Social
Formby Chess Club Open Golf Championship 2019
(Ed Patten Reports)
The FCC golf society met on a lovely, sunny evening at the Formby Golf Centre.
A total of 10 players attended, a right mixture of friends and family. We were all playing against each other but split into 4 groups or teams.
The rules were very simple, a lost ball, then add 2 shots to your score for that hole. No out of bounds. To keep it ‘fun’ the maximum shots per hole was 8. Common sense and courtesy came into play on several occasions! There were no handicaps other than the actual clubs!
The excitement mounted as Eddy ‘the organiser’ sent the ‘golfers’ off in 2’s and 3’s.
Each hole should have taken 10 to 15 minutes maximum.
Team A consisted of Bob Greaves and Mike Haslinger and both lost their balls early on! This held up the rest of the teams… this was going to be a long night!
Bob and Mike finally drove off at the 2nd tee after 20 minutes!
At this point we hastily decided to invoke a 5 minute rule for lost balls!
Team B, paired Eddy and Rob Haseman, they worked steadily through the course, trying to avoid the hazards. The average hole was a par 3 but two of the holes were par 4’s, this proved impossible, for them anyway. Needless to say neither Eddy nor Rob parred any hole!
Team C had Stewart Haslinger and Sara with newcomer Peter Paine. There was 1 birdie with lots of bogey’s in this group. To be polite, they all had varying degrees of success and 2 of their number finished in the top 4!
Finally, last, but not least, bringing up the rear, Team D, were Ian Patten, Gareth and Sandy Haslinger. It has to be said, at this stage, that Sandy was the most consistent player in the tournament. Closely followed by Sara! A new golf term has now been created, the ‘quintuple’ bogey ie 5 over par!
The maximum 8 shots per hole proved absolutely vital for many of the attendees.
Ian and Bob both parred the 1st hole, Bob went on to par holes 5 and 7. Whilst Peter was the only player to par the very tricky 3rd. hole.
Eddy, Bob and Peter were the only golfers NOT to need the 8 shot per hole rule. Whilst Sandy needed it 9 times, Sara 5 times, Mike 3 times and Gareth twice. Rob, Ian and Stewart were glad of this rule on 1 occasion each.
The hardest holes were 3,7,8 and 9 were no less than 4 players, each time, were grateful for the maximum 8 shots per hole rule.
The 9th hole in particular was very tricky. This was the shortest, only 62 yards, to the hole. This must have been designed by Steve Davies on a bad day. The green was shaped like snooker table with a 20 degree slope!!
The 3rd hole had a different problem as the ‘cup’ was proud of the green by 1cm!!
This meant you had to ‘chip in’ from 2 inches!!
The event was played in good spirits as everyone dodged each others shots, looked for lost balls and apologised for going out of bounds on other fairways. The shouts of ‘fore’ and ‘oh sugar’ could be heard throughout the day!
There was no claret jug for the winner nor a coveted green jacket, but everyone agreed it was good fun, they all encouraged each other and enjoyed swapping hard luck stories.
Many thanks to John Grady for donating the prizes, much appreciated John.
The overall winner with 43 shots was Bob Greaves, who won a bottle of champagne.
In second place with 45 shots was Peter Payne, who selected the quality golf balls, courtesy of Bob.
In third place with 50 shots (including 1 parred hole), was Ian Patten who will enjoy a bottle of Cava. Finally, in fourth spot was Stewart, who also had 50 shots (but with no pars) and he will no doubt share his box of chocolates prize with the family.
All the other competitors received a complimentary pen courtesy of our sponsors Prudential and Hilton Hotels!?
Their scores for the record, and I apologise for any embarrassment, in advance:
5th Eddy on 51, 6th Gareth on 57, 7th Mike H on 58, 8th Rob H on 60, 9th Sara on 65 and 10th Sandy on 72.
And the other good news is that the club made a £50 profit for club funds. So many thanks for all the players who supported the event.
Regards Eddy
Formby Chess. Car Rally/Treasure Hunt 2018. Report by Ed Patten
A Big thank you to everyone who has helped and supported this year’s Car Rally which was a resounding success.
There were 22 adults and 5 children taking part and all had a good laugh and confirmed a really enjoyable day out, finishing off with a pub lunch.
All the excited competitors met at RMCC and after Eddy had given the stressed out drivers their maps, question sheets and clarified all the rules, YET AGAIN!, they were ready to go. Kieran and Dylan Patten waved their starter flags to send all the hopefuls on their way!
In light of previous experience, (ie The rule benders and ‘googler’s), This years rules had been slightly changed. Competitors still had to answer 50 Cryptic Clues and obtain ‘contraband’, but there was a time limit of 3 hours to complete the course, with penalties after that. Also, this year, there were NO ‘Are you lost envelopes’ to steam open or fall back on !
The family arguments began almost immediately as relatives and friends in the cars all wanted to see the map and the questions all at the same time, as the poor drivers moved off, wondering which way to go!
