The golfing gurus amongst the Rovers' Former Players gathered at The Kendleshire Golf Club for the annual 'hitting a ball with a thin stick around many acres of stunningly beautiful countryside' on 11 June.
Whilst the number of teams entering was down this year, the number of former players taking part was up and walking into the main reception area was like stepping into a dressing room full of former footballers from different eras.
The amazing thing is that when a group of people who haven’t seen one another for a long time or barely know each other get together, it’s as though someone has flicked a switch, and once again, the dressing room banter they have left behind, for many years in some cases, rises once more to the surface.
Once more, they are part of a team, and although the football pitch has given way to the golf course, the competitive edge and desire to win remain very much in evidence.
Some had risen at the crack of dawn just to be with us; Andy Rammell had travelled up from Bournemouth, Christian McClean from deepest Essex, and Rickie Lambert, a new convert to the sport, had travelled down from Formby the night before and stayed in a local Premier Inn before tackling the Kendleshire’s 18 holes (and many water obstacles lying in wait on the way round!).
Lee Mansell, BRFPA President Billy Clark, Bob Bloomer, Paul Hardyman, Peter Aitken, Paul Tovey, Ian Alexander, Mike Davis, Tony Pounder, Tom White, Mike England and Paul Chenoweth were also on hand to show off their golfing skills, and I shouldn’t forget Bobby Gould who, on the eve of his 79th birthday, was partnered by his grandson, Matthew, as he made his way around the course.
There were also a few interested spectators watching the players tee off, though I suspect some were secretly hoping that one or two members of the golfing fraternity might deposit their first shot in the lake that lies in wait just ahead of the first tee.
Two very welcome guests were Rovers’ Director of Football Ricky Martin and Director of Commercial and Revenue Ritchie Bates. Their busy schedules meant that they weren’t able to stay the whole day, but it was encouraging to see two senior staff members take time to come along and share in the day and also speak with many of the former players in attendance.
After a number of years of being shunned by the hierarchy at our club, this was a clear indication that times are changing and that support groups such as ourselves are being recognised as an important part of the club’s infrastructure and the role we play is being valued by those now in charge.
Also on hand to see proceedings get underway was BRFPA Chairman Tony Mills, who is recovering well from his recent major surgery, lifelong Rovers supporter and former Eastville employee Derek Rees and marathon man (he’s just completed his second London one) and charity fundraiser Geoff Smith. Missing from our midst though was secretary Mo Bell whose organisational skills bring this event together and ensure it runs smoothly. Illness prevented her from being with us on this occasion, and we all wish her a speedy recovery.
And there was me; invited along, not because of my golfing prowess but as an amateur snapper to take a few photos of everyone either posing with their golf clubs beforehand or with their medals afterwards. One day the BRFPA will employ a proper photographer but until that happens they are stuck with me.
As a Crazy Golf aficionado, I didn’t get the fascination with birds on the golf circuit and it all had to be explained to me. Apparently, a birdie is when you complete a hole one stroke under par, with par being the number of strokes you are expected to take. In other words, if a hole is completed in four strokes on a par 5 hole, you’ve birdied!
There’s an Albatross (three strokes under par or a hole-in-one), an Eagle (two strokes under par) and I’m not forgetting the Condor, but that’s a pretty rare one as it’s four strokes under par.
Actually, other birds are available and I saw many of them on my walk between the greens, including moorhens, wagtails, magpies and robins. That got me wondering why other bird terms aren’t used as I could have moorhend on the eighth, magpied on the tenth and wagtailed on the 18th. Oh, and I might possibly have robined on the 19th which, in case you’re wondering, is the clubhouse and the robin was hopping around the outside tables collecting scraps of food left by hungry golfers at the end of their gruelling walk in the hot sun.
I have to report that I saw something on a golf course I’ve never seen before…a dog. They were tethered to a golf cart (is that the correct term?) and looked a little bit tired. They had probably been chasing birdies and had paused at the 11th for a breather!
Some four and a half hours after starting out, the teams began to arrive back in the clubhouse with tales of missed putts, drives that were attracted to water features, trees or bushes and all of the usual hard luck stories.
Coming off the course Bob Bloomer told me he had been rubbish; an hour later he was proudly holding a medal as a member of the second-placed SM Gauge team.
Rickie Lambert, looking as though he could play 90 minutes of football tomorrow, came off the course beaming; a recent convert (seven months) to the sport, he reckoned he’d had a great day and said to make sure he received an invite to next year’s event.
Lee Mansell and his PFA team included Billy Clark in their lineup and finished in a creditable third place, while the winners were Berkeley Estates, skippered by former City player Tommy Doherty and with former Rovers trainee Matt Hope also on their team.
Elkie Sheppard won the prize for being nearest the pin on a designated hole, while Christian McClean took the prize for the longest drive of the day.
We were, as usual, well looked after by the staff at The Kendelshire who served us bacon rolls before the stroll around their beautiful course and burgers, chicken skewers, salad, pasta and new potatoes afterwards.
Congratulations to all the winners on the day and thanks to everyone who took part; we hope that everyone returns next year for this event, now firmly established in the Bristol Rovers Former Players Association Calendar.
Words by Keith Brookman
