again, I apologise for the inconvenience, but until resolution of the problem, this is the best we can do.

We have a busy month ahead, with the ever-popular VC tour and the second round of the Essex Senior Team Championship on the agenda, as well as a host of interclub matches, competitions and regular swindles. Hopefully, there is something for everyone, so enjoy your golf and I hope to see you on the course or in the clubhouse soon.

Graham Cork
Seniors Captain