Incessant rain failed to dampen spirits or prevent some high scoring in the annual 36-hole Paul Farnsworth Men’s Open at Braintree.

Despite the downpour, Kevin Thomson and Matt Sanders, from Braintree, won the better-ball event with 85 stableford points thanks to a superb 46 points in the afternoon.

However, they only finished a point ahead of John and Stuart Weeks, from Canons Brook, while the Braintree/Canons Brook pairing of Paul Yarwood and Andy Nicholl finished third with 82.

The morning winners on countback were Steven Moreton, from Rayleigh, and Phil Alderton, from Boyce Hill, with 41 points, while Braintree’s Andrew Goldsmith and Bob Turner, from Canons Brook, took the afternoon prize, also with 41.

You’ve got to have hart when playing golf and the Braintree Ladies Centenary Cup certainly had that in the shape of Helen Hart.

Several players set a hot pace with Liz Maynard and Julie Race both returning a superb 42 stableford points, so it looked as if the destination of the trophy would be settled between the pair on countback.

But no-one counted on Hart who destroyed the field with 45 points off a handicap of 26.

Not only did she collect the Cup but she also saw her handicap trimmed by three shots.

More cuts followed the men’s Charity Cup and the Taylor Bowl.

In the former, Philip Hawkes, off 17, came out on top on countback from 21-handicap Tony Miller, both with 41 points.

Colin Pace finished third with 40 points off 26.

The Taylor Bowl, a medal competition, saw Michael Ellis return a nett 62 off 16 handicap, finishing four clear of six-handicap Sean Kelly with Anthony Little third with a net 68 off three.

Little is the current leader of the club’s Order of Merit.

The ladies medal also produced some superb scoring with Valda Curtis and Rosemary Kerr topping the leaderboard with nett 67s, Kerr winning on countback.

Phil Townsend, off seven, won the Braintree Seniors’ Club Championship while Richard Turner finished top in the Over-18 Handicap section.