MARK Read and Jill Mico celebrated their captains’ days at The Worcestershire in Malvern Wells.

Lady captain’s day provided the greater individual challenge when a field of 51 contended the Lady Captain’s Salver with eight more in the nine-hole stableford.

Playing steadily and putting well throughout, Liz Lewis won the salver with 38 stableford points to reduce her playing handicap to 16.

Jill Piner pipped in-form Joan Haworth to the runner–up slot with a better back nine with both recording 34.

In the nine-hole stableford, Jennifer Bunyan, boosted by a general play review after struggling in recent months, had a welcome return to form with 19 points.

Betty Mitchell finished second with 17 and Kate Cross third with 15.

Club professional Paul Barker and his assistant Ryan Corbett had created ingenious putting and chipping challenges to test the ladies’ short-game skills.

Liz Evans won the putting competition with Piner taking the chipping prize.

The arrival of forecast rain in the afternoon did little to spoil the day before everyone gathered in the clubhouse for more competitions, prize-giving and a celebratory tea.

Ladies’ captain Mico said the day had raised £200 for her chosen charity Alzheimer’s Research UK. Then it was club captain Read’s turn to host his day on a dry, if breezy, day.

He chose a four-ball alliance format with two scores to count on each par-four hole and three scores to count on each par three and par five.

The overall winning team were assistant professional Corbett, Jack Cullity, Tom Howells and Andy McCabe.

They played in the morning round and recorded 95 stableford points, three ahead of their nearest rivals. Nigel Allam, Colin Goodrum, Alastair Chrystal and Edward Gaynor-Smith were second in the morning, beating Neil Bogart, Paul Yorke, Jim Pawson and Mark Roberts with 51 on the back nine after both teams returned 92. Leading the afternoon contingent were Steve Lane, Colin Lane, Dave Jones and Mark Davies. Their 92 total was one ahead of Mike Holt, Gary Eames, Terry Cox and Len Coleman with Clive Minett, Paul Ford, Mike Day and Mike Bothma third on 89.

Nearest the pin prizes on par threes went to Graham Chatterton, Mike Tubb, Pete Jolley, David Bray, Howells, Bob Rogers, Andy Price and Terry Lloyd.

Maurice Moore and Barry Caswell took the honours for nearest the pin in two on the par-four 18th. The day culminated in an evening’s food, wine and entertainment in the clubhouse.

In a lesser entry, a ladies’ team of Pat Rose Piner, Jackie Marks and Lisa Digings held off the challenge of seniors Andy Peet, Ken Willett, John Noon and Mike Travis to win by 92 points to 91.

A strong field of 18 vied for the Past Captains’ Lowe Cup.

The trophy was lifted for the fourth time by Brian Coleman, whose 38 stableford points were one ahead of Gordon Bailey’s 37.

The mid-week stableford saw a win for Dave Turner (handicap 13) on count-back from Andy Bird (11) with both on 32 points and Andy Davis (12) was third on 30.