The chaos continued all the way around the course as they answered the Cryptic Clues (some with Cryptic Answers) and collected items such as Beer Mats and British Rail timetables.
‘Googling’ contraband items, displaying photo’s was strictly OUT!
Almost all the clues were spotted apart from the ‘fish that can’t be educated’ in School Lane or ‘the hanging baskets on the fence’ at number 242, next door to the old school house.
Well done to Bob, Trish and their friend Ged who were the only ones to see that Studio 57 had a ‘variety of apartments’, whilst the two Pauls, Alison and Lynn were the only ones who observed the ‘Manx Legs’ owned by the people from the Isle of Man, lived at Number 28.
Everyone spotted that ‘Ken Barlow’ didn’t live in Coronation Avenue, the ‘Jets’ number was 247 and that the bales of hay were only ‘small’.
I am pleased and relieved to say that everyone returned safe and sound to the Railway Pub, and ALL within the three hours time limit!!
First back were first timers Rob, Lisa and the girls, who had got lost, recovered and still managed to collect contraband. The girls ensured I marked every question correctly! Then tucked into their pub lunch.
They were closely followed by Trish and Vince. Vince presented me with the dead head of a dandelion flower as a ’Lions Head’!! Very inventive.
I don’t think so!! In the spirit of the rules I gave them 5 minutes to produce a genuine lions head, which they did. Well done.
They were not on their own, as other ‘lion heads’ came in the shape of Beer bottle labels, wall paper and sweet wrappers!
After coming 2nd last year, Mike Haslinger brought reinforcements to this years rally, consisting of Sandy, Gareth, Grand Master Stewart and the two Sara’s. It worked, as they won this years Rally by a very tight margin. They’ll be celebrating with champagne tonight! Congratulations!
Bob, Trish and friend Ged came in next and eagerly awaited their scores to be marked up. After a bit of give and take, which applied to all the competitors, I confirmed their score. Like Bob’s chess grade his rally grade is also improving! They came 2nd, well done and an improvement on last years 4th position. They won a bottle of Prosecco. Well Done!
Catherine, Ian and Steve came in next, still talking to each other (and me). They found this years rally a bit easier BUT they missed the 2 clues right on their doorstep ie ‘like to practice boxing’ at SPAR and ‘she is very near’ was Heather Close !! I blame it on the parents!
Finally after about 2 and a half hours those old campaigners, Alison and Lynn and 2 Pauls arrived back hoping for another victory.! With Pine cones, lettuce and other contraband at the ready we scrutinised their answers and by a few points they came a respectable 3rd! but I’m sure that the 3rd prize of a bottle of Cava will drown any disappointment. Enjoy!
All other competitors enjoyed a box of Maltesers presented by my little helpers Kieran and Dylan and of course a big thanks to my wife May for all her hard work in preparing and creating the event. All competitors, received the coveted FCC Car Rally/Treasure Hunt Certificate 2018.
Everyone who attended confirmed they had a great day out and the good news is that we’ve raised £100 towards club Funds! Many Thanks. Eddy
lFormby Chess Club Car Rally/Treasure Hunt 2017. Report by Ed Patten.
First of all I would like to thank the 22 souls that participated. Never in the field of human driving have so many miles been covered by so few!
The rally started from the RMCC, we met at 11.00am.
All the drivers were given an Instruction Sheet which included the general rules, the 50 cryptic questions and the 5 items of ‘contraband’ that needed to be collected, legally or otherwise!
They were also given a map which showed only essential directions and an
‘Are You Lost’ Envelope….just in case?
After answering all questions and, for the umpteen time, explaining the rules and maps, Eddy started them off, one by one, and noting the start times!
They all set off on their adventure, following the route and spotting the clues. They had to spot things like road signs, businesses, pubs, unusual landmarks etc and they needed to collect/show items such as pub menu’s and the Liver Birds.
Almost all the clues were spotted by the teams, except ‘Cindy’s Taxi’ which was the Coach and Horses Pub. Only one clever team got the ‘Endangered Waterhole’ i.e. the Red Squirrel Pub, well done to Bob and Trish and their only friend!
Mike B and Trish were last to leave but the first to finish!.. after only 57 minutes.
Then a long time gap. After 1 hour 57 minutes, Bob and Trish and their only friend crossed the line.
Next to have the chequered flag waved (and much to my relief) were Ian and Steve Patten’s cars with Cath and Helen, they took 2 hours 5 minutes. They had followed each other, made the same mistakes, got themselves lost and then recovered.
Those rally veterans Paul and Alison and friends (still), arrived, with a smug look on their faces, after 2 hours 37 minutes.
Most of the teams had spotted ‘the Local Card Game’ as Formby Bridge and ‘Caesars UK Troops’ as the British Legion but only one, the Haslingers, got the ‘Insurance Scam’ as Ditchburn Trucks, well done.
Back to the rally. What had happened to the other contenders? We were all getting very anxious as we tucked into our hamburger and chips or lasagna or chicken in a basket and enjoying a pint, comparing stories and having a good laugh……….
