The St Neots Golf Club 2020 Goddard Cup winning team. From left standing Andrew Grimwood and Danny Loveday, seated Owen Cousins and Owen Meeds.

Submitted for the Cambridge News

A new club name will appear on the Goddard Cup this year as St Neots Golf Club claimed the Inter Club Scratch Trophy at the Saffron Walden Golf Club by five shots from the defending champions Gog Magog.

The Goddard Cup was played using a different format this year with the knockout stages not played because of the Covid-19 lockdown in the Spring and early Summer.

There were 12 clubs in teams of four players, who played 18 holes of scratch medal with all four scores to count.

It appeared to be a good day for scoring with little wind, and for a pleasant change, no rain.

With scores being recorded hole by hole by the competitors on their smart phones, St Neots held an early five-shot lead at -3 from Gog Magog on +2.

Circumstances soon changed when triple bogeys from Owen Meeds and Owen Davies of St Neots passed the lead to Gog Magog.

St Neots however soon had one hand on the trophy when County A team player Danny Loveday recorded a fine round of 68, with birdies at four, ten, 12 and 16 and pars on the other 14 holes.

He was admirably backed up by his team colleague Andrew Grimwood with a 70, who had birdies at eight and 15 and pars on the other 16 holes.

The Gog Magog team were consistent in their scores with Ed Dimambro and George Howard with 75’s, Luke Bowers on 76 and England Boy International Dominic Clemons on 77 or a total of 303.

All the side from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, now needed to do was for their remaining two team members, still on the course, to avoid any disasters. Meeds sealed the victory when he hit a gap wedge to a foot at the par three 18th hole for a round of 79.

Former County champion Owen Cousins was a little out of sorts, but his 81 gave the St Neots a winning total of 298.

Ely City finished third with 309.

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