Ade Clarke Memorial / 2026

A bit of an away day, a bit of an adventure, and — as is tradition before any round of golf — a fair bit of fretting about the forecast.

The big worry going in was the weather. There'd been a decent amount of rain rolling through the valleys in the days leading up, and more than a few of us were quietly checking the radar on the drive over. Fortunately, the golfing gods were feeling generous. The rain held off, the skies played nicely, and Clays Farm itself was in genuinely good nick considering what it had been soaking up recently.

Results Top of the leaderboard was John Evans with a very tasty 36 points. A round like that on an unfamiliar course is no small feat, and it was more than enough to lift the trophy — taking it off the shoulders of last year's winner Elliott Evans.

Now, officially there's no relationship between the two Evanses. Officially. But you do have to wonder, don't you? Wales, the surname, the trophy quietly staying within the Evans dynasty… maybe Clays Farm is some long-lost ancestral home turf and we've stumbled onto something. Or maybe it's just a coincidence and we should probably stop reading into it. Either way — back-to-back Evans winners. Make of that what you will.

Runner-up spot went to Bob Hinds, who put together a solid 31 points. A proper redemption arc too — last comp's Frog, this comp's runner-up. That's the kind of bounce-back form we love to see. Take note, everyone: the Frog is not a life sentence.

Speaking of which… this week's Frog goes to Dave Giove. Tough day at the office, Dave. Chin up — if Bob's turnaround is anything to go by, you'll be on the podium next time out.

The Verdict
A cracking away day all in. The weather behaved, the course held up, and we got a proper competition out of it.

Big congrats to John Evans on lifting the Ade Clarke Memorial. The trophy stays Evans-shaped for another year.