Jonathan Lean, Lorna Jerome, Justin Thomas and Nathan Church at the start of their challenge
Mission accomplished: Lorna, Justin, Jonathan and Nathan on the 18th green
Three intrepid captains and a vice captain joined forces to face a gruelling 54-hole challenge to raise money for their respective charities.
Seniors Captain Jonathan Lean, Ladies Captain Lorna Jerome, Junior Captain Nathan Church and Club Vice Captain Justin Thomas, standing in for injured Club Captain Mike Tipper, teed off at 7am on the John O’Gaunt course on a day of warm sunshine with the occasional cooling shower.
They completed the third round just over 12 hours later at 7.15pm having played individual Stableford, four ball better ball and foursomes, all on the John O’Gaunt course due to a medal being played on Carthagena.
Jonathan’s chosen charity is Keech Hospice and if you have not already sponsored him you can still do so by following this link:
Read Jonathan's account of the day
I
am sitting here writing this with almost every muscle aching including some I
did not know I had. It was hard work but well worth it. We met at 7am in
the car park to tee off for the first of the 3 rounds. There was a
last-minute substitution as Club Captain Mike Tipper has injured his
shoulder, so Justin Thomas stepped in at short notice. Together with Lorna
Jerome and Nathan Church, the four of us set off bright and early with
nobody in front of us! The weather was kind. Not too hot and a pleasant
breeze,
We started off playing serious golf. Reading greens, judging break on putts, looking for gaps in trees etc. but as the course filled up with Sunday morning golfers (it was busy because CAR was closed for the July medal) we had to pick up the pace a bit and ‘gimmies’ got a bit longer!
I started with good intentions having a supply of protein bars and energy drinks but succumbed to the temptation of a bacon butty at the halfway house. Also, enormous thanks to the regular procession of ladies organised by Lorna who provided chocolate bars and cold drinks to keep up going.
After the first round played as an individual Stableford, and a short half hour break, we set off again playing a 4BBB match-play. Justin and I managing to edge out Lorna and Nathan 2 and 1.
A quick bite and then we were off again, this time playing the rather easier Foursomes. Again, Justin and I managed to hold off a late surge from Nathan and Lorna winning 2 up on the last hole.
A few observations:
· I don’t normally surface that early in the morning and I discovered that there are hungry
insects around at 7am! Trying not to scratch the itchy bites!
· Nathan hits the ball a long way! He almost drove the green the three times we played the
12th. Also, on the 10th he took an 8 iron whereas I was taking a 3 wood. Still, he is nearly 60
years younger than me.
· Justin was keen not to know what was happening in the cricket as he was planning to watch
the highlights later that evening. I had to surreptitiously check the scores and hide my
excitement during the second round. I think that the game was up as we came up the 18th
with raucous roars from the clubhouse as the test match reached its climax.
I am delighted to report that, at the time of writing, the amount donated on my JustGiving page is up to £1322! An enormous THANK YOU to all of you who have donated.
I will leave
the page open for donations for a few more weeks in case anyone else cares
to contribute.
We started off playing serious golf. Reading greens, judging break on putts, looking for gaps in trees etc. but as the course filled up with Sunday morning golfers (it was busy because CAR was closed for the July medal) we had to pick up the pace a bit and ‘gimmies’ got a bit longer!
I started with good intentions having a supply of protein bars and energy drinks but succumbed to the temptation of a bacon butty at the halfway house. Also, enormous thanks to the regular procession of ladies organised by Lorna who provided chocolate bars and cold drinks to keep up going.
After the first round played as an individual Stableford, and a short half hour break, we set off again playing a 4BBB match-play. Justin and I managing to edge out Lorna and Nathan 2 and 1.
A quick bite and then we were off again, this time playing the rather easier Foursomes. Again, Justin and I managed to hold off a late surge from Nathan and Lorna winning 2 up on the last hole.
A few observations:
· I don’t normally surface that early in the morning and I discovered that there are hungry
insects around at 7am! Trying not to scratch the itchy bites!
· Nathan hits the ball a long way! He almost drove the green the three times we played the
12th. Also, on the 10th he took an 8 iron whereas I was taking a 3 wood. Still, he is nearly 60
years younger than me.
· Justin was keen not to know what was happening in the cricket as he was planning to watch
the highlights later that evening. I had to surreptitiously check the scores and hide my
excitement during the second round. I think that the game was up as we came up the 18th
with raucous roars from the clubhouse as the test match reached its climax.
I am delighted to report that, at the time of writing, the amount donated on my JustGiving page is up to £1322! An enormous THANK YOU to all of you who have donated.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/jonathan-lean-1686912009913?newPage=true
I am a bit achy today, but I am more than happy to put my body through this
small discomfort to support those who care for people whose bodies have
failed them.
Jonathan Lean
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