Top trio eye Eggo mantle

CLUB president Alan Mahy was wearing a big smile at L'Ancresse Golf Club on Saturday evening, while club champion Andy Eggo knew he had a major fight on his hands to retain his 36 holes strokeplay title. Mahy shot a net 67, the best scratch score of a day when the wind steadily increased throughout to pose big problems for everyone, the high-handicap players in particular.

Proof of that was the halfway leader board.

Behind Mahy, first-team players were queuing up for the top honours.

Danny Blondel and Daniel Bisson both shot net 68s, top junior Jack Mitchell a 70 and Eggo a 71.

Three of those illustrious four played together, while Eggo started out 90min. later as he began his attempt to make it a hat-trick of titles.

As a group Bisson and co. were head and shoulders above the rest.

'All three of us played quite good linksy golf,' said Bisson, the island footballer who has dropped his handicap to one.

'We didn?t have to stop and look for a ball once,? he added.

'Generally, I played really solid. I just kept the ball in play and it helped chipping in on nine.'

Bisson was out in 34 with the help of a hat-trick of threes coming up to the turn and despite a bogey at the 11th, he birdied the 14th and came back in level-par 35.

Mitchell, also playing off one, was out in level par, back in 36 with the aid of a two at the last, while Blondel returned a 72 gross off his four handicap.

Out in 38 Blondel came back in 34 with birdies at 10 and 17 and a dropped shot at 11.

Peter Finigan is making a good fist of defending the handicap title, the 10-handicap having started out with a 70, but not everyone were getting value for money from their £10 entry fee for 36 holes of golf.

Barry Hockey had no sooner handed over his tenner than he lost two balls off the tee and ripped up on the very first hole.