Derek Hancock and his son, Harvey, performed brilliantly in Ross Golf Club’s latest major men’s honours board competition, in their summer programme, the annual Eddie Hodges four ball better ball medal cup. They were able to card a nett 60 medal score, the equivalent of 12 strokes below the Ross club’s testing 72 standard scratch score.

The pair got off to a remarkable start with Harvey making gross birdies at five of the opening six holes and he followed this with an eagle at the eighth hole and two more birdies at the 15th and 16th holes.

With Derek, an eight handicapper, contributing by getting crucial gross pars or better, at key stages, the 44 other pairings taking part were almost bystanders, with Justin Halfpenny and Jon Tookey coming closest with a nett 63 medal score.

Harvey clearly finds the Ross course to his liking for within weeks of moving from the Belmont Abbey Club in 2015, the 22 year old, now a three handicapper, was an instant success bringing silverware his way, winning the Burn Trophy and Len Weston Knock-out Cup.

When he won the 2015 Spring Scratch medal, sponsored by Old Mutual Wealth, he went on to win regional finals, which meant that he represented the Ross Club nationally at the two days final stages held in County Cork last September.

12-year-old Jordan Hughes, a 21 handicapper and one of Ross Club’s many aspiring Junior members, playing with Elwyn Hamer, will have fond memories of his performance in the Eddie Hodges Cup, finishing in third place with a nett 65, followed by Arthur Cartwright & Simon Mills and Kevin D’Lonra & Richard Moore, with nett 66s, and Simon Buck & Andrew Baldwin with nett 68.

A few days later, 90 Ross men’s Seniors took part in the second of six rounds held throughout the Summer to help determine the ultimate winner of the Club’s Annual Layton Cup event, with Arthur Reid getting himself in contention with 39 stableford points to head the latest score-sheet.

Scott Thomson and Gerry Powell should have some say in the final outcome for they also carded 39 points scores respectively, followed by David Whitehead and Don Meek with 38 points.

As with Colin Price, it was good to see Brian Ingram making highly respectable 37 points scores, followed by the 36 pointers being; David Sainsbury, David Crocker, Nigel Edmondson and Bill Knapper.