Result- Winter Stableford. King’s. Sat 27th Dec.

A sparkling winter’s day greeted competitors for the Winter Stableford on the Kings course at Dun Whinny – once the frost delay finally loosened its hold on the first tee. The sunshine may have been gentle, but the scoring that followed was anything but.

When play eventually got under way, the course presented itself in glorious, if slightly frosty, condition and the field wasted no time in tucking into it. Scorecards brimmed with pars and birdies; it was clearly going to be a high‑scoring day. Yet all of those impressive returns were reduced to supporting roles by one man: Bill Sexton.

Sexton breezed round with an outrageous 48 points, the sort of tally that makes handicaps nervous and fellow competitors reach for the small print in the rules book. On a day when mid‑30s and low‑40s were already excellent efforts, Bill’s total simply blew the field away, leaving the rest to scrap politely over the minor places and the last sausage roll.

Word of Sexton’s romp has not gone unnoticed among the club’s self‑styled aristocracy of form. Messrs Smith, Lambert and McNeill, still polishing their egos – and their recently‑won sombreros from the Gala Ball – were seen huddled together afterwards, casting anxious glances at the leaderboard. Having only just established their status as men for the big occasion, they are now openly worried that there’s a new sheriff in town, and that their reign of fiesta‑fuelled glory may be short‑lived.

For now, though, there can be no argument. On a crisp winter’s afternoon, when the Kings course gave up plenty of points, Bill Sexton stood head and shoulders above the pack. Congratulations to Bill on a stunning victory and a winning margin that will be talked about long after the frost – and a few fragile egos – have thawed.