News and Updates

On Saturday evening the Club hosted the annual Jersey Golf Presentation Awards, and it proved to be a successful night for Royal Jersey members winning all four of the main prizes.
Prior to the main awards, the Lynne Cottignies Salver was presented by Fred Cottignies. This award is for someone who not necessarily achieved anything on the golf course, but for are considered for other qualities relating to the golfing year.
This year the award did not go to an individual, but to a group, the St Clement’s Ladies Golf Club. In addition to celebrating their centenary this year and organising a further four events, their work in developing Ladies golf contributed to Jersey Golf picking up a National award earlier this year. They continue to grow the Ladies game and have been working with Mind Jersey to introduce the sport to their members.
The Ladies Order Merit was won by Helen Gray who retained the trophy having won it last year.
The Men’s Order of Merit was won by Matthew Parkman, who narrowly defeated clubmate, Josh Ozard. In fact, the top four of the Men’s Order of Merit were all Royal Jersey members.
The main two awards for the evening were the Men’s and Ladies ‘Golfer of the Year’ award presented by Renzo Martin who donated the trophied.
The Men’s winner not only won the Order of Merit, but also won his fifth Island Matchplay Championship (placing him in second place in the all-time winners list) he won (and defended) the Island Foursomes Championship, tied second in the Island Strokeplay Championship and won the Goodchild Trophy. It has been another fantastic year for Matthew Parkman.
The Ladies winner virtually won every major trophy available for her! She won the Island Matchplay Championship, the Island Strokeplay Championship, the Channel Island Matchplay Championship, the Junior Island Matchplay and Strokeplay Championships, collected the Junior player of the Year earlier in the evening, won 3/3 points in the Ladies Inter-Insular in Guernsey and only last week equalled the Royal Jersey Ladies course record of 67. That is a remarkable list of achievements. Congratulations to Anabelle Lucas-Villar.
Both are pictured with their awards.

Although the strongest wind from storm Ashley had decreased in time for the start of the competition the back nine holes was played in heavy drizzle which made conditions very difficult.

Anabelle Lucas Villar had the lowest gross score with a 76 beating Aiden Wilson by one shot.
Oliver Brown, William Aikenhead, last year’s winner, and Rory Wanless all scored 36 points with Rory gaining third place on count back.
Oliver Vacher and Tom Agis played together in the last group with each scoring 37 points. Oliver, in his first year as a junior, won on countback from Tom in second place.

The prizes, generously provided by James Evans, were presented by Elliot Pritchard.

In her last year as a Junior Anabelle won the Club Junior Championships by one shot from Jacob Townsend and Ben Carvalho. This was the third time that Anabelle has won the Trophy but by far, it was by the closest margin.

Twenty one juniors took part in the competition which was played on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October in excellent conditions although it became cooler and a bit windier on the Sunday.

After the first day Ben Carvalho with a gross 73 lead by one shot from Anabelle, Jacob and Aiden Wilson, with Iman Hamid Wilkinson just one shot further back. Nathan Crake Jones and Chloe Cadoret also had sub 80 rounds.

In the handicap section Benjamin O’Mahony lead with a nett 63 from Aiden and Ben with 66’s. Also beating their handicap on day one were Jacob – nett 68, Oliver Smith – nett 68, Oliver Bourke – nett 68 and Chloe Cadoret nett 69.

On Sunday the leaders set off last and it was clear from the beginning that competition would be fierce. Despite this, all who played should be commended for the way they conducted themselves on! both days with great friendship and sportsmanship evident throughout.

Watched by a small but growing band of parents and members, including the Captain and Lady Captain, the tension grew and the result was not decided until the 18th green when Anabelle secured her par with an up and down from just off the green to win by one shot. At one point it was looking like a three way play off which could have been a challenge as the light was just beginning to fade!

Two very good rounds and a score of 137 secured Ben Carvalho first place in the nett competition. In second place with 138 was William Aikenhead after his second round nett 64 with Jacob in third place on 139.

Other notable achievements on day 2 came from Oliver Brown who began with an Eagle on the first and finished with a birdie on 18 for a 79 nett 64 and Chloe Cosnett who had a fantastic nett 62.

Without doubt the standard of play by the juniors continues to improve due to their commitment and the coaching they are receiving. With fourteen sub 80 rounds, over the two days, from 9 different players and nine sub par nett rounds there have been several handicap reductions.

The Royal Jersey Golf Club won the Hampshire County (Sevens) Championship for the fourth time in its history by defeating Liphook in the final yesterday.

The matches are singles matchplay, played off handicap.

Dan Burchell’s team defeated Southwick Park 5 -2 in the morning semi-final to set up the match against Liphook, arguably the favourites, who had defeated Hockley Golf Club in their semi-final match.

