'Buzzard' flies home for golfing success - King Henry VIII former pupils take to the greens for golf day

The KHS Former Pupils' Annual Golf Tournament recently took place at the picturesque Monmouthshire Golf Club. Although the day began with wet conditions, September sunshine soon broke through, creating ideal golfing weather. As always, the club extended a warm welcome, and the event once again ran smoothly thanks to their excellent hospitality and the efforts of Brian Butt, who played a key role organising the scorecards.

A strong field of 44 golfers competed this year, with a great mix of familiar faces and enthusiastic newcomers. The standard of golf was exceptionally high from most, with prizes keenly contested across all categories.

Mark Neil, better known as "Buzzard", had only just returned from Japan in time for the tournament and despite feeling a little under the weather, produced the performance of the day. His impressive 42-point haul saw him claim both the Gwenlan Trophy and the Peter Lewis Trophy for Golfer of the Day for the second consecutive year. The question now is whether Buzzard can complete a hat-trick next year.

Simon Aspley also enjoyed an outstanding round, narrowly missing out on the overall honours with 41 points. His score secured the Vaughan Tankard for the low handicap category, while he also added a Closest to the Pin prize on the 14th hole.

Matching Simon's score of 41 points was Rob Mapp, who claimed the Powella Cup. Rob also teamed up with Geoff Morris, whose excellent score of 40 points helped the pair secure the H.W. Newcombe Trophy for Best Pair.

The R.J. Lewis Tankard proved to be one of the closest contests of the day, with James Harris edging out Peter Francis on countback after both finished with 33 points. Defending champion Leo Roberts received the prize for Best Endeavour.

The Longest Drive competition produced plenty of drama. Hugh Tamlyn looked set for victory until his drive rolled agonisingly off the fairway, leaving the door open for big hitter Will Aspley, who powered his way to the prize with a tremendous drive.

Kristian Merritt demonstrated his quality by winning two Closest to the Pin competitions and recording two birdie twos. Fully recovered from last year's injury, Sam White also enjoyed a successful day, picking up a Closest to the Pin prize and a birdie two. Tommy Price added another birdie two to the day's honours board.

In fitting fashion, Anthony Green claimed Adrian's Ace Trophy on the 10th hole, a trophy presented in memory of his brother, Adrian Green.

The evening dinner rounded off the day in fine style, with players enjoying a delicious roast beef dinner prepared by Julie and her team. Former Pupils' Committee Vice-President Stuart Rogers presented the prizes before crowning Archie Eccles the winner of the Best Joke competition for his jam and jelly repertoire. Archie also enjoyed success earlier in the day by winning Closest to the Pin on the 12th hole.

The tournament is held annually and welcomes all KHS former pupils. Anyone interested in taking part next year can contact Jonathan Davies at [email protected] for further information.

Unfortunately, the KHS Former Pupil annual dinner will not be held this year following the retirement of the committee members who had organised the event for many years. Anyone interested in helping to organise future dinners is encouraged to contact Anthony Davies at [email protected]