NGL Magazine - July 2022

Issue 13:

July 2022

Hollingsworth Trophy set for thrilling finale

NORTHAMPTON golf course will be the venue for the first County team final of 2022 as Staverton Park’s
men take on Farthingstone for the Hollingsworth Trophy on Sunday, July 24th.
The two sides reached the showpiece event in contrasting styles as Staverton outplayed Peterborough
Milton B in the last four, while Farthingstone edged a tight contest with Kettering.
After topping Group A without defeat, Staverton had few problems in their semi-final at Kettering GC
as Giorgio Forgione and Michael Forgione (6&5) and Peter Trueman and Adrian Thompson (5&4) sent
them on their way.
Although the remaining three games were closer, Barry Harding and Joe Spittlehouse secured the
Staverton victory on the closing hole, Greg Young and Bill Marks won 2&1, before Joshua Morris and
Andy Sant completed the perfect day on the 18th.
Farthingstone, who have never won the Hollingsworth Trophy before, booked their place in the final with
a gritty 3-2 victory over Kettering at Peterborough Milton GC.
Sam Bird and Adrian Miller handed Farthingstone the ideal start with a 7&5 triumph, before Karl Leason
and Darren Matthews doubled their advantage with another comfortable win.
Kettering, who topped Group B with a perfect record, showed their battling qualities as they took games
two and five, but couldn’t complete the comeback as a one-hole success from Bradley Wardell and
David Summerfield sealed the Farthingstone win.

www.northantsgolf.co.uk 1

Vision for the future is very clear to see

Northamptonshire WITH some lovely weather over the
Golf Limited last few weeks, it has been a pleasure
to play and watch some fine golf - well
Our purpose is to above the standard that I normally
further the interests participate.
of amateur golf in
Northamptonshire and As a County President, it is a pleasure
to provide guidance and to visit as many team matches and
assistance to all affiliated events as possible.
Clubs within the County.
Our teams are well into their
President & Treasurer: programme for 2022 and although
Mr Jack Marr results may not have been as good
as we would have liked we are very
Vice President & happy with the progress of the teams.
Commercial Director:
Mrs Catherine Tildesley Team Managers Claire (Lyndsay)
and Ryan (Genner) are very clear on
Past President & Chairman: their plans and vision for the future.
Mrs Kathryn Stronach Primarily based on the right coaching and the progression of juniors
through the ranks, we expect some great results in the future.
Competitions Director:
Mr Marcel Aarts Just a reminder that the Centenary Finals will soon be here and the
qualifiers are well underway at your clubs.
Director of Teams:
Men’s: Mr Ryan Genner With three divisions for men and ladies, plus a junior section, this is
Ladies: Mrs Claire Lindsay a chance to play in a prestigious one-off event in our county. Contact
your secretary for details.
Director of Coaching
& Golf Development: We hope you have received your Centenary ball marker as a memento
of our hundred years and have enjoyed reading A Celebration of
Mr Michael Farr Northamptonshire Golf Ltd.

Director of Junior Golf: This is the second book written by Martin Izzard for the NGL (NGU)
Mr Asy Ho and we are extremely grateful for his continued endeavours.

EG Voting Member: Top congratulations go to Leah Ribano and Ryan Genner who are
Mr Ken Hignett newly-crowned 2022 Northamptonshire Champions. Both held their
nerve to collect the top prize in the county. More details of these
Honorary Secretary: events are in the newsletter and/or on the website.
Mr John Pearson
Competitions have been well supported this year and Competition
Club Services: Director Marcel Aarts, supported by Kathryn Stronach and Chris
Mr David Davis Gore, are very happy with the progress so far.

Safeguarding Officer: Good luck to Staverton Park and Farthingstone, who have never won
Mrs Sally Bingham the Hollingsworth Trophy, as they meet in the final later this month.

Thanks to you all for your continued support and please say hello if
you see us at an event.

