12 – 14 May 2023
Day 1 – Friday
What a day! Very strong winds all day and heavy rain for 2 hours between 9 and
11am, meant the conditions were extremely brutal for the 28 players who took part
on day one of the Championship. Play got underway at 8am and the conditions
were so bad that some of the greens began to get waterlogged and it was touch and
go for a while as to whether the players would have to be called in. But, thanks to
the hard work of the greenkeepers sweeping the water away, and the rain stopping
just in time, the play was able to continue. And, considering the conditions, there were
some really decent scores.
The winner of the Scratch Cup for the Championship Medal was Tiffany Mills (Ryston
Park) 78/80 = 158
The top 16 players qualified for the knockout stage of the Championship
Day 2 – Saturday
Still very strong winds and cloudy and overcast. It was still extremely cold out there!
The first of the 8 match plays got underway at 8.45am and by lunchtime for 8 players
their championship was over.
It was the quarter-final stage in the afternoon for the remaining 8 and we had some great
matches to look forward to. Q/F results were:
Tiffany Mills (Ryston Park) beat Jo Herd (Royal Norwich) 5&3
Chloe Tabard (Royal Norwich) beat Immogen Leeder (Dereham) 2&1
Nellie Ong (Eaton) beat Rebecca Shubrook (Royal Norwich) 6&4
Day 3 – Sunday
Cloudy conditions in the morning, but the wind had died down and in the afternoon
the sun came out, the sky was blue, and the course looked it's marvelous best!
Semi-Finals in the morning and spectator numbers were growing. They were treated
to some fabulous golf from the four girls competing for their place in the final.
Tiffany Mills got off to a strong start against her young opponent Chloe Tabbard, but
in the end, it was Chloe who won the match on the 17th, 2&1.
The second semi-final was even closer, and after 18 holes Gemma Du Feu and
Nellie Ong were all square. Gemma clinched the match on the 2nd extra hole with a
brilliant 2nd shot which landed almost next to the pin.
And so to the final in the afternoon between Gemma Du Feu and Chloe Tabbard.
The sun came out at last and the spectators really were treated to some brilliant golf
from these two talented players.
It was Gemma who got out in front first, but one or two missed putts gave her young
opponent the chance to draw level and then it was Chloe who took charge of the
match and ended up winning on the 15th green, 4&3.
So, congratulations to 15-year-old Chloe Tabbard from Royal Norwich who is the
2023 Norfolk Ladies’ Golf Champion.
All in all, despite the terrible weather for the first two days, it was a great Championship and our course and golf club did us proud! It was great to see our Club President Geoffrey start some of the ladies on the first day and our Club Captain Peter also helping out and awarding the prizes at the end and thanks to Tim Starbuck for his assistance also.
Well done to Carol Delf, our County President, who was assisted by County Officials
to ensure the smooth running of the Championships. Thanks to Sam and Reece and the catering staff for looking after everyone so well with hot drinks and food.
Thanks also to the greenkeepers for the excellent condition of the course (despite
the weather trying to mess it up)! Finally, the ball spotters on the first day all deserve a medal for being out there in that weather! Well done girls!!
Sally Shaw ⛳️