After the first hour and a half of the final it was not good news having the lead in only two matches. However, it was testament to the player’s resilience, team spirit and desire to win that they managed to turn the matches around to win by the finest of margins – 4 matches to 3.

Fittingly, it was 14-year-old Aiden Wilson who holed the putt to win the match on the final green. Aiden has played in all the preceding matches and only lost one game – in the semi-final.

Full Results of the final are (Royal Jersey names first) –

Phillip Grehan defeated John Groombridge 1up

Aiden Wilson defeated Trevor Finlay 1up

Jason Byrne defeated Richard Lushington 4&3

Paul Le Rougetel lost to Hamish Rushin 8&6

Mark Wanless lost to Bruce Mellstrom

Chris Huelin defeated Chris Penn 7&5

Matthew Hague lost to James Chapman 3&2

The Club previously won the trophy in 1983, 2005 and 2013.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Griffin. Phil Grehan holes his putt! Aiden Wilson holing and celebrating the winning putt and the a couple of team pictures!

On Sunday 11th August RJGC hosted La Moye Golf Club to play for the Bailhache Trophy.
The conditions were extremely sunny with a little breeze in the morning, but becoming
stronger as the day progressed. The course was generally in very good condition and the
greens were pretty consistent. Despite the heat, all the players fought doggedly in every
match.
The morning foursomes were shared, two matches a piece. The afternoon singles, all off
scratch, were just as close, finishing four all. The final score being 6 - 6, La Moye retained the
trophy as they have prevailed last year.
Extremely well played to all the players and thank you for giving up your precious time to
represent the club.

On Tuesday, in warm rain, 100 ladies played in the Lady’s Invitation Day. A good time was had by all and a delicious seafood buffet completed the day.

The winners Joy Holmes and Carol Sparks had a winning score of 42 points. Amelia Aikenhead presented the trophy on behalf of the Day Family.

A big thank you goes to our sponsors Alex Picot Trust.

William Aikenhead won the Wakefield Trophy on Thursday 8th August with an excellent 42 points from his 16 handicap. Joseph Fox continued his recent good form with 41 points from his 33 handicap to take second place. Third on countback was Jack McFarlane with 40 points from 27 handicap from Oliver Smith 21 handicap, last year’s winner and Eleanor Bourke 35 handicap.
The other junior to beat his handicap was William Stratford with 39 points off 14 handicap.
These impressive scores will see further reductions in handicaps for several juniors.
William Aikenhead receiving the trophy and Joseph Fox and Jack McFarlane their vouchers from Elliott Pritchard

On Wednesday 7th August 10 juniors travelled to Guernsey to play against Royal Guernsey in the annual match between the two clubs.
Iman Hamid Wilkinson and Chloe Cadoret were first out losing their match 4 and 3 against Jayden Tucknott and Charlie Baker.
Aiden Wilson and Jack Burchell also lost by 4 and 3 against Oliver Farmer and Charlie Bowen.
The first Jersey win came from Oliver Bourke and William Aikenhead who beat Jack Gibey and Charlie Czamacki 2 and 1.
Tom Agis and William Stratford then beat Josh Neville and Harry Ingrouille 5 and 4
In the final game Junior Captain Nathan Crake Jones and Jacob Townsend lost 3 and 2 to Connor McKenna and Lewis Blondel meaning that Royal Guernsey won the match by 3 points to 2.
Despite the loss all played well with five of the team playing the L’Ancresse course for the first time.

Junior Captain, Nathan Crake Jones, hosted a pairs scramble competition with a shot gun start on Sunday 4th August on an ideal day for golf. 56 adults joined 23 juniors meaning all tees were used with 2 fairway starts.

There were some excellent scores with Hugo Jacques and Rob Broughton leading the way with a gross 59 nett 57 winning the competition. Jacob Townsend and his father Dominic were close behind with a gross 62 nett 58. Robin Burt and new Junior St John Saunders were third with a 65 nett 60 and in fourth were Aiden Wilson and Elliott Pritchard 63 nett 61.

Fiona Le Feuvre’s tee shot on the 8th hole was 130 cms from the pin whilst Junior Tom Agis was 103 cms from the pin on the 15th hole. Both won signed caps which Nathan had secured from recent visits by Laurie Canter and David Howell.

The presentation was well supported by those who had played making a lively atmosphere in the Clubhouse with all agreeing that it had been a great day.

On Monday and Tuesday Royal Jersey Silver A and B Ladies played Royal Guernsey, in Guernsey, for the Falle Cup and Le Quesne/Bichard Trophy. The foursomes on Monday was played in very challenging windy weather but a good result of all square on the first day, with everything to play for in the singles. A good start on Tuesday for the A Team, saw Melissa McMahon, one of our rookies, take control of her match, winning 5/4 over Di Aitchison, this was followed by a win for Julie Frank who played Kathryn Touzeau, winning her match on the 17th, 2/1. For our second rookie another great win against the very experienced Di Hudson for Victoria Vawser, winning her match 3/1. A strongly fought match with the final result being 5/7.

