ALEX Luxon broke the course record during captain’s week The Club at Mapledurham, while fund raising was at its highest for many years.

The week kicked off last Wednesday when 93 players entered the Captains’ Midweek Challenge, a three-team stableford competition with the two best scores to count.

The winners were James Newport, Frank O’Neill and Jon Allamby with a combined score of 92 points, with Berni Doyle, Karen Bridges and Shonagh Brunnen taking second place with 89. Two further back were the trio of Alan Denton, Michael Biddle and James Pike.

On Saturday, 143 players assembled for an 18-hole individual Stableford competition which witnessed some extremely impressive scores.

Mapledurham champion Luxon once again lit up the course to take top honours with a magnificent gross score of 64 for 45 points; beating the old course record with six birdies and just one bogey.

Just one point behind and securing runner-up spot was last year’s captain, Simon Sawyer, with a personal best of 44 points. John Cark took third place with 43.

The Lady Captain trophy and accolade went to Carina Gandy with 43 points, while runners-up with 41 points were Dawn Banbury and Irene Manson.

The best guest players were Paul Sherwood with 38 points and Ann Francis with 45.

Nearest the pin winners were Bridges, Kari Dixon, Dawn Banbury, Kym Kennedy, Kevin Farrell, Luxon, Glynn Reynolds, Dave Smith, Paul Sherwood and Chris Gosling, while the longest drives were Sue Rogers and Alan Morrow. The straightest ladies’ drive went to Doffi Parkinson.

The captains’ charity was the MS Trust, a cause very close to the club captain’s heart, James Newport, after losing his beloved partner, Emily Shepherd, on Remembrance Day last year.

She left behind two children, five-year-old Harrison and one-year-old Evie, after suffering with Multiple Sclerosis for seven years.

During the weekend, Andy Wilde ran a ‘Beat the Pro’ competition to raise £720, while raffles raised a further £814 and mid-round refreshments £486.

An auction organised by Gosling and Trevor Gray – aided by Newport and lady captain Doyle – proved a huge success, while running alongside and later into the evening was the Putting Ladder run by Darren Cunliffe.

The longest putt of about 40 feet was won by Gosling, with Gray in second place.

Newport, who wrote to more than 100 clubs for donations for the auction, said: “It was an astonishing response from so many clubs, I cannot thank them all enough. I am blown away.

“We have raised so much money for the MS Trust, just short of £8,000. We couldn’t have done it without the support of the Captains’ circle, the committee members, other members and all the staff at the club. Berni and I are so grateful and would like to say a huge thank you”.

Sean O’Brien, the Golf Operations Manager, added: “It was one of the highlights of the golfing season so far and exceeded all expectations.”