FAIR weather saw 31 teams of four take to the course at The Worcestershire Golf Club for a season-opening yellow-ball alliance stableford.

A yellow ball was passed in strict rotation throughout each team, hole by hole, with the score from the player holding it to count together with one other.

Coming home as clear winners on 81 points were Neville Clarke (handicap 5), Dave Jones (9), Colin Lane (10) and Steven Lane (+2).

Pete Basten (15), Paul Jones (6), Peter Adams (21), and Mike Mitchell (20) took second place with 76 on count-back from Will Brimmell (24), Peter Hill (11), Steve Hill (20) and Andrew Perkins (12).

The fourth and fifth-placed teams both recorded scores of 73 with Colin Jones (12), Mark Read (5), John Williams (16) and Chris Hardy (14) just easing out Gerald Bird junior (6), Nick Smith (5), Andy Dunster (5) and Jamie Dunster (scratch).

The ladies’ competition was a qualifier for England Golf’s Australian Spoons, a foursomes stableford open to players with handicaps of 15 and higher.

It was won by the in-form pairing of Tina Jukes and April Wilding with 31 stableford points from Jane Quick and Veronica Shaw on 30.

Their captain Faith Tubb, partnered by Pam Emery Reynolds, was third, also finishing on 30 as 26 ladies took part.

Friendly rivalry ensured a close match when the ladies met the seniors’ Section in the first of their bi-annual meetings.

Playing better-ball match play, seven groups took to the course with the seniors winning the contest by four games to three.