A total of 72 players from 42 clubs throughout England arrived in the early hours of a bright and calm Saturday morning to try their hand at the Church Course over 36 holes of medal play. The Ernie Goodman Trophy has been an annual fixture at St. Enodoc now for many years and is one of the countys premier events. Ernie Goodman was the Professional at St. Enodoc for 25 years, starting in 1956. As usual, the benign conditions did not last and a very pleasant morning turned nasty in the afternoon, with heavy showers and blustery winds assaulting the players. Nonetheless, some impressive scores were returned.
The eventual winner of the Ernie Goodman Trophy was Rhys Cruse – cousin of home grown Joe Cruse - from Tiverton Golf Club with a combined net score of 145. The winner of the Rachel Biddle Memorial Trophy for the best gross was Josh Greenaway from Bowood with a total of 147. These events only run smoothly as a result of the efforts of many. On Saturday there were a couple of ball spotters who volunteered for a two hour shift that subsequently turned into a 9 hour marathon in the wet and wind. The players are not the only ones deserving of praise.
Ernie Goodman Trophy (Best net score)
1st Rhys Cruse – Tiverton 75 70 = 145
2nd Leighton Walker – The Bristol 71 75 = 146
3rd Steve Buse – St. Enodoc 69 77 = 146
4th Blake Norton – Northenden 70 77 = 147
Rachel Biddle Memorial Trophy (Low Gross)
1st Josh Greenaway – Bowood 75 72 = 147
2nd Gareth Jenkins – The Warwickshire 73 75 = 148
3rd Rhys Cruse – Tiverton 77 72 = 149
4th Mark Justice – Walton Heath 70 81 = 151