MARTIN Read and Tony Davis have got off to a great start in Maldon Golf Club's men's winter league.

They were victorious with 46 points in the first of 16 rounds, which was contested by 65 players.

Some excellent scores were returned in the betterball stableford competition, played off 90 per cent handicap allowance.

Only nine points separated 31 pairs but winners Read and Davis finished a point ahead of runners-up Sam Cummins and Alan Buckingham.

They were second on countback with 45 points, just beating third-placed John Abbott and Ian Beard.

Fourth place with 44 points went to Ray Gardner and Chris Taylor while Josh Cousins and Ben Griffiths squeezed into fifth spot on countback, with 43 points.

New club captain Paul Holland, who took over the reins last week, continued with the custom of rewarding nearest-the-pin shots.

Richard Nash won the prize on the par three fifth/14th hole while Nick Rushen took the spoils for the closest second shot to the par four ninth/18th hole.

Each pair has the chance to submit their best ten scores over the duration of the winter league.

A total of 60 Maldon members and guests headed for Stoke-by-Nayland GC for the annual 36-hole challenge match.

It was contested by two teams of 30, each representing brothers Paul and Rob Holland.

The two teams contested 15 betterball matchplay games on the Sunday, followed by thirty singles matches on the Monday.

These matches were interspersed with a Sunday evening meal at which a memorabilia raffle raised £315 for outgoing captain Terry Butcher's charity.

Newly-installed club captain Paul Holland's team recorded their second victory in as many years as his side beat his brother Rob's squad by 26 matches to 19.