GOLF: Creamer honoured by PGA

10:41am Sunday 16th March 2008

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Long-serving Chippenham club professional Bill Creamer has been made an Advanced Fellow of the Professional Golfers' Association, writes Ernie Newell.

He was one of three senior West Country professionals honoured with the award at the West Region PGA's annual meeting at Exeter Golf and Country Club, the others being Christine Langford an Richard Jewell.

PGA chief executive, Sandy Jones, said: "PGA Advanced Fellow Professional status is awarded to members who have made a significant contribution to golf within their field of expertise."

Creamer, 56, last year celebrated his 30th anniversary as club pro at Chippenham, while Langford, a founder member of the European Ladies' Tour in the late 70s, has golf schools based at Bowood Golf and Country Club and Desert Springs in Spain.

She is also national coach to the Welsh Ladies' Golf Union.

Jewell, 56, is a former West Region PGA captain. He was a professional at Gloucester Golf Club for some years before setting up his own company, Sigma Golf UK Ltd, in Gloucester in 1981 with another ex-Gloucester professional, Peter Darnell.

Creamer is one of three long-serving Wiltshire club professionals. Barry Sandry has been at Broome Manor since the club's foundation in 1976, while Graham Laing has been at North Wilts since 1979.

• Richard Thomas, playing off 18, took the honours in Kevin Pickett's first Pro Shop Stableford at Ogbourne Downs with a best-of-the-day score of 46 points.

It gave him a four-point victory in Division Two (17-28) over Alex Railton (20) and Malcolm Mason (25). Kevin Kibble (12) won Division One (0-16) with 40 points, one more than Jim Tierney (14) and Jack Savage (11).

Meanwhile, Marlborough bar steward Daryl Plank won his second consecutive monthly stableford when, with a card of 37 points playing off five handicap.

He took the spoils in Division One (0-9) of the March Saturday stableford by one point from former captain Stuart Cook (7) and Mick Green (5).

Division Two (10-15): Graham Daws (11) 41 pts, Neil Pitcher (15) 40 pts, Stefan Skudlarz (15) 37 pts.

Division Three (16-28): John Cowie (20) 37 pts, Nick Fisk (18) 37 pts, Terry Meacher (17) 36 pts.

• Twenty-six handicap Andy Cable was a comfortable winner of Marlborough's March mid-week stableford with 37 points. Neil Patch (8) and Eddie Walecki (10) came next with 34.

• Ash Ealey won Broome Manor seniors Winter Whine stableford on countback from John Lloyd and Keith Russell, all three carding 38 points.