AN HISTORIC CLUB WITH A MAGNIFICENT GEORGIAN PARKLAND SETTING SINCE 1893

Hopes of play at County Armagh Golf Club over the St Patrick's Day weekend were scuppered by wretched, miserable weather. And in any case, any on-course action would likely have been overshadowed by the coinciding re-opening of the superbly refurbished clubhouse bar and restaurant.

However, the hackers and the heroes, the wonder-kids and the all-too-experienced did return to the hallowed city fairways a week later, when Ian Ritchie topped the pile in a Club Stableford event.

The two-day nature of competitive proceedings on 23-24 March offered everyone a couple of bites at the prizewinning cherry, as each player's best weekend performance would be considered in the final reckoning. But Ian's 46-point Saturday super-show proved without compare.

The off-season circumstances of green markers and preferred lies obviously aid scoring, but good numbers still come necessarily hard-earned at this time of year.

In that regard, a birdie at the 9th concluded Ritchie's bountiful 23-point outward haul, before the same hefty total on the back nine confirmed both stableford victory and the 16-handicapper's rust-free status despite the winter hiatus.

2703191

Ian's closest challenger was Paddy Digby, whose tremendous gross 69 featured birdies at the 3rd, 7th and 15th. The accruing 44 points saw Digby deservedly take his place in the weekend's overall runner-up berth.

In category 1, Brian Loney finished in fine style with a birdie at Cathedrals that secured for him 42 points and the 0-12 honours.

Matching that high-quality total but having to settle for second place in category 1 on account of his inferior inward trek was David Leeman, who, just like Brian, also negotiated the closing hole in just three hits.

A back-nine break of tie was required in category 2 too. Here, it separated David Grimley and Bill Knipe into 1st and 2nd spots respectively. Grimley's excellent 41-point scorecard showed no fewer than nine pars, while Bill's contained seven on the front nine alone.

Meanwhile, the weekend's category 3 crown was conferred on Dermot O'Neill by virtue of a terrific 42-point salvo that included a Ballyheridan birdie and a four-point par on that apparently simple 18th hole!

Second best in category 3 was Francie Smyth, who trailed O'Neill by a solitary point after a tidy round that was boosted by his registering of seven pars across the piece.

Next up on the CAGC spring fixture list is the Chest, Heart and Stroke, which will be contested on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 March .