Bodmin & district grassroots sport round-up

Golf

EURO STAR SAM:

Sam Church, of the China Fleet Golf and Country Club, won at the Andalucía Junior European Open.

The Andalucía Junior Open is the culmination of a national competition with players from all over the United Kingdom playing in regional finals to qualify; Sam qualified to play on the Nicholas at St Mellion Golf Club.

There were players from all regions of the country, with England, Scotland and Wales all vying to be the champion. The highest handicap for the boys being six, there were several scratch players among them.

Together with England squad players, past finalists have included Luke Donald, Justin Rose, and Nick Docherty.

The Champions Week was played at Estepona Golf Club, which boasts two courses, The Links and The Heathlands, and the final was played at Finca Cortesin - the venue of the Volvo Matchplay Championship to be held in May 2012. All rounds were played off scratch.

All competitors played two rounds on each course at Estepona, the best from each counting towards their score to be able to qualify for the final.

Sam qualified with two rounds of 75, three over, and a level par 72. His putting and short games were really superb, with only 28 putts and 30 putts overall. He went into the final as joint leader and was playing with one-handicapper, Jonathan Hewitt, and scratch golfer Sam Lemon.

During the final round at Finca Cortesin, Sam stuck with his game plan, plotting his way round an extremely difficult golf course.

Shots to mention were his drive off the difficult fourth par four – 250 yards over the water with the pin only five yards on, Sam hit his three wood to eight feet, just missing his eagle putt but knocking in for a birdie.

By the 16th he was one shot clear of his nearest rival. Sam was on the green on a sloping downhill lie with a 25-footer for birdie, which he duly rolled in the back of the cup.

He plotted his way up the 18th and finished with a plugged lie in the greenside bunker; Sam safely played it on the green, just missing his par putt, finishing with a gross one over par 73 – a total of 220 – winning the competition by two strokes.

Sam was speechless after his win and wanted to thank his Dad, Peter, for carrying his bag and caddying for him, Dominic Rehaag, his coach, and Pete Styring, personal trainer (China Fleet), for all their help and support.

Sam celebrated his 16th Birthday during the week – what a memorable way to do so.

More success at China Fleet followed with Dominic Rehaag winning the Cornwall Pros Medal at Trevose GC, scoring a very tidy three under par.

TREVOSE LADIES:

On a singularly unpleasant day for golf, 18 ladies set out to compete in this week's Stableford competition.

It was windy and dank from the outset but conditions deteriorated considerably half way round and it was only the first three groups that finished their rounds as the remainder of the field called it a day after nine holes.

The first pair had reached the 12th hole before the heavy and incessant rain set in. Up to that point Gill Vivian had been playing some excellent golf and was set to record an impressive score.

Unfortunately the rain disrupted Gill's game significantly and she failed to score on three of the last five holes although she held on to take top spot by one point from Tarrian Spiers who, apart from problems on the sixth, ninth and 14th holes, played steadily in spite of the wind and rain.

Most players struggled in the difficult conditions but there was one notable exception in Jane Watts. Jane started slowly but once the weather worsened she played magnificently recording a very good score on the last nine holes finishing in style with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Jane is clearly becoming something of a wet weather specialist because she played an amazing round in equally bad conditions just before Christmas – while other players will be praying for sun in future competitions perhaps Jane will be doing the opposite.

Result (played in one division): 1 Gill Vivian 28pts; 2 Tarrian Spiers 27; 3 Jane Watts 26.

ST ENODOC GOLF CLUB:

Ladies' Report

The first Roworth Salver of 2012 was played on Sunday January 22, when Rhiannon Rich found excellent form to come in with 36 points, cutting her handicap to 25. Sue Roworth and Sue Willmott both scored 32 points with Sue coming second on countback.

On Tuesday, leaden skies made the Ladies unsure whether or not to venture on the courses. However, as the weather seemed to clear, several pairs eventually played a Stableford on both courses. In spite of the Ladies' positive attitude the rain did return well before anyone had completed a round.

On the Holywell course Mary Killingly and Tereen Oliver came in first on countback from Dot Frewin and Jean Nicholls, both scoring 38 points. On the Church course Janine Clagett and Annie Hawkey were the winners with 31 points, followed closely by Jax Buse and Di Dingle with 30 points.

Table Tennis

DAVID SELECTED FOR PARALYMPICSGB 2012:

The British Paralympic Association have announced the selection of Torpoint table tennis player David Wetherill.

Although only 22, David is one of the more experienced athletes to make up a team that is one of the youngest squads in the world at the moment.

ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said: "I'm delighted to welcome this group of athletes to ParalympicsGB. To have all ten ranked within the top 11 in the world shows that there is real potential within this squad and tribute should be paid to the governing body for supporting these athletes."

Performance Manager Gorazd Vecko commented: "I am very proud that this young squad have earned their place at the Paralympic Games. Paralympic Table Tennis is very competitive and so to have this many players well placed as we go into a home Games is a great situation to be in."

David said: "I am really happy to be part of ParalympicsGB and with this announcement it has really hit home that the Games are not far away.