Yeah, we were really worried !!
John and Joan and friends made it back after 3 hours 25 minutes…all still talking to each other. But Team Haslinger still hadn’t made it back. We rang Stewart and told him his dad’s clock was ticking and the flag would soon drop ! Stewart rang his dad and ‘encouraged’ the family to get to the finish asap.
Finally after a ‘forensic’ analysis of the clues and map, Mike, Sandy and Gareth limped over the line! They’d took 3 hours 48 minutes ! Sighs of relief all round.
As each car load arrived back, they were like excited school kids and were very keen to have their ‘home work’ marked! and to see how they’d done.
But Eddy is a hard task master and is very meticulous when marking ! ( its the power!!). However all felt that the marking was fair, with a little bit of give and take on both sides. Unless your name is John Grady, that is. Who demanded to put his score sheet through ‘Fritz’. Eddy has also put John’s name forward to handle the Brexit Negotiations !
Eddy then announced the results. The prizes were presented by Kieran and Dylan Patten. The winners, by a small margin, were Paul and Alison and friends, who were presented with a bottle of champagne. In second place were Mike, Sandy and Gareth, who received a bottle of Procecco. In third place were John and Joan and friends (still talking), who will enjoy a bottle of wine together.
All the other participants were presented with a box of Malteser’s to keep them sweet and every entrant received the coveted:
‘Formby Chess Club Car Rally/Treasure Hunt’ Certificate !!
A big thank you to Dave Colbourne for donating the champagne. To Alan W for a cash donation and my wife May who enjoyed helping me plan the route and clues.
Everyone agreed they’d really enjoyed the whole day and the bonus is that we made £100 for club funds! A big thanks to everyone for their support
The reformed Golf Society had its first outing at The 9 Hole Par 3 course at Vincents on Sunday 10th May 2010.
There was a slightly disappointing number of participants (combatants!) but 5 ‘players’ took to the first tee in good weather and armed with a variety of clubs although their use would suggest that ‘implements’ is a more appropriate word for some of the players to use.
Altho’ a short course there were a number of hazards to be avoided including trees, water and ducks and only the ducks remained untroubled in the event.
The first round was deemed to be practice clearly needed by all except Bob Greaves. Mike Barrett was pleased that he had taken more balls than clubs and at least spent no time looking for lost balls as his 3 lost balls all disappeared into the depths of the streams. Eddie used his practice to make up some rules of his own but an hour later we three together with Rob and Peter W set off in two groups for the serious stuff having all agreed (we thought ) on the precise set of rules to apply. There was such laxity in their application however that Bob clearly the best golfer amongst us (proved by being able to hit the ball every time he swung his club) was sure that if he could operate in the same way at the chess board he’d be club champion without any difficulty.
After another hour and a half and using a Stapleford equation to decide there were joint leaders in Bob and Rob and a sudden death play off was started. It was Bob who succumbed by way of a heart attack at the first hole when Rob chipped in from in the rough and at least 15 yards away from a very small hole.
The morning was enjoyed thoroughly by all and it was agreed that it should become a regular outing and more members ‘persuaded’ to join in. The winner would then be able to receive a decent bottle of wine rather than the ‘plonk’ so ably won by Rob.
Following the re-introduction of the Christmas Social, Mike Barrett has kindly submitted the following summary of former activities of one of the sections. Submission of similar articles or news of any kind is always welcomed.
CYCLING SECTION
The cycling section of the chess club began in the early nineties, following the example of our chairman André, a keen cyclist since youth (a very long time!). The sight of him on a bike, especially from behind, with little legs pumping led several other members to take to their wheels. They felt that they could look no worse, and that increased physical fitness would lead to an increase in mental fitness and therefore better chess!
Tommy Carberry, Dave Evans, Rob Haseman, Duncan McNab and Graeme Neil, joined a little later by Mike Barrett took off with André, to explore the highways and byways of West Lancs but with an emphasis on off-road tracks emanating from canal towpaths and the Cheshire Lines.
Tommy took it upon himself to be leader of these Sunday morning excursions, on the basis that he had the only Ordnance Survey Map, and thought that, at all times, he knew where he was going and therefore had a distinct advantage over his companions. This normally involved exploring every farm and cart track he could find, especially if there was a ‘Private’ sign visible. He was a very good leader, subject only to; i) a tendency to race ahead on a road to challenge any ‘proper’ racing cyclist on ‘thinnies’ and ii) colourful language for a Sunday, when often reminded (by Mike) that Mike had promised his wife Tricia to be home for lunch at 1 o’clock!
The quality of cycling was, as their chess, subject to accidents, so that before too long André and Duncan had both plunged into the canal, although only André would disappear under the surface! Several of us took corners too fast and came off and Mike did a perfect swallow dive into a field of sprouts! All accidents were better regarded if seen by everyone and so, if happening to a rear marker, there were normally calls for an instant replay. Graeme was a very enthusiastic youngster (who appears in a photo on the board at Ravenmeols ) and considered himself fit . He it was, when told of the effort required to cycle up Clieves Hill took off at great speed, only to collapse at the top, and require medical treatment; thereafter causing the road to be known as ’Graeme’s Hill’. He subsequently went off to university and is now a solicitor still playing some chess.
