Oldham & District Golf League

CASTLE HAWK produced a late show to claim victory in the ODGL end-of season Brian Atack team tournament held at Crompton and Royton.

They were led by their ‘B’ team captain Tim Rands and partner Matt Tench with a stunning 48pts.

And their quartet scores of 48-43-42-42 - shooting four of the top 15 scores of the day in a field of 170 gave them a best-three total of 133 for a six-shot margin of victory.

It had looked for much of the day that the early starters had had the best of the weather and that Blackley were going to retain the team trophy with a 127 tally that included two 44s and a 39.

That looked even more likely when the weather turned grim and the middle order tee times got the worst of the strong winds.

In the first two and a half hours there were 14 scores of 41 or better yet in the next two and a half hours there were only two scores that matched that total. The average score of the day was 39pts.

However, once a heavy shower subsided so, crucially, did the wind and that gave the late starters a chance to rack up the points.

Denton’s ‘A’ team captain Mark Alexander and current club captain Reese Hobson managed a brilliant 47 points off their 7 and 1 handicaps for second in the individual event on a card play-off from the equally impressive Stamford’s Spencer Laverty and Carleton Wheldon.

In the end, the early mark of 45 for Dukinfield’s Mark Turner and Dean Harwood was only good enough for fourth prize with Blackley’s Steve Murray and Dan Williams pipping their own team captains Gareth Morris and Steve Kelly on a card play-off for fifth.

Also missing out on 44pts were Ashton’s Greg Buckey and Bobby Ebbrell but Buckley had the consolation of making a hole-in-one on the 203-yard par three 14th.

From the tee, the hybrid strike looked to have gone over the green and Buckley was busy looking for his ball when his partner checked the hole - to much celebration!

The nearest the pin at the short fourth was won by Dan Millwood (Manchester) at 44 inches, the longest drive was a monster of a knock from Ashton’s plus 5 man Luke Kelly and '2s' paid out four balls which will be delivered to home club professionals this week.

The tournament also acts as the League’s annual presentation with those teams collecting silverware being given a priority for late tee times - something that proved beneficial in more ways than one.

The host club professional Karen Heywood was thanked for her marathon stint at the registration desk and their C&H chair Keven Jackson for acting as a marker after a late no-show.

As per the rota, Denton have agreed to host next year’s tournament which will be held on Sunday, September 26, 2027.

THE RESULTS

The BRIAN ATACK Trophy (best 3 scores to count)

1. Castle Hawk 133

2= Blackley & Stamford 127

4= Ashton & Dukinfield 125

6= Denton & North Manchester 124

8= Manchester & Saddleworth 121

10= Brookdale & Crompton & Royton 120

12 Werneth 113

ODGL DIVISION CHAMPIONS

A Division Winners: STAMFORD

Runners Up: Brookdale

A Division Cup winners: DENTON

Runners Up: Brookdale

B Division Winners: CASTLE HAWK

Runners Up: Blackley

B Cup winners: STAMFORD

Runners Up: Denton

The GOLD CUP Singles KO winner: Pete Buckley (Brookdale)

Runner Up: Matt McLeod (Dukinfield)

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There are currently two vacancies in the A Division – interested clubs should contact ODGL Secretary David Whaley (07764638309).
The League will be pleased to consider friendly matches against teams on a free week to give potential new clubs a taste of better-ball matchplay team matches.

Four-Ball (Better Ball) Match Play: Apply 90% of the difference in Course Handicap.....

Calculation: All four players determine their Course Handicap. The lowest player becomes 0, and others adjust accordingly. Then, 90% of that difference is applied.

* Please ensure that you complete match cards with full names, handicap index, playing handicap and shots allocated - 90per cent of the difference from the lower (please check these as there have been errors on a couple of Cup matchcards)

* Put result of each game indicating which team won each match and the margin of victory.

* It is the Captain’s responsibility to ensure that team members comply with handicap rules – indexes 0-9 A and 8-17 B - and that they have a fully-fledged 20-card handicap with five qualifying cards in the last 12 months.

*Could clubs drawn to host semi-finals please ensure these dates are in the home course diary for catering.

The League was conceived as an opportunity for local golfers to play competitively against other golf clubs in the local area and at the same time develop camaraderie between them. The intention is to enjoy good golf courses with sporting companions in a friendly but competitive atmosphere.

The League was composed of 2 Divisions from the outset but the Cup competition was not introduced until 1980. Initially, the League was based on singles matches in the A Division and the first Secretary was A L Davidson (Saddleworth GC). In those early years, the league was less competitive and League Tables were not produced until the last match of the season had been played! In 1982, Barry Matthews (League Secretary) and Carl Cunnelly (Fixtures Secretary) ran the League on a more organised and formal basis until 2005. In 1991 the end of season Brian Atack Tournament was added to compete for individual and team trophies.

Since 2005, the trio of Saddleworth's John Walsh (Chairman), Ashton's Brendan Kennedy (Secretary) and Werneth's David Whaley (Fixtures secretary) guided the league through an expansion into a four division format with the addition of teams from North Manchester, Blackley, Crompton & Royton and Castle Hawk. The league changed further in 2017 with the introduction of promotion and relegation between the two 'A' divisions and Howard Lawton (North Manchester) took over as League Secretary. In 2023 David Whaley (Saddleworth) assumed the role of League Secretary with Howard Lawton standing down as Treasurer. In October 2025, John Osbaldeston (Crompton & Royton) accepted the role as Honorary Treasurer.