Also, as always, my thanks to the County Committee and volunteers
for all your help and support.

Remember keep your head still and enjoy your golf.

NGL President - Jack Marr

2 Northamptonshire Golf Ltd

County strengthen Team by appointing new Girls Manager

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE Golf Ltd are dedicated to supporting the growth of the game by achieving
successful County, Men, Ladies and Junior Teams.

The County are always on the lookout for players and are pleased to announce the appointment of
Emma Bazeley as Girls Manager to strengthen the NGL Junior Development Team.

Working with Director of Junior Golf Asy Ho and Director of Ladies Teams Claire Lindsay, the
Northants County member brings experience and enthusiasm to the role.

She will be shortly contacting all Club Junior Co-ordinators to discuss the plans and strategy for
developing our young girls in the County and growing team participation into the Ladies teams.

Bazeley (pictured below) said: “I was introduced to golf at a young age as my parents joined
Staverton Park Golf Club in 1978, although I didn’t start playing until some years later.

“Staverton in the 1980’s and early
1990’s was a fantastic, and very
inclusive, club for juniors.

“My first ever golf lesson was with
David Leadbetter and my last ever
lesson as a junior was with Brian
Mudge!

“As a junior, I played for the County
Girls team under the watchful eye of
Glynis Wild, and then Vera White.

“Recently, I was sent a picture
of the Northamptonshire Girls
Championship trophy. It has Emma
Print (maiden name) etched on that
trophy after I won in 1986 and 1987.

“Fast forward to many years later,
I am now a mum of three, happily
married for 24 years and back on the
golf course enjoying golf more than
ever.

“My hope is that I can be the Glynis or
Vera for the next generation of girls,
and I hope to do those wonderful
ladies proud.

“I recently played a round of golf with
my brother for the first time together in
over 30 years.

“We both made a mental note to thank
our parents for introducing us to such
a wonderful game - I made that phone
call when I got home that evening!”

The County, meanwhile, are
also looking to appoint a Boys
Teams Manager, so for more
details, please contact Asy Ho at
[email protected].

www.northantsgolf.co.uk 3

Two victories in two outings for Milton

Handicap League Scratch League
PETERBOROUGH Milton sit first in the Scratch League after a
UNBEATEN Staverton Park couple of big individual wins from Michael Wood (pictured below)
strengthened their position at and Chris White helped the team defeat Northants County 6½-1½
the top of Handicap League in their latest home fixture.
Group A with a magnificent Reigning champions Overstone Park moved into second position
21-4 victory at Northampton. with a brilliant 5½-2½ success at point-less Wellingborough.
The race to gain promotion into the top flight looks set to be a tight
The result was in the contest with three of the four matches so far resulting in narrow
balance until Staverton’s away wins.
Gez Strangwood and Nick Kettering’s 4½-3½ victory at Cold Ashby means they lead the
Shakespeare bagged a 13- standings from Collingtree and Kingsthorpe, who won by a single
hole win. point at Farthingstone.
Silverstone produced the best away performance of the season in
Hellidon Lakes kept up the the third section as they defeated Oundle 5-1.
pressure by making it three Priors Hall still lead the standings courtesy of back-to-back
wins in three with a 20-2 home 5-1 home wins against Daventry, who ended Brampton Heath
victory against Northampton. unbeaten record the previous weekend, and Oundle.

Kettering became just the Intermediate League
second team to win on their DEFENDING champions Kingsthorpe had mixed emotions in their
travels in Group B after edging latest two Intermediate League matches as they recorded one win
a tight contest at local rivals and one defeat on consecutive Sundays.
Priors Hall by the scoreline 5-3. Martin Dunn earned a 10&8 individual win for Kingsthorpe as they
beat leaders Collingtree Park 6-2 at Overstone Park GC, before
Peterborough Milton still lead the side lost 5½-2½ to Wellingborough at Collingtree Park GC
the table after a 8-5 success seven says later.
against Wellingborough, who Kettering were unable to grab their first victory of the season in
also suffered a heavy loss early July as they lost 5½-2½ to Rushden at Overstone Park GC.
to Kettering, while Northants
County remain in contention
with two more victories.

