Yorkshire golf: Moortown ladies enjoy summer of non-stop success

MEMBERS at Moortown GC pit their skills against an Open Qualifying course every time they play at their home club.
Moortown ladies' scratch team.Moortown ladies' scratch team.
Moortown ladies' scratch team.

Moortown ladies’ eased their way into a memorable season by lifting the North Leeds Ladies Golf Association’s winter foursomes trophy.

An admirable deed in itself, but just the curtain raiser, as it turned out, to them sweeping all before them in three Yorkshire Ladies County Golf Association events as well as the Leeds Evening League.

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Moortown won both the A and B team finals and also finished as Scratch Division 2 qualifier winners, which earned them the Sue Johnson Trophy and promotion into Division 1.

Moortown ladies' A team.Moortown ladies' A team.
Moortown ladies' A team.

“We can’t recall a season like this,” said Rogerson, who laid the foundations for success last September – when she was still vice captain – by beginning the process of organising all the various team commitments. “Last year we won the A team final, but we can’t remember the last success with the B team.”

She is quick to give praise to the section’s three team captains – Didi Powers (Scratch), Beverley Burrows (A) and Maire McCarthy (B), along with Evening League organiser Susan Mannion – who have been responsible for team selection.

“I absolutely leave team selection to them,” she said. “I organise the matches, book all the tee times, but they choose all the players.

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“They go on the stats from the club, see who’s playing well – and who’s available.

Moortown ladies' B team.Moortown ladies' B team.
Moortown ladies' B team.

“We always try to get the best ladies playing that we can, but we have a lot of ladies who work.

“They’ve been prepared to take time off to play in matches which has been a big help.”

Rogerson says Moortown did not heap any extra expectations on their own shoulders after their initial successes, but simply followed the time-honoured sporting cliché of taking one match at a time.

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“I think we have just gone and played each match without any expectations whatsoever,” she said. “We’re already looking forward to next season although obviously all this success puts a bit more pressure on us.”

She believes the test which Moortown sets before the players, whether it be in a club competition or a social round, has forged their golfing skills.

“Because we play on an Opening Qualifying course that obviously helps us because we are used to playing on a tough course,” she said. “As a result we have some very good match play golfers.”

The team has encompassed a wide range of ages, with the B team including some competitors in their late sixties and early seventies.

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Two players – past lady captain Beryl Pickering and Christine Mannion – were part of both the A and B teams in the finals. The YLCGA competitions involved seven players a side and Rogerson said: “The ones who finish first go back out on the course and support the ones who are still playing.

“We have been drawn against some tough opposition this year.

“But we have been very lucky – on any day it can be your day or not.”

This year it would seem all days have been Moortown’s.

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