NIGHT golf came to the Hereford Municipal Golf Club for the first time with 32 hardy members testing their night vision and teeing off with luminous balls after dark in a shotgun start for a nine-hole stableford event.

A relieved competition secretary Shaun Vivian reported: "All the competitors returned safely with no damage done other than a little dented pride for some of the low handicap players."

Steve Horton had obviously prepared well as he posted a very creditable 14 stableford points to win the men's section.

Pam Williams took the ladies' prize with nine points, and Shaun Chambers was the top junior with 13.

The nocturnal competition was preceded with an afternoon nine-hole competition won by Andy Bowen with 20 points on a card countback, with Sharon Helps taking the ladies' prize with 17, and junior captain Kieron Helps making it a family double by winning the junior award with 19.

n With the rain thrashing down, Burghill Valley ladies' captain Mary Crockett had the foresight to delay the start and reduce a proposed 18-hole stableford to nine holes.

Sure enough, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and Mary prospered to the tune of a magnificent 28 points, pipping runner-up Margaret Newcombe by one, with third placed Nettie Park trailing by a further 10 points.

Christine Baldwin's hole in one on the 14th was important as she took the January medal gross prize on a countback from Kath Watkins after they both posted 91s, and Anne West the nett prize with a 72.

Results, silver: 1 Kath Watkins 91-18-73, 2 Lynda Vaughan 94-19-75, 3 Christine Baldwin 91-15-76; bronze A: 1 Anne West 97-25-72, 2 Paula McQuillan 104-27-77, 3 Doreen Pomroy 102-25-77; bronze B: 1 Ann Dixon 105-30-75, 2 Jane Salter 104-29-75, 3 Linda Bayliss 111-34-77.

Senior Texas Scramble: 1 Dave Busby, Len Lewis and Nick Previte 72-11.2-60.8, 2 Jeff Kramer, Rory Tyrrell and Brian Mahon 73-11.3-61.7.

n Barry Clark and Michael Curtis took the honours in Herefordshire's GC's January medal when they each posted a nett 61 to win their respective divisions.

Results, division 1 (0-14): 1 Barry Clark 71-10-61, 2 Ken Wright 77-12-65, 3 Jason Plant 77-11-66; division 2 (15-28): 1 Michael Curtis 83-22-61, 2 Carl Owen 82-18-64, 3 John Bishop 80-16-64.

n Kington ladies braved high winds for the latest round of their 12-hole Winter Accumulator.

Results, silver: Chris Hughes 13 pts; bronze: Sylvia Lloyd 20.

January medal, silver: Chris Hughes 87-14-73; bronze: Marion Weaver 106-31-75.

n No fewer than four competitors posted 32 stableford points in closely-contested January competitions at Brockington.

January stableford: 1 Alex Shave 32 pts, 2 John Alsop 32, 3 Brian Jones 31.

Seniors' Winter stableford: 1 Peter Boughey 32, 2 John Powis 32, 3 Bill Edwards 31.

n Belmont's Yellow Peril team competition, with three scores to count on each hole and the yellow ball counting double, produced a close finish with Sean and Kevin Pockett, Roger Smith and Manny Eistel posting 145 stableford points, one clear of runners-up Alex Quinn, Roger Bethel, Ben Lloyd, and Andrew Rawcliffe.

Senior Winter League, division 1: 1 Brian Turner 38 pts, 2 John Lewthwaite 37; division 2: 1 Sandy Sanders 43, 2 Ron Fell 38.