The Royal Navy golf championships, at Saunton Golf Club on the North Devon coast, proved to be a severe test for all the players.

At the best of times the two Saunton courses present a difficult test, but with gale-force winds and lashing rain, survival was the first objective.

Almost 60 competitors enjoyed relatively calm weather for the first two days.

Then Wednesday dawned with rain and very strong winds, and although the rains went by lunch time, the wind strength increased to produce some of the most difficult conditions many of the players had ever experienced.

Wind remained a significant factor on Thursday, but then came a period of respite, with the final round played on a fine summer’s day.

In the individual event, LMA Scott Gilbert (DMTC Fort Blockhouse) successfully retained his title, five shots ahead of LMEA Adam Hawkins (Sultan).

The first round produced a good number of sub-80 scores, including Gilbert’s 71 (even par) and a 72 by 2002 champion MEM Mike Setterfield (1 Assault Group RM). CPO Fred McEvoy’s 74 was a good effort, but ultimately in vain, as he had to withdraw after Round Three for operational reasons.

Rounds Two and Three were simply a question of hanging on and consolidating – few players other than Gilbert and Hawkins managed to keep their scores in the 70s.

Gilbert went into the final round five shots ahead of Hawkins, with ex-champion Lt Cdr Darryl Whitehead – in his final Navy golf event – eight shots behind and Setterfield a further two behind him.

An excellent final round in perfect conditions saw a two-horse race, with the leading pair scoring a superb 69, and Gilbert thereby maintaining his overnight advantage.

In the team strokeplay event, the Royal Marines fielded a severely weakened side through operational commitments and injuries, and had to be content with third place.

Portsmouth produced a very strong team, and although the Naval Air Command, led by Navy captain Lt Guy Norris (750 NAS), pushed them hard, Portsmouth’s strength eventually won the day.

NAC did manage some success, taking the Inter-Command Matchplay title from the Royals.

Although none of the non-Command team individual entries made the third-round cut, the prize for best performance went to PO Tex Avery (Collingwood).

The non-qualifiers greensomes event was won by Lt Cdr Tom Suddes (RNR Cambria) and LOM Neil Dickinson (Glasgow).

The men found themselves returning to the West Country two weeks later for their annual encounter with the Civil Service at Trevose Golf Club.

The 3.5 to 8.5 defeat, while disappointing, still contained good performances from some of the players, including Adam Hawkins, who continued his form from the Championships to team up with Cpl Fred Lomas (Raleigh) for the only foursomes win.

Hawkins went on to register the only singles win of the afternoon, in the top match.

Halved matches came from Lomas, who staged a stirring recovery from being three down with four holes to play, and CRS Alan Yuill (Collingwood).