Colchester Golf Club’s Turkey Trot is always a lottery as far as the weather is concerned but the forecasters served up their worst for this year.

With two shotgun starts, morning and afternoon it was the morning round which produced the best score in the form of the ladies pairing of June Warburton and Maggie Demuth.

They sailed home with their score on level to beat all-comers in this foursome bogie competition. This was no mean feat as the air temperature was hovering slightly above freezing and they played in a strong to near gale force wind, but at least the predicted rain held off for them.

While their win was well-deserved it was not by a clear margin and there were two other pairs on the same score and separated by countback.

In second place were Dick Jackson and Trevor Vaughan, with John Lynch and Hilary Persent in third.

Prizes of nearest the pins went to Mike Hart on the fourth and Alan Irvine on the 13th. If the morning weather was bad, the afternoon was worse.

Along with the cold and wind, the predicted rain came, and it became an effort to stay out there.

It was likened to a Lowestoft trawler in a North Sea gale and oilskins and sou’westers would not have been out of place.

Some hove to and returned to the clubhouse, but pairs with good cards running, braved the weather and took the punishment.

Surprisingly the winners of the afternoon’s golf – John Dornan and Mike Withers – returned a score just one behind the morning groups.

Their score of minus one was to be comended in the conditions and coming in just one hole adrift were three groups on minus two.

Tim and John Logan, Steve Sharman and John Blackmore and Tim Rogers and Alan Hyde were all separated after a countback.

Nearest the pin on the 13th was ladies captain, Bridget Whitworth, but the fourth green was into the eye of the wind and no one actually hit the putting surface.

The best mixed pair in the afternoon was captain Mike Sutton and Whitworth with a minus four and the best ladies pair were Jo Mager and Hannah Butcher with a minus 12.

In much more benign weather, 51 ladies played their stableford Yellow Ball competition.

Scores at the top end were very close with Katie Cooper, Margaret Carter and Whitworth coming out on top with an excellent total of 79 points.

Second were Madryn Abnett, Gill Minns and Claire Hebden on 78.

Third, on countback, were Shelley Persent, Fiona Rose and Jane Reed, also with 78.