Our B Team also fought very hard with Nicki Langly-Smith halving her match, Heather Gallagher battled on in her match from 5 down to take a great win 1up, Denise Campbell took control of her match winning 5/4. Nan Waters and Carol Allen also had good wins. A wonderful final result of 6/3.

Thanks go to all the Ladies for putting up a great fight in tricky conditions and thanks must go to our Team Captain Angie de Figueiredo for all her support.

Round one of the Jersey Golf Senior Ladies 4BBB 9 hole Competion was played on Monday afternoon at Wheatlands and our Royal Ladies got us off to a flying start coming equal first and gaining a very important 5 points.
Well done to the team playing - Mary-Jane Lambert, Nan Waters, Sharon Parsons, Trish Woodward, Carol Allen and Jaci Graham.

The GG Vaudin Trophy, Greensomes competition took place on Sunday.

Trophy collected by Tim Herbert and Richard de Figueiredo with a fantastic 46 points.

Runners-up were Matthew Cornic and Tristan Vellam with 45 points. Third place Andrew Keites and Guy Gothard with 43, fourth place on count back James Brewster and Arran Eagar with 42 points.

Pictured are the winners with the trophy and Club Captain, Howard Cooper.

On Sunday 4th February, Junior Captain Nathan Crake Jones got a hole in one on the fourth hole from yellow tee using a 6 iron. He was playing 9 holes in round of the Keites Cup which is run over the winter months. Nathan was playing with Chloe Cosnett, Tom Agis and Ollie McDonald.

This was Nathan’s third hole in one. He has now recorded one on the 2nd, 4th and 8th holes.

The Mary Ann Trophy Four Ball Better Ball competition, kindly sponsored by Liberation Group was played on Sunday.

Trophy collected by Luke Gallichan and Robin Troy with an incredible 45 points, including 2 gross birdies.

Runners-up were Ed Mumlemann and Mark Mumlemann with 44 points. Third place on count back with 43 points Simon Wilson and Alan Dunn, forth place David Morgan and Peter Williams on count back with 43 points.

Pictured are the winners with the trophy and Club Captain, Howard Cooper.

Robbie Messervy has just returned from Turkey, winning 2 trophies in the finals of the RACE TO REGNUM, held over 2 rounds on the CARYA course, a Peter Thompson design and 1 round on the National course. Robbie won the over 60 age group and also the overall trophy for the group of competitions, earning him free accommodation for next year at the prestigious 5 star Belek hotel.

Which was an achievement as he had open heart surgery just under 4 months ago.

Also travelling to Turkey were Stephen Bowen, who finished a credible 4th in the over 50 age group and Terry Smith, who came second to Robbie in the over 60 age group and also had a hole in 1 on the last round on the Carya course.

Well done to all.

A full house of 51 pairs played in the annual Christmas Mixed Foursomes Competition yesterday morning. The weather was mild, if a little breezy, but the morning stayed dry.

Making the most of the favourable conditions were Karen Garner & Dan Burchell who scored 46 stableford points playing off 20. The writer of this report had the privilege of playing with them and they played some amazing golf. Their front nine of 22 points included a birdie three at the 6th and pars on the 1st, 2nd, and 8th holes. Their back nine was even more impressive with back-to-back birdies at the 11th and 12th and pars on the 17th and 18th. Worthy winners indeed!

Also playing with the winners were the Runners-up, Ali Eagar and Mat Hague with 42 points having received 13 strokes. They were out in 20 points and back in 22 points which included back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17.

Third place with 41 points were Hannah Mundy and Chris Matthews. Playing off 20 they were out in 22 points and back in 19.

Afterwards all 102 players enjoyed a traditional Christmas lunch in the clubhouse where the winners were presented with the trophy by the Lady Captain, Sarah Burton (pictured).

The Ladies Annual Prize Giving and dinner was held last night at the Clubhouse.

Over sixty winning ladies were awarded their trophies by the Lady Captain, Sarah Burton.

In her speech, Sarah thanked everyone whether staff or members for being so supportive, helpful, friendly and kind during her two year Captaincy and wished Julie Frank every success when she takes over the role in 2024.

On a day with poor weather several members went out and completed for the Heaton & Syvret Trophy.

The winners on count back with 38 points were H Cooper and T Falle.

Second on count back with 38 points were S House and S Hayward.

Third with 37 points were M le Feuvre and M Jones.

