Although a poor turnout of only five players a good time was eventually had by all.
The unexpected rain had fallen all morning and continued into the afternoon so with some trepidation the valiant five stood on the first tee and looked through the precipitation and commenced the challenge.
Chester le Street’s fairways are fortunately wide and very forgiving, which helped the odd miss hit. Very soon it was realized by all players that despite the rain the temperature was warm and so various layers of clothing had to be removed.
As we entered the back nine the rain had petered out and the sun began to shine and continued to radiate its warmth for the rest of the afternoon.
Stephen Laws and Chris Morrison gave Darren Smith a run for his money but he eventually won the competition with a commendable score of 36 points which was made possible by getting an eagle on the 6th (par 5) and earning 5 points!
In view of the current restrictions we did not stay from dinner and left after a quick drink in the bar.
The course was good for all handicaps and I would recommend that it is played again next year.
Noel Stevenson