"We have all been training really hard to get to this point and this will intensify over the coming months. Competing in Beijing was a great experience but there will be a different atmosphere in London.

"The Paralympics are a really good opportunity to showcase our sport and demonstrate what disabled athletes can achieve."

David first started playing table tennis aged ten when he went along to the table tennis club at his local village hall. He cites his parents as the most important influence in his life; both are PE teachers and his Dad sometimes acts as coach.

David competed at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, where he beat the former champion by a comfortable margin to beat the final eight. He is currently ranked seventh in the world.

David's favourite words of wisdom are "never give up". Alongside his many sporting achievements he also graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Biological Chemistry from the University of Sheffield in 2011.

He has also had the opportunity to travel with the sport and he says his favourite destination so far is Eastern Europe for its sheer cultural diversity and the beautiful scenery it has to offer.

David was born with a bone condition called Multiple Epiphyseal Dysplasia which affects the growth of all of his long bones and joints.

Darts

BODMIN MEN'S LEAGUE:

Any chance that St Lawrences Social Club B may have had of achieving the runners up spot in division one, vanished when they were soundly beaten 10-1 by championship favourites St Mabyn Inn, writes Steve Chapman.

Football Club A consolidated second when they earned the bragging rights over their stablemates Football Club B with a 9-2 win while Lanivet Inn A were successful away at St Lawrences Social Club A and won 7-4.

The only ton plus checkout was achieved by Francis Julian with a mark of 117 when inspiring Garrison Club to a 7-4 defeat of Blisland Inn.

Garland Ox A made it 12 wins from as many starts with a 9-2 defeat of George and Dragon and increased their advantage at the top of division two to 19 points.

Band Club were the only team to win in double figures when they secured all but one of the 11 points that were on offer against B&W Electrics Social Club while White Hart, Hole in the Wall and Lanivet Inn B all won 7-4.

Maximums: Dan Chapman (St Lawrences SC B), Steve Carthew (St Mabyn Inn), Roy Bonney (Garland Ox A), Dave Morgan (B&W Electrics SC).

BODMIN LADIES' LEAGUE

Garrison Club B strengthened their claims for the division one title when they beat Band Club 8-1.

The remaining three fixtures were all won by the odd game of nine with victory going to Garrison Club A, Lanivet Inn and Garrison Club C.

Garland Ox B won 6-3 against Q Bar B in division two and Garland Ox C edged out Shiners by the odd game of nine while the George and Dragon v Blisland Inn fixture went ahead with both teams a player short which the former won 5-3.

LISKEARD & DISTRICT LEAGUE

Cheesewring had mixed fortunes in the space of just two days when, after losing 8-3 to Cornish Ivy in a re-arranged fixture, defeated Liberal Club B 11-0 to record only their second victory of the campaign.

White Hart B remain on course to lift the title after beating East Taphouse 8-3, inspired by a good performance from Francis Julian who top scored with 12 throws of a ton or more.

Eliot Arms produced a better performance than their league position would suggest and pushed second placed Rivercroft the full distance before going down by the odd game in 11 while another close encounter saw Liberal Club A edge out Cornish Ivy 6-5, aided by a checkout of 100 from Morley Prinn.

A finish of 106, executed by Andy Grant, was the highlight of Rally Club's 7-4 defeat of Marquee Bar while Con Club took all but one of the 11 points that were on offer against Butchers Arms.

Maximums: Ashley Hicks (Caradon Inn), Andy Courts (Eliot Arms), Paul Hardy (White Hart B).

LISKEARD AREA LADIES' LEAGUE

Third-placed Windy Ivy were the week's biggest winners, securing all seven points when hosting Sportsmans with the highlight being a finish of 104, delivered by Chris Dann.

There is no change at the top of the table after the leading duo both achieved 5-2 victories.

Tabletoppers Railway were successful away at Red Arrows while second-placed Coachmakers delivered against Ivy Belles.

In the remaining fixtures, there were wins by the odd game of seven for The Archers, Ivy Drifters and White Hart.

LISKEARD-LOOE LEAGUE:

Positions remain the same at the business end of the table after the top two teams both won 9-2.

Leaders Rivercroft won at Railway A while second-placed Sportsmans were successful against Butchers Arms even though Butchers' Alan Walker recorded the highest checkout of the week with a mark of 115.

East Taphouse secured all but one of the 11 points when beating Railway B but Rally Club went one better and took maximum points in whitewashing White Hart, aided by a finish of 114 from Neil Libby.

Andy Gill checked out from 100 in Marquee Bar's 7-4 defeat of Barbican Inn while Liberal Club edged out Halfway 6-5.

Maximums: Paul Bray (Liberal Club), Steve Crane (Rivercroft).

Rugby

BODMIN END HOME RUN:

Hayle 2nds 21, Bodmin 2nds 27

Bodmin went to Hayle with more than a little trepidation, the home side were unbeaten on their own turf but Bodmin fought to the end and came home with the points.

Bodmin made their intentions clear by moving the ball wide away from their bigger more experienced opponents forwards. Alex Coad went on one of his long distance runs to score in the corner. From the resulting corner came the try of the game – maybe the season.

