Race to Bawburgh
Well done to all those who braved the heat at the Order of Merit at Wensum Valley on Sunday.
Congratulations to Olaf Gent (Thetford) who won the scratch event with a score of 75, just pipping Jack Bennett (Royal Norwich) on countback. A similar story in the handicap event saw Stuart Goddard ahead of fellow Wensum Valley member Stephen Hutt, both scoring a nett 71.
After six events, the standings in the Order of Merit Tables are very close and, with prizes for the top four places in each one, there is much to play for. The current tables can be found on the NCGU website, but the leaders are:
Scratch
Ben Rawsthorne (Bawburgh) - 250 points
Warwick Calasse (Sprowston Manor) - 215 points
Handicap
Stuart Goddard (Wensum Valley) - 177.5 points
Andy Cranmer (Dunston Hall) - 173.5 points
And with only two events still to be played - at Eaton on 16th August and Middleton Hall on 30th August - the Race to Bawburgh is starting to take shape. Along with the automatic qualifiers listed below, the leading 13 players in both the final Scratch and Handicap Tables (subject to a minimum of 3 events) will be invited to take part in the Match Play finals in October.
Automatically qualified for Bawburgh and seeded 1, 2 and 3 are:
Scratch
Harry Brister (Bawburgh) - 2025 Match Play Champion
Sully Goddard (Thetford) - 2026 County Amateur Champion
Liam Caffyn (Dereham) - 2026 County Boys Champion
Handicap
Richard Abbs (Mundesley) - 2025 Match Play Champion
Jack Johnson (Royal Norwich) - 2026 County Handicap Champion
Hugo Fisher-Briggs (Royal Norwich) - 2026 County Boys Handicap Champion
For the latest points tables go to the Order of Merit section of the website.