FORMER club captain Mark Tipton was celebrating after narrowly claiming Bransford’s Order of Merit.

He pipped Jack Cullity by one shot with Graham Wallace a further shot away. The latter, who plays off two, had the day’s lowest gross score.

The leading scores were Tipton 79-10=69, Cullity 82-12=70, Wallace 73-2-71, David Hunt 79-8=71, Steve Mrvic 90-19=71 and Mervyn Miles 90-18=72.

Around half the section’s membership has enjoyed the Bransford Seniors’ Captain’s Away Day at the Ingon Manor Golf and Country Club, Snitterfield, near Stratford-upon-Avon.

A total of 42 players took part in a three-ball stableford team event which the best two scores on each hole counted for team prizes, while there were also prizes for individual scores and nearest the pin.

Many in the field found some of the holes to be in tricky and testing positions on undulating greens.

However, there were still some good individual scores with Peter Harrison leading the way on 39 points followed by Leigh Thomas 38, Heather Buckett 37 and both June Atkinson and Andrew Jarvis on 36.

As the event was held close to the home of the Bard, Seniors captain Alan Wallcroft gave all the drawn teams names of characters from the many Shakespearean plays.

The winning trio were Puck’s People on 82 - comprising Mike Davidge, who scored 24 points, Jarvis and Heather Buckett.

Runners-up were Othello’s Outlaws with 79 - Leigh Thomas, Dave Randle (28) and Roger Steade (27), followed by Yorick’s Yompers 78 - Roy Burston (31), Roger Clark (30) and Eve Lynes (34) and fourth Malvolio’s Marvels 77 - June Atkinson, Wallcroft (31) and Andy Falconer (24).

Nearest the pin prizes on the par three eighth and 13th holes went to Mike Kemp and Barry Benge respectively.

The prize presentations were preceded with the traditional fines ceremony for a variety of amusing misdemeanours which resulted in £43 being raised for the captain’s charity Guide Dogs Worcestershire.

Trevor Atkinson was a clear winner in Division One of the Seniors May Stableford with a score of 37.

He was four ahead of Harry Godwin with Mike Davidge third on 32.

Division Two went the way of Harry Corbett on 39, a score that was also well ahead of his nearest rival, Geoff Aston on 34, while Rob Wetton had 33. Bob Matthews claimed top spot in Division Three with 41, one ahead of Andy Lamb, with Malcolm Bradley five points in third place on 36.