Local knowledge proved
crucial throughout June in
Group C as all three matches
ended in home victories.

Kingsthorpe sit top after a 7-5
success against Farthingstone,
who responded with a 9-6 win
against Brampton Heath.

It was the same in Group D as
Overstone Park, Collingtree
Park and Rushden all recorded
convincing home victories to lie
in the top three spots.

4 Northamptonshire Golf Ltd

Quarter-final line-up almost complete

Ladies Cecil Leitch League Junior League
RUSHDEN and Wellingborough have qualified for the Ladies
Cecil Leitch quarter-finals after confirming the top two positions in PETERBOROUGH Milton B
Group B with strong finishes to the campaign. maintained their unbeaten
Junior League record in Group
Two comfortable home victories and an excellent 3-2 success B with a 2-2 home draw against
at Northampton guaranteed first place for Rushden ahead of Overstone Park A.
Wellingborough, who grabbed second with back-to-back wins
against Kettering. Maliha Mirza (5&4) and Jacob
Williams, pictured above, (2&1)
Overstone Park and Oundle are both through to the last eight with were both successful for the
one match remaining in Group C after they completed home and hosts, but reigning champions
away doubles over Cold Ashby and Kingsthorpe respectively. Overstone kept alive their
chances of reaching the semi-
Overstone will confirm top spot with a win in their last match at finals by taking the other two
Kingsthorpe, but any slip up could allow Oundle to snatch first points.
place with a victory away to Cold Ashby 24 hours later.
With many matches set to be
Northants County and Staverton Park have guaranteed the top played over the coming weeks,
two positions in Group D after maintaining their excellent form. Northants County B, Overstone
Park B and Northants County
County completed their campaign with a 3-2 home success A lead the way in Groups A, C
against Staverton, who had won their previous three outings, and D respectively.
including a 4-1 victory at Delapre.

Although Group A has yet to be decided, Elton Furze remain in
pole position as they earned their second victory of the campaign
with a 3-2 success away to Whittlebury Park.

With four of the five games going the distance, the visitors grabbed
the plaudits, thanks to points from Pauline Hurley (pictured below),
Susan Pawson and Anita Cordery in the opening three ties.

Ladies League
OVERSTONE Park missed an opportunity to significantly close
the gap on Ladies League pacesetters Northants County as they
could only draw 2-2 with Elton Furze at Wellingborough GC.

Northampton defeated bottom side Elton Furze 2½-1½ at
Northants County GC at the start of July.

www.northantsgolf.co.uk 5

Genner clinches Northamptonshire Men’s Championship

RYAN Genner (Overstone Park) was crowned
County Men’s Champion for the first time after
winning the 2022 tournament by five strokes at
Collingtree Park GC.
The plus-two handicapper (pictured right)
was a model of consistency in windy morning
conditions as he bagged two birdies and 15
pars in a round of 69 to open up a four shot
lead from defending champion Jack Brown
(Brampton Heath).
Although Genner initially struggled at the start
of his afternoon round, he rediscovered his best
form over the closing stretch in a score of 75.
Kettering’s Jordan Darnell, who carded the best
net total of 147 to clinch the Parsons Cup, came
through to finish second in the gross category
by one shot from three-time champion Brown.
Another two strokes further back in joint-
fourth were Overstone’s Taylor Sargeant and
Brampton Heath’s Max Faulker, who collected
the Braid’s Driver as the leading player under
the age of 22.
Genner, Sargeant and Fraser Carnihan helped
Overstone Park win the Champion Club Team
Trophy with a combined gross score of 451.

