Sport

Christmas Eve at the Front

An interesting letter has just been received by Mrs Packer, of Broadclyst, from her husband, Corpl Packer of A Company, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, who is serving with the Expeditionary Force in Northern France. In the course of a letter he describes a remarkable incident which occurred on Christmas Eve between the British and German trenches.

University Golf Match

15 March 1938 – The Bideford & North Devon Weekly Gazette

The University golf match, for the first time in its history, will be played on the links of the Royal North Devon Golf Club at Westward Ho! on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 22^nd and 23^rd March.

22 March 1938 – The Bideford & North Devon Weekly Gazette

All over the world golfers will read and hear of the Oxford and Cambridge University Golf match which is being played on the Royal North Devon Golf Course today (Tuesday) and tomorrow. It is an occasion that gives considerable local satisfaction and not to golfers alone, who, however, will doubtless follow the proceedings in large numbers. It is the first time the University match has been played on this course. Members of the teams have been here some days practising.

Oxford and Cambridge combined in a match by foursomes on Sunday against the Royal North Devon Club on the Westward Ho! course, and won easily by 18 to 5, with one halved. In the morning Oxford won by 7 to 4, with one halved, and in the afternoon by 11 to 1. Langley and Goodban, probably the strongest pair at either University, played brilliant golf, to win their two matches, but Kenneth Scott (son of the Hon. Osmund Scott and nephew of Hon. Michael and Hon. Denys Scott) and J C Lawrie, the Oxford leaders, had the misfortune to lose twice. Results:

At Westward Ho! yesterday (Monday) reserves of the two Universities met in a foursome and two singles in a dinner match. Results:

The order of play is:

The course:

29 March 1938 – The Bideford & North Devon Weekly Gazette

Great weather and a world-famous course in top condition – the scene was set on Tuesday for the first visit of the Oxford versus Cambridge Golf match to the Royal North Devon Club’s course at Westward Ho! and some thrilling golf was produced. This, the diamond jubilee inter-varsity golf match was won by Cambridge with an aggregate of ten matches against Oxford’s four matches, with one halved. Cambridge, winners for the past three years, were favourites but they did not find this victory an easy one. Walker Cup selectors watched the games.

The foursomes were played on Tuesday and the last stroke of the day gave Cambridge a lead of three games to Oxford’s two. On Wednesday, in the singles Cambridge won by seven games to two. What gave the matches additional local interest was that the Oxford captain was Kenneth Scott, one of the Walker Cup trial men, son of the Hon. Osmund Scott, who is this year’s president of the Royal North Devon. He and the Cambridge captain, George Carter, made a great match of it in the singles, Scott’s effort after being four down at the end of the first round and reversing this to be dormie one being outstanding.

Other members of the teams have also played at Royal North Devon Golf Club meetings.

Naturally, the ‘Varsity golf match attracted a considerable number of visitors to the district. Wednesday, being early-closing-day and a brilliantly final one too, brought hundreds down to the links to follow the games. There was always a crowd watching the fourth and fifth from the sandhills. The biggest crowd of all followed the two captains.

Results:

To-morrow’s Golf Attraction

Max Faulkner and Peter Alliss at Westward Ho!

August 17, 1956

To raise funds, Max Faulkner, open British golf champion in 1951, and Peter Alliss will feature in an exhibition match at Westward Ho! tomorrow afternoon, by courtesy of the Royal North Devon Golf Club. Stanley Taggard (professional at Westward Ho!) and Mr E D Trapnell (amateur golf champion of Devon) will join them in a four-ball game, which starts at 2.30pm. At 2pm there will be a ‘golf clinic.’

Although there is no charge to the public to see the exhibition match, opportunities will be provided for them to donate funds. All car toll fees are to be devoted to the charity, and it is hoped visitors will be particularly generous. By donating 3s 6d to the charity members of the public will be admitted as temporary members of the Golf Club.

Max Faulkner, whose golfing attire can be quite glamorous on these occasions, recently beat Peter Thomson, the Australian, British open champion for the past three years in the match British Golfers V The Commonwealth. Peter Alliss is a beautiful golf stylist, and is the son of a famous golfer, Percy Alliss, of Ferndown.

August 24, 1956

Exhibition Golf Draws Crowd

Despite gale-force wind and repeated rainfall, some hundreds of spectators followed Max Faulkner and Peter Alliss in their exhibition match. Max and his partner won 2 and 1 in an exciting encounter in which local conditions were fully tested, and Max did well to return a par 72.

The event raised a net profit of over £85 despite the adverse weather conditions.

Max arrived gaily clad, in cap, yellow shirt and yellow brogue shoes, with buff plus-fours , and before playing off, delighted the onlookers with some ‘golf made easy’ demonstration swings on the first tee. His slick and amusing commentary had everybody interested and they joined in the smiles that occurred when he ‘topped’ a ball during the first hole, an incident he declared should never happen if the ball was properly hit. Soon after the match had started, rain showers began, and much of Max’s sartorial glamour was covered up until the latter stages of the game when the weather eased. At the 18th hole, he made a ‘last appeal’ for the charity, several pounds in notes and coins being thrown on to the green, and later at the Clubhouse conducted a most successful auction of gifts.

