All the news and happenings from the local golf clubs

The pairing of Ian Warren and Andrew Babington produced 40 points from the sixteen holes in play of the Dunluce Links on Saturday to get first pick of the Christmas hampers.

They played off a handicap of 18 and set their stall out early with a good birdie four down the second. At the turn the pair had 23 points scored even with a double bogey on the eighth and after this the good form continued.

Two shots were lost on the sixteenth but that just restricted the score for the final seven holes to 17 and took them on to 40 for the round, four better than nearest rivals Gary Stevenson with Eamon Hughes and JJ McElderry with Clyde Shanks, both pairs tied on 36 points.

Gary and Eamon got the nod after countback. They too birdied the long second but dropped three shots to the turn from there so, playing off five, this meant 20 points for them.

A three on the thirteenth was balanced up with a bogey five on sixteen to get the pair 16 points from the last seven and take them on to 36 for the sixteen played.

JJ and Clyde also hit 20 out with three shots dropped and a birdie four on the ninth helping their cause.

They picked up a two on eleven before hitting bogey fives at the twelfth and sixteenth to add 16 points to the card fo their 36 total.

MoreSports.com BUSHFOOT LEAGUE

Division Two in the MoreSports.com Winter League produced the better scoring on Saturday at Bushfoot GC with David Cartmill pulling out the stops to get 45 points on to his card.

The 26 handicapper played the front nine in three shots better than his handicap would have suggested and getting 21 points for his efforts.

The back nine started badly, with no points coming from the tenth, but then David played the final eight holes in five over par with eleven shots!

Twenty-four points was the result of that spree and it took David on to 45 total.

David Morrison was closest to this with his 41 points from a handicap of 25.

His blank on the fourth hole was his only setback on the way out and 21 points was carded for the first half.

Coming back David played the nine in two better than his handicap to get 20 points for it and 41 overall.

In Division One ten handicapper Harold Love took top position with 38 points.

He was just two over par [laying the seventh but failed to register a hit there so he had to be satisfied with 18 points out.

The back nine was a bit more profitable for Harold, he covered it in three over par to net another 20 points to get him to 38 and keep him one in front of Des Walker, who scored 37 off fifteen. His birdie three on the third was sandwiched between a brace of double bogies but after nine Des had 18 points to his credit.

He dropped seven shots over the final nine holes to win another 19 points and that was enough for him to secure second place.

This Thursday sees another Open Seniors event at Bushfoot GC. Call the Club on 028 20731317 to make your booking.

RIVERSIDE HAMPER FOR GERRY

As with the Strand Hamper, the Riverside Hamper went to a tie break, with Gerry McShane getting the nod for the top prize.

He tied with Stephen Henry on 37 points over the fifteen holes in play, for the day.

Gerry started well enough, taking 17 points from the first eight holes and started back with two bogeys.

Then overdrive kicked in and he hit four pars and a closing hole birdie three to add 16 points for those five holes and get to 37 with 20 back, leaving him just a point off three per hole.

Stephen birdied the sixth to help the card along to get 19 out then hit four pars before getting to the sixteenth which duly birdied.

Two pars to finish and he lodged 18 points from the back seven for his second placed 37 points.

John O’Kane was third with 36 points scoring 17 for the opening eight and picking up birdies with a three on fourteen and a two on seventeen to help the card with another 19 back.

That final seven pushed Peter Stanley into fourth place on countback with 37 points and 18 back.

Peter’s final hole birdie three got him his prize at the death from Damian Campbell, the third player to hit 36. He also birdied the last but had a one pointer on the seventeenth.

DYNAMITE DANNY BAGS

HAMPER

Danny Alexander kept his recent run of form lit as he takes the Christmas Hamper at Portstewart Golf Club.

Fresh from wins in the NE Golfing Alliance and Strand Society, Danny returned 34 points over the 14 hole layout of the Strand Links to tie with Jimmy Moody but the countback went Danny’s way for the top prize.

It was won last year by three clear points by, oh yes, me! Danny, playing off 14, reduced to 11 for the fourteen holes, opened his account with three bogeys but these were the only dropped shots in a front seven that gave up 17 points to the card.

After the turn for home Danny again dropped shots, fives at ten and eleven, and again they were the only ones dropped coming back as Danny parred the final five holes to get a matching 17 for his winning 34 point haul.

Jimmy Moody, off 12 for the day, matched that score but was out in three over par and back in two over par.

That back nine included a birdie four on the thirteenth but his 14 over the last six was beaten by Danny’s 15 and, although Jimmy missed out on the hamper, he got the first turkey on offer.

John Breadon, Kevin Doherty and Paddy McAleese all hit 33 points to claim their birds.

John got the nod in the countback this time. His outward seven holes produced just 14 points as the sixteen handicapper had a pair of one pointers in there.

The back seven was a different tale, three over par and a birdie two, getting another 19 points logged for his 33 points.

Kevin, off eight for the event, took 15 from the outward seven, letting a couple of shots go at the end, but as with John, he got things going better after the turn.

One shot dropped at the short twelfth and one picked up with a birdie four on fourteen gave him 18 back.

Not enough to overhaul John but sufficient ot ease Paddy McAleese into fifth place.

Paddy’s bogey six on four was evened up with a two on the sixth to get him to the halfway points on level par and with 17 points won.

He topped and tailed the back seven with birdie threes but between these a double bogey six appeared on the eleventh to restrict Paddy to 16 back and fifth spot.

Three were also tied on 32 points each, Derek Corbett, John Cameron and Shaun Hartin, in that order after tie breaking.

Derek blanked the ninth but hit 19 points back with the help of a birdie three on eleven and nine points for the last three holes.

John Cameron’s first dropped shot was with a five on the ninth and he dropped two on ten and another on twelve as well in a shaky spell.

This was overcome as John covered the final four holes in two under par birdying both par fives. Shaun had a blank hole at ten but birdied the long thirteenth to boost himself up to 32 for his prize.

Allan Brown’s 31 points got him the final prize of the day. He birdied the fourth and blanked the seventh to get13 out before playing the back seven in two over par for 18 back. This included a birdy four on thirteen.

BRADLEY’S RATHMORE

BONANZA

Gerard Bradley scooped the big prize in Rathmore GC’s Bonanza Day scoring 30 points over 13 holes to do so.

The eight handicapper was one over par for the opening seven holes, bogeying only the sixth, to have 18 points carded.

The final six holes were played to his handicap at two points per hole for another 12 taking him to 30 points, two better than the rest.

Best of these was Joe Hunter, keeping his recent good form and scoring 28 points off his mark of eight.

Even with a double bogey in his outward seven Joe had pulled 15 points for his three over tally and improved on this with a birdie four on ten coming back.

Another six, on seventeen, didn’t help with the main prize but eleven points from the last six was enough for second by himself on 28.

Two 27 pointers took the third and fourth prizes, countback giving third to Ben Best. Ben, playing off +1, had two birdies to his name over the front seven, a threes on the second and fifth, helping him to 16 points.

The par five tenth gave up a four but Ben dropped a shot at the seventeenth to add 11 to the card and get 27 overall. Stephen Dunlop took the final place on the winner’s list with his 27 points.

He had double bogied the sixth and seventh but played well otherwise to card 15 points for the outward seven and boosted his chances again with a birdie four on the long tenth.

A solitary bogey during the final six holes meant another 12 points for the seven handicapper and fourth place it was for him.