Rim Stinger VI, 2009 - Carlyon Bay, Cornwall

The most eagerly awaited Rim Stinger since 2008 also contained the largest field to date featuring all five former champions, no former bag o' shite winners and five players who had earned five Rim Stinger caps. For the first time in three years, we had great weather as well. Quality was therefore a given in 2009...

The OCC had picked a course that on first viewing looked more open and less challenging than in the last two years. This was partly, ok mainly, an attempt to reduce his lost balls run rate. Having said that it didn't look good when his first shot disappeared out to sea...

Amongst the 16 players were four rookies, who all acquitted themselves well and who nearly all went home with prizes, but not, no not this time, the Rim Stinger itself. Paul Henderson's policy of aggressively handicapping new (and old) players worked well, and the winner of Rim Stinger 2009 was... Paul Henderson. To be fair, no one saw that one coming, least of all Paul, but a score of 36 was not only the highest winning score to date, but also contained 23 points scored on the back nine alone. A strong performance, challenged all the way by rookie player Vince Holmes, who finished just one point behind after visiting shrubbery and sand on the last. It was just a pity that Paul's victory made yet another speech inevitable.

It was impossible to determine the bag o'shite award this year. James Stewart and Richie Jones just couldn't be separated after two days. 21 points each represented a major quality advance on previous years where low single figures were required to secure the bag o'shite, and even though Richie just required a double bogey five on the last to move ahead and leave the OCC cradling the trophy, he could only send his ball out towards the Penzance-Paddington railway line, and so honours, if that's the right word, were even. It was determined to decide the bag o'shite with an 18 hole play-off the next day. Lowest score "wins" and joins the illustrious names of Dean Lake and Eddie Grant (both never seen since).

Previous, less well-known golf tournaments have featured epic battles in the past of course. You only need to think of the Duel in the Sun, and the War on the Shore. But what Richie and James served up that Sunday morning eclipsed all of those. In what has become known as the "Tiff on the Cliff", and like punch-drunk heavyweights, they traded blows, birdies and for a purple patch of six holes, they were about three over between them. It was gripping viewing for at least the two of them, and without noticing their scores started to mount up and they pulled away from the rest of the field grappling for the money. Although Richie ultimately faded away with 30 points, the OCC, making full use of a double overnight handicap increase, finished with 44 points, ten clear of the field. Words like "thieving", "bandit", and "gipsy" were entirely lost within the general bonhomie and spirit of congratulations at the 19th. The Chairman of the Handicap Committee subsequently put the OCC on notice of a lifetime handicap upper limit of 20.

So Richie won the bag o'shite, ultimately a consequence of a three stroke penalty received for bringing the competition into disrepute when, earlier in the year, he had failed to attend a handicap assessment for a new player offering no explanation or apology. He was asked to address the Rim Stinger in plenary session to apologise for his behaviour. A verdict would then be passed by the group on the appropriate punishment. Richie made a speech that was entertaining and well-received by the group, but which didn't actually contain an apology. Suggested penalties varied from a single stroke plus a shot of vodka to Thomas' suggestion of a lifetime ban from all future Rim Stingers. This idea did gain traction for a while, but in the end a three stroke penalty plus three shots of vodka ("stick in a fourth in case of evaporation") was settled on..