FOLLOWING last weekend’s course closure, which meant the cancellation of round six, Maldon’s men were grateful to be able to get back on the course on Sunday for round seven of the Ben Volta winter league tournament.

Twenty-seven pairs took part in the greensomes stableford competition played off a 50 per cent combined handicap allowance.

The soft ground and strong winds made playing conditions tricky but several pairs defied the odds to return excellent scores.

First place went to Alan Brown and Mike Kempen with 38 points, on countback from Nick Rushen and Ricky Todd.

Third place went to Leon Griffiths and Bill Shelley, with 36, on countback from Keith Denny and Tim Hill.

Mark Hinton and Roy Hurren were in fifth spot, with 35, on countback from Terry Marchi and Tony Last.

The captain’s weekly nearest-the-pin prize for the closest second shot to the par four sixth/15th went to Leon Griffiths.

With six possible scoring weeks on the board, the Ben Volta league table now shows Keith Denny and Tim Hill out in front on 111 points. Second place is currently occupied by Alan Brown and Mike Kempen on 101 points.

Pete and Elliot Hawkins are hanging on to third place on 95 points, despite having only returned five scores so far.

There is still a long way to go, however, with a possible eight qualifying rounds still to play, with each pair taking their best eight scores overall towards their league total.

So, it still remains possible for a pairing who have yet to score a single point to run out eventual winners.