WEST Linton Golf Club celebrated 125-years of golf on Slipperfield Moor last Saturday with an exhibition match that featured the Captain of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, George Macgregor OBE, an honorary member of the Club.

The match - over 7-holes reduced to six due to the spiteful conditions that prevailed – also featured honorary members, Club Champion, Simon Mackenzie and Head Professional Gareth Wright along with Club-associated playing professional, Jane Turner.

A crowd of 50 brave souls of the mad variety ventured out to spectate and were not to be disappointed particularly by the prodigious length of Wright. The big-hitting Welshman drove 280 yards into the teeth of the gale at the 6th hole and 385-yards down wind at the 16th. Shot of the day however went to Jane Turner who drove 212 yards into the wind at the 17th to finish 5-feet from the hole.

At a small ceremony in the clubhouse afterwards, George Macgregor spoke fondly of his long association with the Club and recalled having played golf on the Moor with his father as a child. He presented West Linton’s Captain with a Quaich from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

It had been a busy few days for Gareth Wright who had hot-footed it back to West Linton in an overnight drive from Somerset where he had been competing in the British Club Professionals Championship at Burnham and Berrow. Wright had returned a 72-hole total of 7-over par to tie for second place, an agonising one-shot off the lead. This was still a sterling effort and ensured his re-selection to the PGA Cup team for the matches in San Francisco in September.

The 125th Anniversary Stableford was won by Craig Shand (12) with 35-points, while George Blackie and Iain Maciver filled the podium places. The team event – teams were selected using a mind-blowingly complex randomiser algorithm – was won by Blackie, Josh Grahame, Ian Grieve and Phil Lowe who each receive a bottle of sparkling wine.

The wooden spoons – literally – went to Mike Ramage, George Watson, Ian Wallace and Colin Foster. There was a special prize of a £125 discount on 2016 subscriptions for a hole-in-one at the second and Treasurer, Charles Gray, was happy to hear that nobody had succeeded. The consolation nearest-the-pin award went to junior member, Simon Denholm.