We ventured further afield doing trips of up to 40 miles and rode in the annual Liverpool to Chester ride, a trip of over 50 miles (up to 70 when we also rode home to Formby), with over 1000 others. The pain of going through the Birkenhead tunnel and wondering if there was to be a final bend was lightened when the sun shone, and it was always invigorating to follow a lycra clad backside, usually female, through the Wirral countryside. It was on these rides that we met Dave Williams, then playing chess for the Royal, who showed that he would settle in well with the Formby crowd, by one year falling off and breaking his wrist!
Another club member should be mentioned: Ben Shorter, he had come up to Formby when tragically widowed in his twenties. He joined the club, playing for both Merseyside and Wirral League teams. although himself subject to bouts of ill health which ultimately proved fatal. Ben was a keen cyclist, but unfortunately his one vice was cigarettes. Having tried to persuade him that smoking and cycling were incompatible, he eventually agreed, and after cycling for a short time, continued smoking and gave up cycling!
We also expanded horizons with annual weekend rides organised by Tommy. The first of these involved a trip to Leeds, in the back of a lorry arranged by Rob, and cycling to Formby along the Leeds -Liverpool canal. The highlight being an overnight stop in a commercial travellers pub in Darwen and a landlady, trying to pull other than pints, followed by a rowdy meal in the local Indian restaurant. The next year, in awful weather, we did the reverse trip and Rob had the required accident, which was more serious than first thought, landing him in hospital for a time and putting paid to his ‘serious’ cycling.
Not everyone was able to do the weekend rides, so some missed the Humber to Runcorn bridges ride and Duncan’s wild navigation (twice around Barnsley?!)
The attempt by Tommy and Dave to cycle from the Scottish border to Formby, included a stretch of the Lancaster Canal, where they discovered that some toerag, possibly Allan Worthington in a previous existence, had blocked the canal and towpath completely with the M6; thereby necessitating a major retracing of steps!
A similar problem arose on the ride from Wolverhampton to Formby, via the North Shropshire canal route; when, in the middle of nowhere, the towpath disappeared and we had to ride through fields and gaps found in hedges to find a road. It was also on this ride that Tommy discovered that Mike does not like heights; therefore, being stopped at the top of the Runcorn Bridge to admire the view, when the cycle track is outside the roadway, brought forth screams of great intensity!
The ride around the Lochs near Callendar was uneventful. By the time of the Coast to Coast ride from Whitehaven to Sunderland, the old stalwarts André, Rob and Duncan (who preferred the game of bridge) had ‘retired’. They had been replaced by new non-chess playing friends met during our rides, including Julia, the then wife of Paul Sutton. To the club’s good fortune, having been introduced to us, Paul renewed his interest in chess. Tommy not being 100% physically fit, at the time, drove the support van on the way through the Lake district and across the Pennines. Unfortunately, Mike was suffering dental problems and as a consequence had neither top nor bottom sets of dentures in for the duration. This absence enabled Tommy, on the first night, to persuade the guest house proprietress, quite seriously, to believe that Tricia had confiscated the dentures, to ensure that her husband was unlikely to get into trouble with any female during the weekend. It must be said also that both Whitehaven and Sunderland with the Stadium of Light and the river Wear are more picturesque than I imagined.
2004 saw the last of the full weekend rides, although smaller distance rides and the Chester run continued. On the trip, from Holyhead to Cardiff- the ‘Llon Llas Cymru’, Tommy was fighting fit, Mike had ‘both sets’ in, whilst the support van was driven by Tommy’s friend ‘Fireman Bill’. This was a very good weekend, with Bill able to park right by Valley RAF and watch jets going a lot faster than us. Numerous forestry tracks, made for a stern challenge for the more adventurous of the group, whilst others kept to the road for these stages. After the thought provoking path through Aberfan, the final stretch, along the river next to the Millennium stadium and a finish in the new Cardiff Bay development, was very satisfying.
There is still some gentle riding for anyone who wishes, and watches for the sunny and mainly windless days.
I have taken the liberty of altering sections of this for clarity, so must share the blame for any inaccuracies, although all of the praise for content goes to Mike. PW webmaster
Anon has read the article and asked me to pass on a couple of items about Tommy's prowess.
'Altho' fearless and safe when going along tracks and up and down steep slopes Tommy did have one problem with a 'normal' road. He showed his fallibility when falling off going over a 'sleeping policeman' in Montague Road much to everyone else’s amusement. He and the other cyclists also had to take great care about 'her indoors' the lovely Jill. Whilst Tommy and co were due to meet at a particular early time on a Sunday morning Jill is a person who likes her lie in on that day. Woe betide anyone who phoned or called for her husband and disturbed her.'
