THE first 2024 Honours Board competition at the Gorsley-based Ross Golf Club is normally their Annual Barnfield Trophy event, reports KEITH RAY.

Members qualify to take part represented by the top performing 12 achievers in the 5 Mixed Winter Stableford events held throughout the winter.

However the difficult weather conditions saw just two qualifying events taking place, so not only were the final start-sheet numbers affected accordingly with 40 members on board, but it resulted in the final taking place only recently.

Eleven handicapper Marcus McEvoy may feel that he has benefitted, as the occasion coincided with him enjoying a current rich vein of form which has seen his name at the top of the final results table on two separate occasions.

In the Barnfield Trophy his 38 points total was just enough with Nigel Allen having to settle for the runners-up slot with 37 points.

Former Barnfield Champion Tim Lewis came close to a repeat win with 36 points followed by Dave Roberts with 35 and Allen Haines, Daniel Gill, Joe Lawrence and Tim Harrison each with 34.

It was in the club's recent annual Spring Scratch and Handicap medal event in which 114 took part that Marcus also came up trumps when his gross 80, net 69 medal score won him the title of best net handicap performer followed impressively by Ross Juniors players and twins Ollie Walker with a net 71 score and brother Billy with a net 72 score.

Recent Gordon Blake Cup winner Wayne Rees again featured with a net 72 medal round. 

The No 1 performer and Honours Board Spring Scratch Champion was Tim Wyatt with a gross 72 medal round score with both Nigel Evans and Cam Haines also carding gross 72s but missing out on the top spot on count-back.

Tim Wyatt's marvellous birdie 3 on the highly challenging 17th hole was the key influencer, enabling Tim to win this prestigious title again after last achieving greatness in 2016 and finishing runner-up in the 2019 event.

Harry Griffiths came close with a gross 73 followed by Mike Burris, Allan Burry and Ross Webb with gross 75 scores.