LAST year’s Bransford club captain Rob Richards has started the new year well with a comprehensive win in the first monthly stableford of 2019.

Richards (11 handicap) racked up 42 points with three birdies and eight pars to win by five from Paul Ramsden (9) while Simon Pitt (10) was third on 36.

In Division Two, Adrian Lewis (25), who carded five pars, just saw off Jason Dean (17) on countback after both carded 39.

Youngster William Ritson (41) got 38 and Andy Goodall (27) 37.

Bransford seniors staged their popular Escape from Christmas annual fun competition.

The cold, damp conditions kept the field down from the numbers of past events but there was still a healthy turnout as the three-a-side teams used a three-two-one stableford format.

Top trio were Neil Sheldon, Ferey Ghani and Mike Weaver who had an individual round  of 47 to help his team to a convincing win with 86 points.

Ghani also had 41.

Second were Brian Taylor, Rob Lawrence and Andrew Jarvis with 80 followed by Neil Holbrow and Mark Weston on 79 and Alan Ford, Roger Steade and Coilin Weeden on 75.

A white stableford saw Graham Wilks, with six pars, beat Ford in a card countback in Division One while Andy Lamb won Division Two by one point from Mike Murley.

Steade (29) picked up the Division Three plaudits two points ahead of Alan Wallcroft (25).

Wilks (18) scored 36, Ford (11) 36, Denis Atkins (19) 35, Terry Martin (18) 35 and Trevor Atkinson (15) 35.

Lamb (24) managed 35, Murley (20) 34, Lee Dyment (20) 33 and Jarvis (22) 33.

Steade got 32, Wallcroft (25) 30, Andy Falconer (26) 29, Mike Hendry (30) 28 and John Knowles (27) 28.