Stoke by Nayland

SENIORS NEWSLETTER

December 2025

Fellow Seniors,

Welcome to the last newsletter before Christmas. As I write this, we are not quite into December, but everything seems to be in full swing, not least at the resort, who have done their usual magnificent job in making the place look very festive.

I am pleased (and relieved) to report that the Drive In went well, and many thanks to all who participated in the drive distance sweep (185.5 yards if you were asking!). We raised £270 for Bowel Cancer UK, a great start to the year. Congratulations to Simon Merriam, who won Division 1 with 34 points, two clear of Rob Davies, with Barry Hitchcock a point further back on 31. The captain’s relief of not putting hisdrive into the car park was evident as he won Division 2 with 38 points, with Dick Lumsden 2nd on 36, just ahead of Rob Swan on 35.

The Hi-Lo Pairs Greensome produced a rather disappointing turnout: a pity, as in my opinion Greensomes is an enjoyable format – the excitement of foursomes, but with the “insurance” of two tee shots. Nonetheless, there was some excellent scoring, not least by Mark Clark and Ian Bickers, who strolled away to victory with an impressive 41 points, five clear of their nearest challengers Tony Carman and Rob Ogles.

On the 24th, we had the annual Seniors and Ladies Mixed Greensome. This is a fun event, played over 13 holes followed by a Christmas lunch, and this year’s renewal was no exception. The competition was extremely close, a single point separating the top three pairs: well played Tony Emms and Jacqui Trudgett, who edged out Terry Mitchell and Bev Thompson on countback. This was a very enjoyable dayand I would encourage as many of you as possible to play in next year’s event.

Coming up very soon is our last Stableford of the year, which has attracted a strong field – 52 entrants as of Sunday evening. Let’s hope the BBC Weather forecast for the day (not always the most reliable) is accurate on this occasion – 10 degrees C and sunny.

Our last competition for the year is the Yuletide Scramble on 10th December. This is another fun format and is free to enter. We try and raise funds for the Sudbury Food Bank, donations for which are, as in previous years, coordinated by Roger Davies. If you wish to donate, please see Roger or me at the club, or send funds to Roger, whose bank details are as follows:

Roger Davies
Sort Code 11-07-54 (Halifax)
Account No. 00201880

Following the Yuletide Scramble competition, Kevin Price will making a presentation to the Nayland First Responders (his charity for his year of captaincy). This should take place at approximately 1:30pmand it would be great to see as many seniors as possible there to see the culmination of his efforts over the past year.

It just remains for me to wish you all and your families very happy Christmas and New Year. I look forward to seeing and playing with you soon.

All the best,

Graham Cork
Seniors Captain