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Trent Tramps – Virtual Golf Day 2020 for the Pete Mote Memorial Trophy

7 December 2020

Sent to us by John Kornjaca:

Members of the early 1980s Trent Polytechnic Rugby Union Football Club, aka the Trent Tramps, continued with their annual reunion in spite of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

This year the annual golf extravaganza was planned to be held at Wollaton Park Golf Club in early October but, due to restrictions and guidelines, sensibly the golf day went digital and virtual, with players encouraged to play at their home golf clubs instead on Friday 2 October.

Some 22 ex-Poly lads were planning on meeting in Nottingham for the golf and dinner to follow – a great effort for the lads who had initially met one another close to 40 years ago.

Whilst a 4-ball managed to get out in the rain at Wollaton Park, others played at courses around the UK with competitors playing in London, Suffolk, Sheffield and East Yorkshire.

Ex-Nottingham RFC centre Gary Hartley, rather ambitiously, took on the championship course at Royal Portrush!

Players were required to submit their scorecards as soon as possible after finishing.

A great day was had, and the day of golf ended with a video call where the presentations were made and a toast to absent friends was held.

This year’s winner of the Pete Mote Memorial Trophy and the champion golfer for 2020 is ex-London Scottish fly half – Ant Mitchell - who scored 32 points in dreadfully wet conditions. Former Met. Police full back Simon Welch finished as runner up (31 points) whilst Hartley finished third (also 31 points) on countback.

At the other end of the scoring, David O’Donoghue (BEd Physical Education) secured the Mark Adams Trophy for the ‘most golf played’ whilst the backs overcame the forwards for the first time, to secure the Brylcreem Cup for the best team performance.

Peter Mote (BA Creative Art 1981) was a member of the Trent Polytechnic Rugby Club where he played open-side flanker. After graduating, he left to work and play down under in NZ. Sadly, in November 1995, 25 years ago, aged just 33 years, Pete died from a massive heart attack.

Mark Adams (BSc Accounting 1980) was a particularly handsome lad and a talented winger. He died on Vancouver Island, Canada in 2007 aged 44 years leaving behind a wife and two children.

The Tramps will be getting together for their annual golf day once again in the early summer of 2021 - it is hoped.

 

Images top to bottom:

Socially distanced in the rain! l-r: Ant Mitchell (BA Creative Arts), Alex Capstick (BA - MES), Dave Donoghue (BEd – PE).

John Kornjaca (BEd PE) prepares for his round of golf.

Mike Hancock (BSc Sports Science) battling the elements.

Pete Mote (1962-1995).