Somerset Golf Captains came together on Friday, the 4th of March to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Somerset Golf Captains, at their Annual Dinner held at the Somerset County Cricket Ground in Taunton.
One hundred and thirty captains and guests from Surrey, Sussex, Dorset, Hampshire and South Wales attended the event which was cancelled last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Immediate Past Captain of Captains John Beer invited those presents to reflect on others less fortunate than themselves in the opening grace which included the sentiment.
“We meet tonight in festive mood, And thank God for our friends and food
But we think of those with tables bare, And pray that they will not despair”
Those present then enjoyed a delicious meal consisting of Heritage Tomato Salad or Somerset Farmhouse Pate; followed by Lamb Rump or Poached Salmon Fillet; and then Glazed Lemon Tart or Salted Caramel Brownies. All of this was followed by cheese and biscuits and coffee!
After the meal, President of Somerset Golf Captains Bob Acland reminded those presents of historical events 60 years ago which saw the establishment of Somerset Golf Captains. On the 15th November 1962, a letter was sent to 150 Captains of Somerset Golf Clubs stating the intention of forming a Somerset Golf Captains’ Society. The response to the letter was encouraging as about 60 positive replies were received. The rest, as they say, is history. Bob also encouraged everyone to put their names down for this year’s matches and meetings.
Bob then welcomed those new captains, immediate past captains, or indeed captains-elect who were attending their first annual dinner. Bob then proposed the loyal toast.
In response, the President of the Somerset Golf Union, Tony Mason delivered a witty and entertaining speech before inviting those present to join him in a toast to Somerset Golf Captains.
The Captain of Somerset Golf Captains, Stephen Butterfield, then gave a brief resume of the season which had been very successful in terms of results and went on to propose a toast to the guests.
We were delighted to have with us Paul Boardman (son of the famous Stan Boardman) as the after-dinner speaker who entertained the gathering with some very entertaining funny stories and anecdotes.
We are also very grateful to former president Mike Usher-Clark who managed to provide a unique photographic record of the event some of these photographs are shown below what the complete set is available in a shared Google Drive folder by clicking on this link.
We would like to thank the staff at the County Cricket Ground for their help, support and excellent service.
Special thanks and many congratulations must also go Stephen Butterflied in his role as Dinner Organiser. Thank you Stephen.
A selection of photographs are shown below. If you want to see the full set in good quality, please click on this link. You can then watch the full slideshow to download individual photos.
60th Anniversary Dinner Photos