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Created: 20 July 2026

The turnout for the Summer Meeting was slightly reduced by withdrawals due to concerns about playing in the hot weather, but we still had a respectable field of 29 players for the morning's individual Stableford.

The scratch competition for the Denys Field Scratch Cup was won by Liam Pucill with a total of 31 points. Last year's winner, Garry Ridsdale also had 31 points, but was beaten into 2nd place on countback. The Handicap Competition was won by Peter Dignan on 38 points, but as Peter is not a Full Member, the National Playing Fields Handicap Cup was awarded to Peter Bedford as the leading Full Member, with a score of 37 points. Jenny Smale also had a successful day, winning both the Ladies Cup and the Pru Riddiford Bowl with her score of 31 points.

24 players decided to brave the afternoon heat to compete in the Greensomes Competition for the Sassoon Cups. There was some good scoring, with Jenny Smale and Ryan Wilson-Law (competing in his first RAFGS event) 4th on 36 points, Garry Ridsdale and David Walton 3rd on 38 points, Reece Holmes and David Huish 2nd on 39 points, but it was Peter and Pauline Dignan who retained the trophies with their score of 41 points.

The course was in excellent condition and Marion and the team in the admin office were exceedingly helpful. With positive feedback from many of the players, it was not a difficult decision to make in deciding that we should return to Lincoln for the 2027 Summer Meeting, which will be on Friday, 9th July.

The full results of the meeting can be viewed here.

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Created: 25 June 2026

This year's match against the RAFGA was due to take place on 24 Jun, but was postponed on player welfare grounds in view of the Met Office red warning due to forecast high temperatures and humidity. On this occasion the forecast proved to be correct!

It is hoped that the match can be rearranged for a later date this year.

Kind regards

Nigel

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Created: 06 June 2026

This was the first year that the teams had competed for the Challenge Cup, formerly the East Anglia Challenge Cup, which has been painstakingly refurbished by Robby Boyce. The refurbishment has retained the history of winners of the trophy, which was originally awarded to the winners of an event played between the club and a number of East Anglian RAF stations, and also has a full record of the matches between Hunstanton and the RAFGS. The trophy's complete history will be published in the Trophies' section of the website in due course.

The 2026 match was close and only confirmed after the result of the penultimate group's match. At the end of play on the afternoon of 28th May, the match was evenly balanced, at 3-3, . Following a very enjoyable and convivial dinner in the clubhouse that evening, play resumed the following morning with both team captains optimistic that their team would ultimately prevail. However, the RAFGS team proved the stronger, winning 4 of the first five matches to take an unassailable lead, with a win for the club in the final match only a consolation.

RAFGS team: Graham Pearson (match manager), Pete Hamilton, Si Ackland, Keith Whitfield, Paddy Mournian, Dennis Virgo, Olly Whyatt, Colin Lockwood, Rana Eymur, John Pearce, Paul Simmons, Alastair Maxwell.

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Created: 25 May 2026

The RAFGS team for this year's 'home' match against Sonning met at Woodhall Spa Golf Club on 20 May, conscious of the fact that we had not won the match since 2019. However, Match Manager Tim Evans was in confident mood, following last year's success in winning the Clyne Trophy at Sonning for the first time since 2012.

Later that evening, at the dinner in our usual venue of the splendid and historic Petwood Hotel - formerly the home of 617 "Dambuster' Squadron and full of RAF memorabilia - Tim's confidence seemed well-placed as he announced that the RAF lead 5-1 after the first round on the Bracken course.

Things looked even better the next morning, as Tim and partner Nigel Dowdall won the first match on the Hotchkin course against the Sonning Captain and Vice-Captain, Claire Randell and Andy Coyles, to increase the overall lead to 6-1 - just half a point required to secure the win. However, a determined Sonning team fought back strongly to win the next four matches, leaving the outcome to be decided by the final match. Both teams watched nervously as the final group putted out on the 18th green, but the outcome was a halved match and the win for RAFGS by 6 1/2 points to 5 1/2, meaning that the RAF win the Malcolm Middlemist Trophy for the first time since it was presented in 2024.

RAFGS team: Tim Evans (Match Manager), David Walton, Garry Ridsdale, Roger Carr, Nigel Dowdall, John Pearce, Mark Morton, Neil Gold, Ollie Whyatt, Peter Bedford, Kevin Huish, Colin Lockwood.