99 men members took part in Ross Golf Club’s first Winter Stableford, to qualify for the 2017 Barnfield Trophy Final, which will be held next March. The competitors enjoyed ideal Autumnal playing conditions, which suited 11 handicapper Michael (Mick) Merrick perfectly.

While Mick (pictured right) has been in consistent form of late, he more than exceeded his expectations on the Club’s Yellow course, scoring 45 stableford points, the equivalent of nine shots better than his official handicap, to win the event by miles.

No small wonder that his round, consisting of two birdies and 12 pars, resulted in a three-shot handicap reduction to eight, on a day where Mick led the field from start to finish.

Being a staunch Hereford FC enthusiast and season ticket holder, Mick is always a very early starter on the golf course to ensure that his beloved ‘Bulls’ receive his support at all home matches.

The top five places in the competition all came from Handicap Division One, and joining Mick in the qualifying list were runner-up Paul Element with 40 points, who will now play off a seven handicap in future, followed by Mike Harris, Colin Gladwyn and 12-year-old Jordan Hughes, who all scored 39 points, and Chris Good who scored 38 points.

In Handicap Division Two, the top six qualifiers were Bill Johnston with 39 points, Colin Price, Roger Morgan, and Richard Moore with 38 points each, and Fred Stott and Stephen Gregory with 37 points each.

As the Club’s 2016 season of inter-club matches comes to a close, Team Captain Terry Jarrett, who manages the Club’s Friendly team, and outgoing Seniors Captain David Williams, who skippers the Seniors Round Robin squad, have excellent reasons to celebrate their recent respective achievements.

The annual 12 pairings a-side contest against Moseley GC, played on a home and away basis to determine the winners of the Ward Trophy, saw Terry take his Club team to Moseley with a slender 7-5 advantage after the home match at Ross. His team though performed admirably at Moseley to secure a 6 -6 draw and return home victorious with the Trophy.

Equally David Williams was in charge of the Seniors first 3 matches of their 2016/17 Round Robin League campaign when 8 matches against counterparts from holders Leominster, Burghill Valley, Sapey and The Worcestershire will be held over the next 6 months. With David setting a marvellous Captain’s example, home wins against Sapey and Leominster and a crucial away win at Burghill Valley means that Ross Seniors currently head the League table with 6 points and have put themselves in a strong position to win the Claret Jug Trophy, a feat they have only achieved once in their 10 year history of taking part.