Venue : Benidorm – Melia Villaitana
Winner: Al Sumner
Moose: Ady Clough
Final Leaderboard
| Ps. | Name | Handicap | Points |
| 1 | Alan Sumner | 14 | 78 |
| 2 | Paul Ephremsen | 13 | 77 |
| 3 | Pete Burke | 9 | 75 |
| 4 | Rick Oakes | 12 | 73 |
| 5 | Phil Cawtheray | 21 | 71 |
| 6 | Craig Lightowler | 18 | 71 |
| 7 | Steve Tattersfield | 10 | 71 |
| 8 | Mick Baldwin | 18 | 70 |
| 9 | Gavin Whitworth | 15 | 69 |
| 10 | Peter Forster | 7 | 67 |
| 11 | Kevin Ulla | 11 | 66 |
| 12 | Andy Fearnside | 14 | 66 |
| 13 | Jez Stanley | 18 | 66 |
| 14 | Sam Wilkinson | 18 | 63 |
| 15 | Mark Wallis (South) | 14 | 63 |
| 16 | Andrew Yates | 14 | 63 |
| 17 | Chris Ramm | 17 | 62 |
| 18 | Jeff Wind | 17 | 62 |
| 19 | Mark Wallis (North) | 19 | 61 |
| 20 | Andy Kaye | 16 | 60 |
| 21 | Phil Lister | 15 | 59 |
| 22 | Paul Cawtheray | 21 | 58 |
| 23 | Alan Clegg | 18 | 58 |
| 24 | Keith Loughran | 25 | 57 |
| 25 | Jimmy Curley | 14 | 56 |
| 26 | David Bell | 32 | 56 |
| 27 | Graham Copley | 25 | 55 |
| 28 | Ben Moyle | 11 | 55 |
| 29 | Steve Hardwick | 15 | 54 |
| 30 | Steve Callaghan | 25 | 51 |
| 31 | Alan Doig | 14 | 48 |
| 32 | Ady Clough | 19 | 47 |
The Write Up
SUMNER DOUBLES UP AS CALAMITY CLOUGH SNATCHES THE MOOSE’S HEAD FROM THE JAWS OF SAFETY
The 14th Calco Cup was held in the classy Melia Villaitana resort just outside the far from classy Benidorm.
The field of 32 broke with tradition and played an 18 hole warm up on the Wednesday of arrival for the first time in the competition’s history. Some, who’d got in the holiday spirit early found the going tough on the smaller of the resort’s courses and as the later starters finished in darkness Paul E and Al Sumner emerged as the warm-up winners. This form was to carry on through the main event.
The real thing got under way under sunny skies the following day and after a nervous wait for unconfirmed buggies all players managed to gain a set of wheels including the field’s only rookie Andrew ‘Yella’ Yates.
At the end of the day former winners would fill the Golden Goose group spaces for day 2. Two time winners Oakes (41) and Burke (43) would be joined by 2007 champion Sumner (40) and former Ramside winner Tattersfield (38).
Bubbling under in the group behind would come Ephremsen (36), Wallis (N) (36), Lightowler (36) and Stanley (36).
Mick Baldwin about whom a huge amount of early money had been wagered before his odds were cut dramatically following speculation which could have seen Bell’s Bookies put out of business ended with a 30.
The Moose group would be made up of former winner Doig (23), 2013 runner-up Wallis (S) (25), Clough (25) and dear oh dear, Hardwick (26).
A buggy shortage on day 2 saw the majority of the field walk the course, another first for the competition when held on the continent.
Teeing off at high noon, in the Moose group Doig, a winner at the Belfry just 3 years earlier, and Clough would become embattled in a desperate struggle to avoid the moose regalia as Wallis (S) dismissed all fears with a 38 and Hardwick made ground with a 28.
Coming to the last Clough held a two point advantage. Would Doig become the first man in Calco history to make the return journey from Goose to Moose (via being stretchered off the course in Portugal)?
Doig’s wayward driving had put him in this mess but for once he found the fairway which Clough was unable to do. When Clough then found a greenside bunker and failed to score Doig nipped in to register his first par of the day, after two fantastic puts under severe pressure, and the 3 points which would save him from ignomy. A more relieved man was never found.
Further up the field there were some notable performances, most especially from Craig Lightowler’s whose 6th place finish, following a second day 35, could be regarded as the greatest ever Calco comeback given the dreadful arm break he suffered only a few months before which threatened his participation.
Also scaling dizzy heights was Phil Cawtheray recording an excellent 5th place. At the other end Hardwick disappointed his optimistic followers once again (will they ever learn?) with a 29th place finish just one ahead of serial moose Callaghan who spent the day looking nervously at the group in front from the Moosette group. Surprise 2013 winner Moyle would finish 28th after launching a defence about as convincing as that of Oscar Pistorious.
Tattersfield faded to finish 7th whilst with Burke (3rd) and Oakes (4th) just off the pace it was left to Ephremsen from the group below with a second day 41 to challenge the ever consistent Sumner to claim his first title. However despite having missed the previous 3 Calco’s Sumner was always in control and managed to hold off the challenge to record his second triumph with a 38 for a superb total of 78 just one point ahead of Ephremsen.
Indeed a glance back at Al’s record now shows his last 4 appearances as 1st, 2nd, 2nd and 1st. A true Calco legend and a worthy winner.