Outstanding No.8 Joe Thomas caught the kick off feeding colt skipper Ollie Brooks onto Ash Saunts (who had also stepped-up from colts) then Carter to Just Jack who put Coad into space on the half way line his electric pace cut through the Hayle defence to score under the post.

Bodmin then lost Thomas to injury and with it all their shape.

Hayle were awarded a penalty try converted by Paul Lello, and he then slotted over two penalties and a Matt James try to give Hayle an 18-12 lead. Paul Carter then put over his first ever drop goal for Bodmin from 40 yards to end the half

Coach Mark Flowerdew made the changes at half-time to inject some youth and experience. TJ Hicks also in from the colts joined his father in the front row probably the first time this has happened at Bodmin and veteran Dave Saunter came on to join his son.

The second half was a messy affair with the game lacking structure from both sides.

Bodmin conceded far too many penalties and these were punished by ex-county fly half Lello who added another penalty to cancel out Wayne Samuels try.

With two minutes to go and losing 21-20, Bodmin were down to 13 players with Saunter senior and one of the Wood twins in the bin, all looked lost. However this side have been gaining in confidence and played to the final whistle.

After three consecutive catch and drive line outs Bodmin touched down in the corner with fly half Carter joining the rolling maul, he then converted his own try on the final whistle.

Bodmin men of match were Ollie Brooks and Ash Saunts.

U7 Rugby

BOLT'S BUDE IMPRESS:

Bude U7s took on both Lankelly Fowey and Truro in freezing weather on Sunday.

The Bude team were professional and energetic from the outset and although the other teams provided some strong rugby they were out played by Dave Bolt's U7s. Bude provided excellent examples of team work; their passing was neat and their tagging was thorough.

In the first match Bude played Truro with Hayden Charter as their captain, he led the team to a 5-3 victory. Within minutes of the first whistle Ben Bolt had secured Bude's first try, this was followed by further tries by Finlay Cackett, Sonny Boyd and two for the speedy William Collings.

Lankelly Fowley were short numbered for the next match and the Bude team happily lent players, all keen to play and make sure the match could go ahead.

This time the team was captained by Archie Courtenay Perrott who secured a 6-5 win. Again Bude's try scoring was started by Ben Bolt, followed by Archie Courtenay Perrott, Sonny Boyd, Hayden Charter and a double for the light footed Finlay Cackett.

Just to show good sportsmanship the Bude team also provided all of the tries for the other team this included a hat-trick for Alex Norlund, a doube for Hayden Charter and another try for William Collings.

Bude: Ben Bolt, Sonny Boyd, Finlay Cackett, Hayden Charter, William Collings, Archie Courtnay-Perrott, Tim Denford, William Moyle, Alex Norlund, and Ethan Roff-Conway.

U9 Rugby

POSITIVES DESPITE DEFEAT:

Mud clogged and rain soaked Liskeard Looe U9s produced another heroic display against a powerful St Austell side.

Two close matches ended 5 tries to 4 and 5 tries to 3 with St Austell nudging each scoreline.

The opening game was a ding dong encounter, try upon counter try. Josh Pidock sliced through the St Austell defence for the opening score, and followed this up with six further tries over the two matches.

James Slater made some crunching tackles and Oli Aniyi appeared to be everywhere – making endless important and impressive tackles. Looe-Liskeard can look forward to next week and Lankelly-Fowey with confidence.

U14 Rugby

BIG WIN FOR TEENAGERS:

St Ives 0, Liskeard-Looe 55:

St Ives are a relatively new side at this age group and struggled to contain a Liskeard Looe team keen to score tries.

Archie Doidge made a good break which led to a good move by the forwards, Jack Badnall touching down for the first try.

Some slick passing among the backs through the hands of Dan Hughes, Tom Dinnis and Kieran Lyne gave Angus Tamblyn the space to score under the posts.

An offside decision against the home team saw Dinnis add another three points. The backs continued with some excellent passing and tries were scored by Joe Andrews and Ben Gordon both using their speed well.

The second half saw no let-up in the pressure from the visitors and new prop Jacob Brooke was tackled just short of the line. This good field position led to a scrum for the Lions and scrum half, Harry Luxton scored off the base of the scrum

Alex Butters was playing well, collecting restarts and driving play upfield. Another solid scrum saw Doidge playing at No.8 score under the posts. Some scrappy passing by the backs was cleaned up by Gordon who claimed his second try.

A tap penalty gave Dinnis the opportunity for a crossfield kick which bounced kindly and gave Doidge his second try.

Liskeard Looe: Alex Butters, Angus Tamblyn, Archie Doidge, Ben Gordon, Billy Palfrey, Corin Betts, Dan Hughes, Harry Luxton, Jack Badnall, Jacob Brooke, Jamie Rogers, Joe Andrews, Joseph Craddick, Kieran Lyne, Matt Stacey, Ollie Dunn, Ollie Tucker, Sam Hooper, Thomas Wills, Tom Dinnis.