6 Northamptonshire Golf Ltd

Event Diary - 2022 (enter online - www.northantsgolf.co.uk)

Date Tournament Winner/Venue

April 23rd Scratch Foursomes Championship Winners - Ray Connolly
& Jensen Parfitt
April 30th Higgs Bowl
May 13th-15th Ladies Championship Winner - Steven Austin
Boys Championship Winner - Leah Ribano
May 30th Girls Championship
May 30th Men's Championship Winner - Joe Hyde
June 11th Ladies Fourball Betterball Championship Winner - Leah Ribano
June 16th Winner - Ryan Genner
Family Foursomes Winner - Carol Kane
July 10th Ladies Intermediate & Bronze Championship
July 11th & Tracey Heavey
July 18th Senior Men's Championship
August 17th Ladies Goodyear Cup Kingsthorpe GC
August 18th Ladies Am-Am Rushden GC
August 20th Stableford Cup
August 28th Centenary Medal Final Wellingborough GC
September 11th Centenary Medal Final Lingdale GC
September 12th
September 13th Senior Pairs Championship Cherwell Edge GC
September 29th Ladies Bouverie Bowl Whittlebury Park GC
September 29th Wellingborough GC
October 1st Senior Ladies Championship Peterborough Milton GC
October 2nd Ladies Tazza Trophy Brampton Heath GC
October 2nd Izzard Trophy Northants County GC
October 9th
October 28th Champion of Champions Silverstone GC
KO Finals Day Silverstone GC
Cold Ashby GC
Mixed Fourball Betterball Championship Wellingborough GC
Am-Am Wellingborough GC
Daventry GC
Northampton GC

www.northantsgolf.co.uk 7

Setback leaves Ladies team even more hungry for success

AN inexperienced Northamptonshire side were
unable to build on an excellent start to Ladies
County Match Week as they went on to finish
sixth in the Midlands South Region tournament
at Leamington and County GC, Warwickshire.
A team packed full of youngsters took their
opening contest against Oxfordshire as points
from Lila Bisset and Jade Potter (4&2), Baylie
Pyke (one hole), Chelsey Sharp (two holes),
and a half from Katie Amos and Harriet Billson,
sealed a 3½-1½ victory.
In the afternoon match against Worcestershire and Herefordshire, wins from Bisset and Potter (2&1)
and Pyke (one hole) weren’t enough for Northants as they were edged out by a single point.
Although Potter was successful twice more the following day, they were the only County wins as the
team lost 3-2 to the hosts and 3½-1½ to Berkshire, before being outplayed by unbeaten champions
Buckinghamshire on the final day.
Despite the disappointing results, County Director of Ladies Teams Claire Lindsay says there were
many positives to take from the tournament.
She said: “From the start, this County Week was different. Not only had we reviewed our player
selection, but so had the other teams, and it was clear we were all focused on the youngsters.
“Our team played against girls who are selected for England, girls who have much lower handicaps
and girls who are in colleges in America. But, not only did themselves proud, they did us proud too.
“We fought hard and our heads never went down. Our results did not reflect how well our girls played,
because they gave it their all and we witnessed some brilliant golf. As Captain, I could not have asked
any more from them.
“We will top the leaderboard; I don’t know when, but the team’s future is full of positivity, exceptional

players and a hunger to win. We’ve learnt a lot from this County Week and will use it to
our advantage next year.”

8 Northamptonshire Golf Ltd

Latest NGL Junior Order of Merit events attract big fields

JADON Pham moved to the top of the NGL Boys 18-hole Order of Merit in both the Gross and Net
categories after an excellent performance on his own course in the Overstone Park Junior Open.

The nine-handicapper compiled a round of net 68 to win the net prize by two and three shots
respectively from Pele Zidane (Delapre) and Ben Atherton (Kettering), who carded the best gross
score.

In the Girls competition, Lily Davies (Northampton) fired a superb winning round of net 66 to move
into second position in the Girls Net Order of Merit behind Freya Pickford (Overstone Park).

