STEARN TROPHY
Draw & Information
Handicap Index Limits – 8.6 to 19.0
Team Captains Guidance
Stearn
Results Sheet
Stearn Results 2025
Stearn
Rules
2025 Haskell and Stearn Finals @ Diss GC
Haskell Winners 2025 Bury St Edmunds
The Haskell and Stearn Finals were held on October 5th at Diss GC.
Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich contested the Haskell trophy, with Bianca Theeruth & Alice Barlow representing BSE and Vanessa Bell & Sharon Luckman Ipswich.
The first of the autumnal winds made an appearance from the outset which took a while to come to terms with but the players skills shone through and the wind just added to the excitement. The match required one ruling, (thanks to Jeff Deslandes) when a ball met a rabbit hole within a bush otherwise all went smoothly with players enjoying the competitive nature of this trophy played over 36 holes. The match concluded on the 15th with a win of 4&3 for Bianca and Alice of Bury St Edmunds GC.
Stearn Winners 2025 Bramford
The Stearn Final 2025 was a close-run match between Bramford and Woodbridge with all level at lunchtime and everything to play for. The weather held on but autumn was clearly moving in with a brisk wind that hung on through the afternoon. After lunch each team had a win leaving the remaining match a rather nail-biting affair. Coming up the 17thit looked like a play-off was on the cards but Bramford won the hole with the final score of 31/2 – 21/2 finishing with excellent putts from both teams to round off the match.
Many thanks to Jeff Deslandes for his time and refereeing expertise.
The SLGCA would like to thank Diss Golf Club for their continued helpfulness through the day. The catering was perfect with delicious sandwiches at lunchtime and much needed hot baked potatoes with a variety of fillings and salad for supper, rounded off with a choice of cake. Presenting the trophies before supper was highly appreciated by all but particularly those who had to travel further afield.
Sarah Brownie
SLCGA Competition Organiser for the Haskell & Stearn.
General Information
A Match Play Foursomes competition played off ½ the difference of combined handicaps. A team shall consist of a squad of eight players, each player having a handicap index within the range of 8.6 – 19.0 inclusive.
All games shall be decided over 3 x 18 holes am and 3 x 18 holes pm (6 points).
Up to two substitutes may be introduced for the afternoon matches from the squad of eight, which may be a complete pair, provided they have been named on the Match Result Sheet before the morning round commences.
All matches in the rounds up to, and including the Semi-Final, will be played at neutral venues. The neutral venue for each match will be determined to reduce travelling times where possible – venues will be shown in red. The Final will be played at a neutral venue, as arranged by the Organiser.
Trophy History
The Stearn Trophy was presented to the County by Mrs Hilda Stearn, a senior member of Stowmarket Golf Club and President of the County in the mid-eighties. She was a good-natured, enthusiastic and very supportive President who loved the game of golf and was keen to leave the County a legacy of her Presidency. To satisfy her wish, the new Competition was introduced.
It was decided that the format would follow that of the Haskell Trophy, but with a larger team and for a different handicap range that would give the good ‘Club’ golfers somethingn to play for within the County. At the time, the Governing Body was aware that the Clubs might be reluctant to use another day in their calendar to host a further inter-club competition, so it was decided that the Stearn Trophy should play behind the Haskell Trophy on the first Monday of the month. There was some considerable use of ‘the little grey cells’ to work out a system whereby the Stearn team should follow their Haskell team for as long as both remained in their separate competitions and what would happen when that arrangement broke down. However, worked out it was and the arrangement panned out pretty well over the next 25 years or so, until the arrangements for the Haskell were altered which gave the Stearn autonomy.
Hilda Stearn’s Stowmarket club fittingly won the first playing of the Stearn Trophy and has gone on to the most prolific winner of this competition with seven subsequent victories to date. She would have been delighted.
In 2002 her daughter, Hilary Haydon, replaced the original trophy with a beautiful silver bowl.
Julie Latimer-Jones