THE Worcestershire’s A team drew 3-3 in their 2018 campaign opener at home to Worcester Golf and Country Club.

There were emphatic 6&5 victories for Dave Marshall (1 handicap) and Richard Day (12) and Mark Read (5) and Andy Dunster (5) with the latter pair carding eight birdies.

The final victory came 2&1 for Paul Wakely (11) and Jason Allies (2).

There were narrow losses for Steve Carter (9) and Andy McCabe (4) and Gerry Bird (7) and Tom Davies (5) on the 18th. The final pair were Peter Lupino (scratch) and Phil Birch (6).

The ladies began their friendlies with a 3-1 win at Ross-on-Wye.

Ruth Scott and newcomer Sue Wood won 4&3 while Jenny Musson and Julie Saunders and Christine Goody and Penny Stevenson were involved in tight games but came out on top, winning one-up and two-up respectively. Pat Rose and Vanessa Chesterton lost.

Six pairs went to Worcester Golf and Country Club for a 4-2 better-ball defeat.

Jerry Hibbert and John Williams and Martin Gummery and Keith Hitchcock lost the opening two matches.

Sam McLeod and Patrick McIlroy, unbeaten at home pretty much all winter, finished one-down as did Chris Hardy and Wickes Potgieter.

That left Will Jones and Neil Bogart and Steve Goody and Pete Jolley to grab wins.

Players electing to play on the alternate day in the ladies’ Len Phipps Trophy recorded scores that could not be matched on Tuesday.

Rain came inalong with a stiff breeze and remained for the whole of the day.

Lady captain Sue Boardman holed several long putts and headed Division One with 32 stableford points in front of Liz Evans with 31 and Chris Urry with 30.

In Division Two, Kate Foster pipped newcomer Fiona Lucas on countback with both on 31 ahead of Jill Brierly on 30.

Countback was also needed for the weekend scores where Julie Saunders with a back nine of 20 points took the trophy and Division Two with 37 points ahead of Lucy Walton.

Both players reduced their handicaps.

Ali Tuck returned 34 to finish second in Division One in the overall competition.

Marie Willis won the nine-hole stableford with 13 points in possibly the heaviest rain of the day from Betty Hakes on 12 and Pauline Taylor on 10.

In the midweek medal, Tom Wood won Division One on countback from Stephen Homes with 36 points. Division Two went to Mike Travis with 34.

Meanwhile, Alan Shakesheff has handed over the seniors’ captaincy at Alexander Park to Peter Rouse for the next 12 months.

Rouse will be supported by vice-captain Jim Bland and held a captain’s drive-in.

Paul Gosling (14 handicap) won on the day with 35 points from Tim Hollingworth (8) on 34 and Peter Butler (20) on 32.

Julian Smith won a medal with 98 gross 18 handicap 80 nett from Hollingworth on 89-8-80 and Rouse on 97-14-83.

A Texas scramble was won by Ray Ingram, Ian Power and Michael Mann on 77-9-68 from Geoff Foster, Brian Goode and Hollingworth on 77-8-69 and Rouse, Butler and David Thrower on 80-10-70.

The seniors lost 5-1 at Leominster with victory for Rouse and Keith Smith.

There were defeats for Bland and Shakesheff, Hollingworth and Gosling, Ian Caves and Richard Stevens, Maurice Embrey and Foster and Ingram and Goode.

Park then beat Rodway Hill 5-1 with the only defeat for Bland and Tetty Thomas.

There were wins for Rouse and Stevens, Caves and Mike Hawkins, Embrey and Hollingworth, Gosling and Power and Steve Norwood and Shakesheff.