Eloise Feely, who joined fellow Northants
County juniors Aidan Jaggard, Molly May
Baker and Ollie Penberthy (all pictured
right) in completing a 72-hole challenge
in aid of the Macmillan Cancer charity the
following month, heads the Girls Gross
Order of Merit.

Overstone’s Ellis Fitton, meanwhile,
produced the round of the day in the nine-
hole competition at Overstone as he
smashed a score of 33 points to win by
nine. Northampton’s Eva-Grace Parsons
was the leading girl on 21.

The remaining 2022 NGL Junior Order of
Merit events are listed below.

Northampton Junior Open Cold Ashby Junior Open Peterborough Milton Junior Open
Monday, July 25th Thursday, July 28th Monday, August 1st

Wellingborough Junior Open Northants County Junior Open Junior OOM Grand Final
Sunday, September 11th
Thursday, August 11th Monday, August 15th
at Kettering GC

www.northantsgolf.co.uk 9

Two more narrow defeats for County Men’s Teams

NORTHANTS men suffered a double disappointment in
round three of the Anglian League as the first and second
teams both lost by a single point to Cambridgeshire.

Competing at Oundle GC, the main side couldn’t recovered
from a slow start to the morning as they lost three of the four
pairs matches with holes to spare, before Torin Little and
George Castle got the hosts on the board with a narrow win.

Although Jenson Parfitt, Fraser Carinhan, George Castle
and Lee Hitchcock (pictured right) bagged singles victories,
Northamptonshire couldn’t complete the comeback as
Little’s half was the best they could do in the other games.

The County second team’s contest with Cambridgeshire
at Ramsey GC was even tighter following a 2&1 pairs success from Richard Dalton and Joseph
Hyde and a battling victory from Liam McNeela and Jamie Milligan down the closing hole.

Despite away singles points from Sam Bird, Milligan and Dalton, plus a half from McNeela,
Northamptonshire came up just short in their bid for a first victory of the campaign.

Northamptonshire Senior Men’s Team, meanwhile, were also beaten in their latest Anglian League
match as they lost both the morning and afternoon sessions against Norfolk at Royal Norwich GC.

The side came into the contest on the back of a first East Midlands League victory of the season as
Greg Thomas and Simon Orrey took the 18th hole in the final match to help complete a 9½-8½ win
against Nottinghamshire at Wollaton Park GC.

Northamptonshire Ladies Vets first team were also successful in their home match against
Leicestershire and Rutland as they triumphed 6-2 at Collingtree Park GC, while the third team earned
a 4-4 away draw against the same county a week earlier.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE’S Adrian Firman (pictured right) secured the
biggest victory of his amateur career as he won the Welsh Men’s
Open Seniors Championship in a play-off at Glamorganshire GC.

The Peterborough Milton member carded an opening score of one-
over-par 71 to sit one off the pace, before staying in contention
with a second round 70 that included six birdies.

Despite a slow start to the final day, Firman
found his best form whilst completing the
back nine in two-under-par, before
defeating David Westwood (Little
Aston) on the first additional hole.

Back in Northamptonshire, a total
of 46 points sealed first prize in
the NGL Ladies Fourball Betterball
Competition as Whittlebury Park’s
Tracey Heavey and Carol Kane
triumphed at Nene Park GC.

The duo carded nine net birdies and
one net eagle as they finished a couple
of points ahead of Wellingborough’s Gill
Snelson and Miriam Johnson.

10 Northamptonshire Golf Ltd

How can we make golf a better experience for all?

England Golf - Topics of Focus for 2022:

- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
- Sustainability.
- Membership Retention.
- Governance.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

EQUALITY is about ensuring that every
individual has an equal opportunity to make
the most of their lives and talents.

Diversity is the practice of including and
involving people from a range of different
backgrounds whilst recognising that
different people have different factors that can prevent their involvement or inclusion in an activity.

Inclusion is about making places that everyone can use, to remove the barriers that create undue
effort and separation. It enables everyone to participate equally, confidently and independently.

