THE welcome abundance of dry Spring weather meant Ross Golf Club's tree-lined course still represented a considerable test for the 114 men's seniors 55-plus players who took part in round one of the annual Layton Cup stableford competition, reports KEITH RAY.

The first of six separate rounds throughout the summer, the champion and associated honours board recognition will be decided by the best three rounds.

Since joining the Gorsley-based club two years ago, Andrew McKersie has found much to his liking and in fully supporting the varied programme of competitions and matches at his disposal has seen his world handicap index reduce from 19 to 15.

His explosive start in the opening Layton Cup round saw him amass a remarkable 34 stableford points after just 13 holes with nine pars and a birdie.

It was no surprise therefore that Andrew found his name at the top of the final score-sheet with a 41 points total.

The day's runner-up Steve Bartholomew with 40 points has also been on a roll as he went on to win round two with 42 points.

While early days, Steve currently holds a considerable six-point advantage over his nearest rivals in the 2025 best of series competition.

Steve will clearly have his sights on a repeat of his 2019 Layton Cup success, which necessitated an 18 holes play-off win against Richard Tromans.

In round one, Andrew and Steve were followed by Clive Whitson and Iain Bissell with 39 points and Kevin Murphy, John Hartle and Mark Whitmore with 38 points each.

Round two saw a field of 120 players, with Dave Roberts and another new member John Hall finishing runners up with 39 points, followed by Adrian Berry and Dai Harries with 38 points.

There followed a host of 37 pointers represented by Murray Alston, Angus McIntosh, John Parker, Ross Club President Phil Wilson, William Shotton and Stuart Mair.