A REVOLUTIONARY new scheme designed to develop and hone the talents of Jersey’s junior golfers has been launched in a bid to boost the sport’s profile within the Island.It is hoped that the programme – led by Royal Jersey assistant professional Elliott Pritchard – will lead to more Islanders excelling on the national and international stage.

The Royal Jersey Development Programme has taken on an initial contingent of 25 players, split into performance, development and rookie squads. Over the next 12 months, the squads will receive individual lessons on a fortnightly basis, along with group lessons available for online sign-up. Pritchard has been passionate about creating a pathway for junior golfers at Royal Jersey since his arrival on the Island one year ago. He said: “I just want to give these kids a bit of a platform and a clear roadmap towards achieving their specific goals within the sport. “It is something that when I was a junior, wasn’t there for me and it’s about giving the future generation of our sport every chance at success. “We have some very talented golfers over here.“But it is important of not falling into the trap of being quality at 12 or 13 and then being average come the age of 16.“Living on a small island can definitely give you a false sense of security of thinking you’re better than you are. “We have a very small pool here and sometimes when our better players travel off-Island they get a bit of a shock at the standard of golfers their age in the UK and further afield.”

The gulf in class between Jersey and Guernsey at junior level was glaringly obvious at this year’s inter-insular, whereby Guernsey claimed a 13.5–1.5 victory on home soil.

Three of the boys in green went on to take part in the men’s inter-insular.

What Jersey are seemingly lacking is players who are in their last couple years as juniors. Many have dropped off, or no longer pursued golf as they get older – an issue that Pritchard is keen to address. “We need to give our juniors a reason to stay interested,” he added. “At times, there can be a lack of direction for younger players. “What we aim to create, is an environment whereby the juniors can excel and also become more confident. “We will actively encourage the group to play with better players and people they are less familiar with. “There is a tendency to only play with friends and when they compete in an event with people they don’t know, it can be very daunting.”

The 25 players are separated into Performance, Development and Rookie squads in order to provide bespoke coaching for all abilities. Along with golf specific coaching, the Performance Squad have sessions at Strive on a weekly basis, with a focus on golf-specific exercises. Pritchard continued: “We want the programme to be as thorough as possible and encompass all the aspects of golf that are important to thrive. “I have been in contact with some fellow professionals in Yorkshire and have a few matches against clubs in the mainland scheduled. “This will allow our players to go toe-to-toe with some elite juniors and really step outside their comfort zone. “A massive thanks have to go to AP Construction and Pastella Ceramics for their support, as this would not be possible without them.”

Performance Squad: Anabelle Lucas-Villar, Nathan Crake-Jones, Aiden Wilson, Ben Carvalho, Chloe Cadoret, Iman Hamid-Wilkinson, Jacob Townsend.

Development Squad: Oliver Bourke, Eleanor Bourke, Ollie Smith, Jack Burchell, William Aikenhead, William Stratford, Harrison Leggett, Benji O’Mahony, Charlie Hewgill, Marley Austin-Vautier, Tom Agis.

Rookie Squad: Elsa Wanless, Rory Wanless, Henry Edwards, Brandon McLaughlin, Chloe Cosnett, Joe Redmond, Jack Gallon.

Awards Evening - Player of the Year

Junior Player of the Year - Iman Hamid-Wilkinson.

Iman won the Ladies Island Championship in 2023, we believe it’s 55 years since a junior has won the ladies island championship, highlighting what is a great achievement that is. Iman also went unbeaten in the Inter-Insular contributing 2pts to the victorious Ladies team.

Ladies Player of the Year - Flora Keites

Flora had great season of results while also still at University and juggling all the work involved with that. Flora won the Ladies Strokeplay Championship which is played over 36 holes, 2 great rounds in tough conditions resulted in a 6 shot victory. Flora was also part of our Island Games team which was at the start of July in Guernsey. Individually Flora scored consistently across all 4 rounds - securing an individual Silver Medal, while those scores also contributed to the team score and alongside Anabelle Lucas-Villar, Hannah Scriven & Helen Gray as they won Team Gold Medal.

Men’s Player of the Year - Jo Hacker

Jo who is attending Jacksonville University in the states, had some impressive results. Jo qualified in the Top 16 of the Hampshire County Championship where he would progress to the Quarter Finals where he would lose on the 23rd to the eventual winner. Jo won the La Moye Trophy by an impressive 8 shots with a 36h score of 4 under. But most impressively Jo won individual Gold in the Island Games with 4 scores of 68,71,71,71 to win by 9 & 16 shots from Jamie Blondel & Jeremy Nicolle respectively. This is the 3rd ever Men’s Individual Gold Medal, and those scores contributed to Team Silver medal alongside Alex Guelpa, Matthew Parkman & Josh Ozard.