.
(Ed Patten Reports)
The FCC golf society met on a lovely, sunny evening at the Formby Golf Centre.
A total of 10 players attended, a right mixture of friends and family. We were all playing against each other but split into 4 groups or teams.
The rules were very simple, a lost ball, then add 2 shots to your score for that hole. No out of bounds. To keep it ‘fun’ the maximum shots per hole was 8. Common sense and courtesy came into play on several occasions! There were no handicaps other than the actual clubs!
The excitement mounted as Eddy ‘the organiser’ sent the ‘golfers’ off in 2’s and 3’s.
Each hole should have taken 10 to 15 minutes maximum.
Team A consisted of Bob Greaves and Mike Haslinger and both lost their balls early on! This held up the rest of the teams… this was going to be a long night!
Bob and Mike finally drove off at the 2nd tee after 20 minutes!
At this point we hastily decided to invoke a 5 minute rule for lost balls!
Team B, paired Eddy and Rob Haseman, they worked steadily through the course, trying to avoid the hazards. The average hole was a par 3 but two of the holes were par 4’s, this proved impossible, for them anyway. Needless to say neither Eddy nor Rob parred any hole!
Team C had Stewart Haslinger and Sara with newcomer Peter Paine. There was 1 birdie with lots of bogey’s in this group. To be polite, they all had varying degrees of success and 2 of their number finished in the top 4!
Finally, last, but not least, bringing up the rear, Team D, were Ian Patten, Gareth and Sandy Haslinger. It has to be said, at this stage, that Sandy was the most consistent player in the tournament. Closely followed by Sara! A new golf term has now been created, the ‘quintuple’ bogey ie 5 over par!
The maximum 8 shots per hole proved absolutely vital for many of the attendees.
Ian and Bob both parred the 1st hole, Bob went on to par holes 5 and 7. Whilst Peter was the only player to par the very tricky 3rd. hole.
Eddy, Bob and Peter were the only golfers NOT to need the 8 shot per hole rule. Whilst Sandy needed it 9 times, Sara 5 times, Mike 3 times and Gareth twice. Rob, Ian and Stewart were glad of this rule on 1 occasion each.
The hardest holes were 3,7,8 and 9 were no less than 4 players, each time, were grateful for the maximum 8 shots per hole rule.
The 9th hole in particular was very tricky. This was the shortest, only 62 yards, to the hole. This must have been designed by Steve Davies on a bad day. The green was shaped like snooker table with a 20 degree slope!!
The 3rd hole had a different problem as the ‘cup’ was proud of the green by 1cm!!
This meant you had to ‘chip in’ from 2 inches!!
The event was played in good spirits as everyone dodged each others shots, looked for lost balls and apologised for going out of bounds on other fairways. The shouts of ‘fore’ and ‘oh sugar’ could be heard throughout the day!
There was no claret jug for the winner nor a coveted green jacket, but everyone agreed it was good fun, they all encouraged each other and enjoyed swapping hard luck stories.
Many thanks to John Grady for donating the prizes, much appreciated John.
The overall winner with 43 shots was Bob Greaves, who won a bottle of champagne.
In second place with 45 shots was Peter Payne, who selected the quality golf balls, courtesy of Bob.
In third place with 50 shots (including 1 parred hole), was Ian Patten who will enjoy a bottle of Cava. Finally, in fourth spot was Stewart, who also had 50 shots (but with no pars) and he will no doubt share his box of chocolates prize with the family.
All the other competitors received a complimentary pen courtesy of our sponsors Prudential and Hilton Hotels!?
Their scores for the record, and I apologise for any embarrassment, in advance:
5th Eddy on 51, 6th Gareth on 57, 7th Mike H on 58, 8th Rob H on 60, 9th Sara on 65 and 10th Sandy on 72.
And the other good news is that the club made a £50 profit for club funds. So many thanks for all the players who supported the event.
Regards Eddy
Formby Chess. Car Rally/Treasure Hunt 2018. Report by Ed Patten
A Big thank you to everyone who has helped and supported this year’s Car Rally which was a resounding success.
There were 22 adults and 5 children taking part and all had a good laugh and confirmed a really enjoyable day out, finishing off with a pub lunch.
All the excited competitors met at RMCC and after Eddy had given the stressed out drivers their maps, question sheets and clarified all the rules, YET AGAIN!, they were ready to go. Kieran and Dylan Patten waved their starter flags to send all the hopefuls on their way!
In light of previous experience, (ie The rule benders and ‘googler’s), This years rules had been slightly changed. Competitors still had to answer 50 Cryptic Clues and obtain ‘contraband’, but there was a time limit of 3 hours to complete the course, with penalties after that. Also, this year, there were NO ‘Are you lost envelopes’ to steam open or fall back on !
The family arguments began almost immediately as relatives and friends in the cars all wanted to see the map and the questions all at the same time, as the poor drivers moved off, wondering which way to go!
