ROUND 2 - BALCOMIE LINKS

Lunch had barely finished before it was time to tee off again, this time with far less protection as players shed their woolly hats and extra jerseys. The wind was still gusting, but gradually eased as the round progressed, and despite some occasional grey skies, the contestants managed to escape without any serious downpours. With conditions more settled, the quality of golf improved too and the number of Stableford points started to mount significantly. Once again, things were tight at the top, with the lead changing hands repeatedly. Bridges was hitting some big drives, but Harper was putting together an impressive string of pars and birdies, assisted by a handicap that was starting to look a little generous.

So it was off to the players' hotel to regroup and ponder over the day's play. A great meal was served in the hotel dining room, reviving player's spirits and lifting their hopes that they might be able to raise their game for the third and final round on the Sunday. The evening was spent in a mood of quiet reflection, apart from the odd drink and a little bit of limbering up (or "warming down" as the more serious athletes prefer to call it) on the dance floor of a local hostelry. Local fans were delighted to welcome Dudley players as guest celebrities to their own festivities. We were fortunate enough to witness the re-enactment of an old ritual, in which the locals prayed to the Links Gods for a win by their Chosen One (traditionally the most handsome man in the tournament), by stripping off his upper garments, anointing him with lipstick and Bacardi Breezers, and chanting a Karaoke mantra to keep his aim firm and true. The tournament referee had to be called in at the last minute to rule whether an attempt had been made to meddle with a man-made obstruction.

On returning to the tournament lodgings, players were disappointed to have missed a fight that had broken out only minutes before…local fans were obviously finding the public attention and enormous pressure of hosting a major international golfing event a little hard to bear. So the evening wound up with a few hardy campaigners sharing a wee night-cap in the bar, while others retired early to be in good shape for the morning's endeavours.

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