Sustainability:

ENGLAND Golf’s Sustainability Plan:
• 8.4 million golfers in England.
• Golf Courses equate to almost 2% of the land in England.
• Highlight the challenges ahead and to raise the awareness of golf’s responsibility.
• Provide information, advice, and support by working with industry partners.
• Deliver guiding principles for golfers and golf clubs.
• Provide recommendations for action items to golf clubs.
• Inspire sustainability to be embedded in all decision-making processes.
• Shape golf’s reputation as a leader in sustainability.

Email: [email protected].

Membership Retention:

RESEARCH undertaken through analysing the ‘Players’ Northamptonshire Club Support
First Membership’ surveys: Officer (CSO)
Will you be a member in two years’ time?
• 59% of respondents (26k) answered “yes”. David Davis
• 25% of respondents (11k) answered “maybe”. Contact Information:
• 16% of respondents (7k) answered “no”. Mobile: 07702 913920
Email: [email protected]
Why?
1) “Membership fees are too expensive”.
2) “I don’t utilise my membership”.
3) “General dissatisfaction with the club”.

It takes three years to convert a new member into a loyal
member - 50% leave within two years - this is the group
to focus on.

Governance:

CLUB Structures - Strategic and Operational:
• Role Descriptions, Terms of Reference etc.
• Board Recruitment (Nominations Committee).
• Constitution, Club Rules, Articles of Association etc.
• Membership Communication.

www.northantsgolf.co.uk 11

Lilly secures PGA Cup place to face USA this summer

HOPES of a Northamptonshire golfer playing in the 150th
Open Championship on the Old Course at St. Andrews on
July 10th-17th were ended at Final Qualifying as the five
local professionals all missed out.

With four places up for grabs in the main event at each
of the four qualifiers, Wellingborough’s Ryan Evans came
closest to securing a place in a major for a third time as he
carded 77 and 71 to finish 12th at Hollinwell GC.

The European Challenge Tour pro’s club-mate Simon Lilly
rarely looked in contention after compiling rounds of 77
and 79, while Gary Boyd (Cherwell Edge) missed out with
scores of 72 and 78.

Competing over 36 holes at St Annes Old Links GC,
Robin Williams (Peterborough Milton) and Callum Farr
(Northants County) both carded rounds of 71 and 72 to
finish five shots off qualification.

Farr, Boyd and Williams made it through to Final Qualifying
after coming through Regional Qualifying as a two-under-
par 68 meant they finished tied fourth at Northants County
GC, while Evans needed a play-off after shooting 69.

Lilly, meanwhile, still has a huge event to look forward
to later this summer after earning a place in the GB and
Ireland team for the PGA Cup match against USA.

The biennial contest sees a team of 10 pros representing the Professional Golfers Associations of
Great Britain and Ireland (PGA) and America (PGA of America) face up on September 16th-18th at
Foxhills GC, Surrey

The 45-year-old (pictured above) confirmed his place by finishing in the top six in the Order of Merit
following a ninth place in the final qualifier, the PGA Professional Championship at Slaley Hall GC.

We will always promote golf in Northamptonshire - please join us

THANK you for taking time to read our latest Newsletter, the fifth edition of this year, all of which
we hope have helped to keep you updated on our latest news, results and provide you with dates
for competitions, golfing events and England Golf initiatives for our ever changing environment.

We continue to receive positive feedback about the communication, but should anyone have any
ideas for additional topics for inclusion or how we may develop it
further, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the board.

We are keen to keep you updated with golf news, successes and
opportunities for golf in the county.

As a non-profit organisation, we look to local businesses to support
funding of our Coaching and Training programmes, County Team
Events, Team Kit and Competitions.

Additional funding enables us to enhance our programmes and cover
greater numbers at all levels.

Do you have any questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact me at
[email protected].

12 Northamptonshire Golf Ltd