The chaos continued all the way around the course as they answered the Cryptic Clues (some with Cryptic Answers) and collected items such as Beer Mats and British Rail timetables.
‘Googling’ contraband items, displaying photo’s was strictly OUT!
Almost all the clues were spotted apart from the ‘fish that can’t be educated’ in School Lane or ‘the hanging baskets on the fence’ at number 242, next door to the old school house.
Well done to Bob, Trish and their friend Ged who were the only ones to see that Studio 57 had a ‘variety of apartments’, whilst the two Pauls, Alison and Lynn were the only ones who observed the ‘Manx Legs’ owned by the people from the Isle of Man, lived at Number 28.
Everyone spotted that ‘Ken Barlow’ didn’t live in Coronation Avenue, the ‘Jets’ number was 247 and that the bales of hay were only ‘small’.
I am pleased and relieved to say that everyone returned safe and sound to the Railway Pub, and ALL within the three hours time limit!!
First back were first timers Rob, Lisa and the girls, who had got lost, recovered and still managed to collect contraband. The girls ensured I marked every question correctly! Then tucked into their pub lunch.
They were closely followed by Trish and Vince. Vince presented me with the dead head of a dandelion flower as a ’Lions Head’!! Very inventive.
I don’t think so!! In the spirit of the rules I gave them 5 minutes to produce a genuine lions head, which they did. Well done.
They were not on their own, as other ‘lion heads’ came in the shape of Beer bottle labels, wall paper and sweet wrappers!
After coming 2nd last year, Mike Haslinger brought reinforcements to this years rally, consisting of Sandy, Gareth, Grand Master Stewart and the two Sara’s. It worked, as they won this years Rally by a very tight margin. They’ll be celebrating with champagne tonight! Congratulations!
Bob, Trish and friend Ged came in next and eagerly awaited their scores to be marked up. After a bit of give and take, which applied to all the competitors, I confirmed their score. Like Bob’s chess grade his rally grade is also improving! They came 2nd, well done and an improvement on last years 4th position. They won a bottle of Prosecco. Well Done!
Catherine, Ian and Steve came in next, still talking to each other (and me). They found this years rally a bit easier BUT they missed the 2 clues right on their doorstep ie ‘like to practice boxing’ at SPAR and ‘she is very near’ was Heather Close !! I blame it on the parents!
Finally after about 2 and a half hours those old campaigners, Alison and Lynn and 2 Pauls arrived back hoping for another victory.! With Pine cones, lettuce and other contraband at the ready we scrutinised their answers and by a few points they came a respectable 3rd! but I’m sure that the 3rd prize of a bottle of Cava will drown any disappointment. Enjoy!
All other competitors enjoyed a box of Maltesers presented by my little helpers Kieran and Dylan and of course a big thanks to my wife May for all her hard work in preparing and creating the event. All competitors, received the coveted FCC Car Rally/Treasure Hunt Certificate 2018.
Everyone who attended confirmed they had a great day out and the good news is that we’ve raised £100 towards club Funds! Many Thanks. Eddy
lFormby Chess Club Car Rally/Treasure Hunt 2017. Report by Ed Patten.
First of all I would like to thank the 22 souls that participated. Never in the field of human driving have so many miles been covered by so few!
The rally started from the RMCC, we met at 11.00am.
All the drivers were given an Instruction Sheet which included the general rules, the 50 cryptic questions and the 5 items of ‘contraband’ that needed to be collected, legally or otherwise!
They were also given a map which showed only essential directions and an
‘Are You Lost’ Envelope….just in case?
After answering all questions and, for the umpteen time, explaining the rules and maps, Eddy started them off, one by one, and noting the start times!
They all set off on their adventure, following the route and spotting the clues. They had to spot things like road signs, businesses, pubs, unusual landmarks etc and they needed to collect/show items such as pub menu’s and the Liver Birds.
Almost all the clues were spotted by the teams, except ‘Cindy’s Taxi’ which was the Coach and Horses Pub. Only one clever team got the ‘Endangered Waterhole’ i.e. the Red Squirrel Pub, well done to Bob and Trish and their only friend!
Mike B and Trish were last to leave but the first to finish!.. after only 57 minutes.
Then a long time gap. After 1 hour 57 minutes, Bob and Trish and their only friend crossed the line.
Next to have the chequered flag waved (and much to my relief) were Ian and Steve Patten’s cars with Cath and Helen, they took 2 hours 5 minutes. They had followed each other, made the same mistakes, got themselves lost and then recovered.
Those rally veterans Paul and Alison and friends (still), arrived, with a smug look on their faces, after 2 hours 37 minutes.
Most of the teams had spotted ‘the Local Card Game’ as Formby Bridge and ‘Caesars UK Troops’ as the British Legion but only one, the Haslingers, got the ‘Insurance Scam’ as Ditchburn Trucks, well done.
Back to the rally. What had happened to the other contenders? We were all getting very anxious as we tucked into our hamburger and chips or lasagna or chicken in a basket and enjoying a pint, comparing stories and having a good laugh……….