The first hole was won by the ‘visitors’ but at the second Taggart who had found the ditch with his drive to the first hole, drew level with a long putt. At the third hole, Trapnell, who had got into difficulty at the second, just missed a three, his putt bouncing on the far lip of the hole. At the fourth, with the following wind, Faulkner and Alliss reached the bunkers sheltering the green with their tee shots, but the hole was halved.

BAAC - The New Gymnasium

Bideford Amateur Athletic Club’s

commodious new premises in Pill-road, overlooking the park, were opened by the Mayor of the Borough, Mr F T Upton, JP, accompanied by members of the Corporation and a crown of many hundreds of old members, supporters, and well-wishers of the club.

Opening by the Mayor, Councillor F T Upton, J.P., of the new Gymnasium which has been provided for members of the Bideford Amateur Athletic Club

BAAC which was established in 1870 by six young men, who then used a shed in the shipyard, has become one of the most useful and successful institutes in the town, and is now housed in a manger worthy of its record. For many years, it used the Alexandra Hall on the Quay, and after that, through the kindness of the late alderman R Dymond, members utilised a loft adjoining the Manor Wharf.

In 1907 an appeal was launched for a building fund, and in 1914 it had been hoped to commence building, but with the coming of the war this had to be postponed, and after the war prices had very considerably increased. When the late Mr Andrew Carnegie received the freedom of Bideford he promised to give the last £100 to be paid for the gymnasium, and this having been confirmed by the Carnegie Trust, its erection has commenced. Subsequently a generous gift by the late Mr Duncan towards the completion of the entire scheme justified an appeal for this object, which has resulted in the building as now seen.

The new building, which is quite an imposing one, cost £1,420 plus the fittings and site, and with the separate boathouse the total cost will be £1,800, of which about £200 is still required. The building is of stone, roofed with slate, and the walls are plastered. It comprises not only a commodious Club room but several other offices and also a boat house. The Gymnasium proper is raised about two feed from the road level. The work has been excellently carried out by Mr E W Cox, builder, of Bideford, who also designed the building. The sub-contractors have been Messrs W Davey and Son for the painting, and Messrs Stephen, Brain and Co. for the plumbing. The lighting arrangements have been carried out by the Bideford Gas Co.

The proceedings opened with the taking of a photograph of past and present members, as a souvenir of the occasion. The ceremony was presided over by Mr C S Carnegie, JP, president of the club for 30 years past, and the arrangements were made by the committee, with Mr W H Merefield, captain of the club for 39 years, Mr F C Backway, hon. secretary, and Mr R J Backway, assistant hon. secretary.

The Chairman asked the Mayor’s acceptance of a silver key, bearing the club’s badge, as a memento of the occasion, and as his worship unlocked the door of the building with it, the Club’s colours of pale blue and white were broken at the mast-head.

Accompanying the Mayor were Aldermen J Cock, JP, W T Goaman, JP, Councillors H W Huxham, A R Adams, JP, Dr E J Toye, W Cole, J S Dymond, T Cleverdon, T Burton, H A Hopson, with the mace bearers, Messrs Adams, and Clements, while among the very large company present were General Sir Murray Irwin, KCMG, Brig-Gen R C Boyle, CB, CMG, and Mrs Boyle, Mr George Boyle, JP, and Mrs Boyle, Mr and Mrs Veron Boyle, Mrs Daw, Mrs Kingsley Ackland, Mrs R Dymond, Dr and Mrs Hedden, Mr and Mrs D Horndon, Mrs James Barrow, Misses Merefield (2), Mrs Walter Beer, Miss Lamont, Messrs H R Bazaely, W Lanyon Nickels, H I Meredith, A W Heard, J Stoneman, G Tardew (Northam), Edwin Babbage, C Friendship, S Lee, A W Pridham, F Lee, E W S Bartlett, C P Ashton, Kiel Parkhouse, F Purchase, L Ridge, S Davey, and a great many other present and past members of the Club and their friends.

Mr Carnegie most gratefully acknowledged a donation from his Worship the Mayor, and mentioned that he had also received a beautiful letter from a lady, who did not wish her name mentioned, with a handsome donation in memory of her husband, who was a very keen and ardent supporter of the Club.

Brigadier-General R C Boyle, vice-president, on behalf of the club members, presented handsome gold club badges to Mr Carnegie and Mr Merefield as mementos of the occasion, and a feature of the proceedings was the singing of the club song, “The lads that are away” written by Mr Vernon Boyle. During the proceedings a beautiful wreath of the club colours was placed on the town war memorial in memory of the 35 members of the Club who fell in the Great War.

A public tea served in the Territorial Drill Hall, adjoining, was largely patronised, and a successful invitation dance in the new Hall closed the eventful day’s proceedings.