Our final event of the 2025 season took us to Gog Magog on 16th October, where we were treated to a glorious, bright autumn day – perfect conditions for what turned out to be a closely fought finale to the Order of Merit. With several players still in contention for the Anthony Barnes Award, there was a real sense of anticipation as the field of 84 golfers headed out, made up of 52 members and an impressive 32 guests.

The scoring reflected a course that was in great condition but still demanded accuracy. The average score for the day came in at 30.8. Across the field we recorded 1 eagle, 21 birdies, 323 pars, 592 bogeys, 528 doubles or worse, and 47 pick ups.

The One Group were our sponsors for the day, continuing their long-standing support of the society. They provided a fantastic selection of prizes and were a welcome presence throughout the event. We were also joined at dinner by Louise Evans and Annette Ablewhite from our charity, Little Miracles, who were able to see first-hand the generosity and enthusiasm shown by our members and guests.

All in all, the scene was perfectly set for a memorable end to the season, with great weather, a strong turnout, and plenty still to play for as we headed onto the course.

On to the prizes:

Skills prizes

Nearest the pin on hole 4 – Simon Whitmore
Nearest the pin on hole 17 – Tom Turner
Nearest the pin in two on hole 11 – Nick Baines

Team prize

In third place, with a solid total of 122 points, were Barbour’s Bashers, represented by Graham Barber, Tim Blois, Chris Beaumont, and Stephen Rose.
In second place, just one point ahead on 123, were Hanson’s Heros. Well played to Gary Hanson, Shaun Roberts, Andrew Mason, and Maurice Mills.
And taking the top spot with an impressive 125 points were Barclay’s Bandits. Congratulations to David Clark, Jens Heaton, Andy Turpin, and Richard New on a well-deserved team victory.

Individual guests

Guests are always welcome at CBGS events, and once they’ve played, they’re eligible to apply for membership the following year. We had some excellent guest scoring once again at Gog Magog.
In second place, with a very strong 41 points, was Nick Baines.
Taking first place, with an outstanding 47 points, was Maurice Mills.
Fantastic golf from both of our leading guests on the day.

Individual members

We once again saw some excellent scoring from our members at Gog Magog.
In third place, after a tie on 37 points and losing out on countback, was Chris Carey, just edging out Tristan Drane.
In second place, continuing his strong form at the Gogs in CBGS events, was Andy Turpin with a superb 41 points.
And our winner on the day, with a truly remarkable round, was Graham Barber on a whopping 48 points!

Wooden spoon

The Wooden Spoon was won by Greg Butterworth in a closely fought battle with Craig Sailsbury.

The Anthony Barnes Award – Overall Order of Merit 2025

Going into the final event of the season, Tom Meeks held the lead on 37 points. With Tom unable to play at the Gogs, the door was open for seven other members who still had a mathematical chance of taking the title.

As it turned out, the pressure of the finale proved too much for most of the chasing pack, with only David Clark mounting a serious challenge. David put in a strong performance to finish the season on 35 points, but it wasn’t quite enough to overturn the leader.

That means our Anthony Barnes Award Winner for 2025 is Tom Meeks. Tom played every event (except the Gogs) and delivered consistently strong results, making him a worthy champion. He will be presented with the shield at the Season Opener in February.

Fines

No CBGS event would be complete without the traditional fines session – the perfect opportunity to revisit the day’s mishaps, mysteries, and moments of madness, all in good spirit and all in support of Little Miracles. As ever, the generosity shown during this part of the evening is hugely appreciated by the charity. Here are some of the standout offences from our day at the Gogs:

• Our Secretary, Karl Gjertsen, for not checking the new indexes at the Gogs. A simple task, but a costly oversight.
• John Auckland, who claimed – quite sincerely – that his dog had actually eaten his tie. A new tie was purchased, and a fine promptly applied.
• On the 12th, just as I was teeing off, Craig Salisbury could be heard calling for help from the path. He was in a buggy due to a knee injury, and he’d managed to wedge it on the edge of the track. A rescue operation involving lumps of wood was required to free it.
• We had a fresh wave of dress-code infringements, including shoes that looked suspiciously like trainers, trousers that could easily be mistaken for jeans, and Ray Cawston forgetting his shirt entirely and attempting to get by with a tie over a golf top.
• One of John Altomonte’s group decided to drive a ball straight into a bunker off the tee… while someone from the group ahead was still standing in it.
• At the previous event, I fined Craig Salisbury for his bag falling off the back of his buggy. I have since discovered that the culprit was Simon Vowles, who had loosened the strap deliberately. Justice was served.
• And finally, a double fine on the 17th. Adam Fernandez reported that “there was some idiot trying to hit a ball out of the bush.” Unfortunately, that idiot was me. So I took the fine for idiotic play, and Adam was fined for disrespecting the captain.

As this is my final captain’s report before handing over to Paul French at the Season Opener, I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout the year. A particular mention goes to Jeremy Wager, Chris Carey, Steve Gray, Rich Blount, Karl Gjertsen and Paul French. The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to keep the society running smoothly, to host these brilliant events, and to raise money for worthy causes is remarkable, and I am grateful to each of you for your support.

I look forward to seeing you all at the Season Opener at Madingley Hall on 26th February. It has been a genuine pleasure to captain this year and to serve the members of this great society.

2025 CBGS Captain – Kari Sewell