Yeah, we were really worried !!
John and Joan and friends made it back after 3 hours 25 minutes…all still talking to each other. But Team Haslinger still hadn’t made it back. We rang Stewart and told him his dad’s clock was ticking and the flag would soon drop ! Stewart rang his dad and ‘encouraged’ the family to get to the finish asap.
Finally after a ‘forensic’ analysis of the clues and map, Mike, Sandy and Gareth limped over the line! They’d took 3 hours 48 minutes ! Sighs of relief all round.
As each car load arrived back, they were like excited school kids and were very keen to have their ‘home work’ marked! and to see how they’d done.
But Eddy is a hard task master and is very meticulous when marking ! ( its the power!!). However all felt that the marking was fair, with a little bit of give and take on both sides. Unless your name is John Grady, that is. Who demanded to put his score sheet through ‘Fritz’. Eddy has also put John’s name forward to handle the Brexit Negotiations !
Eddy then announced the results. The prizes were presented by Kieran and Dylan Patten. The winners, by a small margin, were Paul and Alison and friends, who were presented with a bottle of champagne. In second place were Mike, Sandy and Gareth, who received a bottle of Procecco. In third place were John and Joan and friends (still talking), who will enjoy a bottle of wine together.
All the other participants were presented with a box of Malteser’s to keep them sweet and every entrant received the coveted:
‘Formby Chess Club Car Rally/Treasure Hunt’ Certificate !!
A big thank you to Dave Colbourne for donating the champagne. To Alan W for a cash donation and my wife May who enjoyed helping me plan the route and clues.
Everyone agreed they’d really enjoyed the whole day and the bonus is that we made £100 for club funds! A big thanks to everyone for their support
The reformed Golf Society had its first outing at The 9 Hole Par 3 course at Vincents on Sunday 10th May 2010.
There was a slightly disappointing number of participants (combatants!) but 5 ‘players’ took to the first tee in good weather and armed with a variety of clubs although their use would suggest that ‘implements’ is a more appropriate word for some of the players to use.
Altho’ a short course there were a number of hazards to be avoided including trees, water and ducks and only the ducks remained untroubled in the event.
The first round was deemed to be practice clearly needed by all except Bob Greaves. Mike Barrett was pleased that he had taken more balls than clubs and at least spent no time looking for lost balls as his 3 lost balls all disappeared into the depths of the streams. Eddie used his practice to make up some rules of his own but an hour later we three together with Rob and Peter W set off in two groups for the serious stuff having all agreed (we thought ) on the precise set of rules to apply. There was such laxity in their application however that Bob clearly the best golfer amongst us (proved by being able to hit the ball every time he swung his club) was sure that if he could operate in the same way at the chess board he’d be club champion without any difficulty.
After another hour and a half and using a Stapleford equation to decide there were joint leaders in Bob and Rob and a sudden death play off was started. It was Bob who succumbed by way of a heart attack at the first hole when Rob chipped in from in the rough and at least 15 yards away from a very small hole.
The morning was enjoyed thoroughly by all and it was agreed that it should become a regular outing and more members ‘persuaded’ to join in. The winner would then be able to receive a decent bottle of wine rather than the ‘plonk’ so ably won by Rob.
Following the re-introduction of the Christmas Social, Mike Barrett has kindly submitted the following summary of former activities of one of the sections. Submission of similar articles or news of any kind is always welcomed.
CYCLING SECTION
The cycling section of the chess club began in the early nineties, following the example of our chairman André, a keen cyclist since youth (a very long time!). The sight of him on a bike, especially from behind, with little legs pumping led several other members to take to their wheels. They felt that they could look no worse, and that increased physical fitness would lead to an increase in mental fitness and therefore better chess!
Tommy Carberry, Dave Evans, Rob Haseman, Duncan McNab and Graeme Neil, joined a little later by Mike Barrett took off with André, to explore the highways and byways of West Lancs but with an emphasis on off-road tracks emanating from canal towpaths and the Cheshire Lines.
Tommy took it upon himself to be leader of these Sunday morning excursions, on the basis that he had the only Ordnance Survey Map, and thought that, at all times, he knew where he was going and therefore had a distinct advantage over his companions. This normally involved exploring every farm and cart track he could find, especially if there was a ‘Private’ sign visible. He was a very good leader, subject only to; i) a tendency to race ahead on a road to challenge any ‘proper’ racing cyclist on ‘thinnies’ and ii) colourful language for a Sunday, when often reminded (by Mike) that Mike had promised his wife Tricia to be home for lunch at 1 o’clock!
The quality of cycling was, as their chess, subject to accidents, so that before too long André and Duncan had both plunged into the canal, although only André would disappear under the surface! Several of us took corners too fast and came off and Mike did a perfect swallow dive into a field of sprouts! All accidents were better regarded if seen by everyone and so, if happening to a rear marker, there were normally calls for an instant replay. Graeme was a very enthusiastic youngster (who appears in a photo on the board at Ravenmeols ) and considered himself fit . He it was, when told of the effort required to cycle up Clieves Hill took off at great speed, only to collapse at the top, and require medical treatment; thereafter causing the road to be known as ’Graeme’s Hill’. He subsequently went off to university and is now a solicitor still playing some chess.
