An intriguing weekend of top-class golf was in prospect at Ross Golf Club’s tree-lined course at Gorsley recently and the outcomes fully lived up to their high expectations.

The Saturday saw 123 men members compete for the annual combined Gordon Blake Cup/County Medal qualifier and it was a day which will be live long in the memory of 14 year old 20 handicapper, Timmy Fycun.

With the course’s white tees set up at their most demanding, Timmy’s gross 85, nett 65 medal score round which included 8 pars, won him the cup by miles, together with coveted honours board recognition and a two shots handicap reduction. A proud moment for all concerned as Timmy is a product of the Ross Club’s Juniors Academy and took up the game as a nine year old, as a result of a ’’Tri-Golf’ beginners scheme which visited Bridstow Primary School in the care of Ross Club Head Professional Tim Hall and his Assistants within their ’School of Golf’.

This initiative, and Timmy’s introduction to the game, also resulted in his Mum, Sally taking up golf and she has since developed into an accomplished 12 handicapper with the Ross Club Ladies - so a real ’Fycun Family’ win-win.

The County Medal Qualifier was won by 4 handicapper Alex Duncanson with an equally impressive gross 72, nett 68 score, which included four birdies and means a 1 shot handicap reduction. Other gross performances worthy of mention were by Harvey Hancock, now a 1 handicapper, who also captured 4 birdies and 3 handicapper Cam Haines both with gross 75’s, followed by 6 handicapper Stuart Smith’s 77 and 15 year old 5 handicapper Harry Griffiths with gross 78. In the nett category, Paul Warwick and Justin Halfpenny will have been pleased with their nett 71 performances.

On Sunday, 73 highly accomplished men golfers came from near and far to take part in the Ross Club’s Annual Scratch Cup, competed for and decided over two rounds of 18 holes gross medal golf. This time the Ross course certainly suited scratch golfer Josh Denley from the Chipping Sodbury Golf Club, for whom it was his third visit. Josh played perfectly all day to rack up 8 birdies in his two rounds to finish on gross 142, overall two shots under the course’s gross par and winning the event by 3 shots.

Runner-up on count-back, with a gross 145 medal total, was former Ross Juniors Captain, 3 handicapper 17 year old Cam Haines, who valued the consolation of carding the day’s lowest gross round of 69 represented by 3 birdies and 15 pars and gained Cam a 1 shot handicap reduction to 2.

2017 Scratch Cup winner Nick Day from Henbury GC also carded gross 145’s as did Charlie Mclean from Cotswold Hills GC. Harry Griffiths’ consistent play was again a feature finishing in a creditable sixth place with a 148 total.