We ventured further afield doing trips of up to 40 miles and rode in the annual Liverpool to Chester ride, a trip of over 50 miles (up to 70 when we also rode home to Formby), with over 1000 others. The pain of going through the Birkenhead tunnel and wondering if there was to be a final bend was lightened when the sun shone, and it was always invigorating to follow a lycra clad backside, usually female, through the Wirral countryside. It was on these rides that we met Dave Williams, then playing chess for the Royal, who showed that he would settle in well with the Formby crowd, by one year falling off and breaking his wrist!
Another club member should be mentioned: Ben Shorter, he had come up to Formby when tragically widowed in his twenties. He joined the club, playing for both Merseyside and Wirral League teams. although himself subject to bouts of ill health which ultimately proved fatal. Ben was a keen cyclist, but unfortunately his one vice was cigarettes. Having tried to persuade him that smoking and cycling were incompatible, he eventually agreed, and after cycling for a short time, continued smoking and gave up cycling!
We also expanded horizons with annual weekend rides organised by Tommy. The first of these involved a trip to Leeds, in the back of a lorry arranged by Rob, and cycling to Formby along the Leeds -Liverpool canal. The highlight being an overnight stop in a commercial travellers pub in Darwen and a landlady, trying to pull other than pints, followed by a rowdy meal in the local Indian restaurant. The next year, in awful weather, we did the reverse trip and Rob had the required accident, which was more serious than first thought, landing him in hospital for a time and putting paid to his ‘serious’ cycling.
Not everyone was able to do the weekend rides, so some missed the Humber to Runcorn bridges ride and Duncan’s wild navigation (twice around Barnsley?!)
The attempt by Tommy and Dave to cycle from the Scottish border to Formby, included a stretch of the Lancaster Canal, where they discovered that some toerag, possibly Allan Worthington in a previous existence, had blocked the canal and towpath completely with the M6; thereby necessitating a major retracing of steps!
A similar problem arose on the ride from Wolverhampton to Formby, via the North Shropshire canal route; when, in the middle of nowhere, the towpath disappeared and we had to ride through fields and gaps found in hedges to find a road. It was also on this ride that Tommy discovered that Mike does not like heights; therefore, being stopped at the top of the Runcorn Bridge to admire the view, when the cycle track is outside the roadway, brought forth screams of great intensity!
The ride around the Lochs near Callendar was uneventful. By the time of the Coast to Coast ride from Whitehaven to Sunderland, the old stalwarts André, Rob and Duncan (who preferred the game of bridge) had ‘retired’. They had been replaced by new non-chess playing friends met during our rides, including Julia, the then wife of Paul Sutton. To the club’s good fortune, having been introduced to us, Paul renewed his interest in chess. Tommy not being 100% physically fit, at the time, drove the support van on the way through the Lake district and across the Pennines. Unfortunately, Mike was suffering dental problems and as a consequence had neither top nor bottom sets of dentures in for the duration. This absence enabled Tommy, on the first night, to persuade the guest house proprietress, quite seriously, to believe that Tricia had confiscated the dentures, to ensure that her husband was unlikely to get into trouble with any female during the weekend. It must be said also that both Whitehaven and Sunderland with the Stadium of Light and the river Wear are more picturesque than I imagined.
2004 saw the last of the full weekend rides, although smaller distance rides and the Chester run continued. On the trip, from Holyhead to Cardiff- the ‘Llon Llas Cymru’, Tommy was fighting fit, Mike had ‘both sets’ in, whilst the support van was driven by Tommy’s friend ‘Fireman Bill’. This was a very good weekend, with Bill able to park right by Valley RAF and watch jets going a lot faster than us. Numerous forestry tracks, made for a stern challenge for the more adventurous of the group, whilst others kept to the road for these stages. After the thought provoking path through Aberfan, the final stretch, along the river next to the Millennium stadium and a finish in the new Cardiff Bay development, was very satisfying.
There is still some gentle riding for anyone who wishes, and watches for the sunny and mainly windless days.
I have taken the liberty of altering sections of this for clarity, so must share the blame for any inaccuracies, although all of the praise for content goes to Mike. PW webmaster
Anon has read the article and asked me to pass on a couple of items about Tommy's prowess.
'Altho' fearless and safe when going along tracks and up and down steep slopes Tommy did have one problem with a 'normal' road. He showed his fallibility when falling off going over a 'sleeping policeman' in Montague Road much to everyone else’s amusement. He and the other cyclists also had to take great care about 'her indoors' the lovely Jill. Whilst Tommy and co were due to meet at a particular early time on a Sunday morning Jill is a person who likes her lie in on that day. Woe betide anyone who phoned or called for her husband and disturbed her.'
.