Featured

Non-League stars and journalists gather for Football Writers’ Association golf day sponsored by Vanarama

Our team of writers at The NLP went to Stoke Park to take part in the day’s play

by
The Non-League Football Paper Team
27 September 2017

By Matt Badcock
SCOTT RENDELL swapped his shooting boots for his golf clubs to show the football journalists how it’s done.
The Aldershot Town striker took part in the annual Football Writers’ Association Golf Day, sponsored for the first time by Vanarama, at Stoke Park last Monday.
Rendell’s team also included Leamington midfielder Joe Clarke and Solihull Moors director of football Keith Bertschin.
Bertschin landed the closest to the pin prize as the trio finished fourth overall. The winners featured two familiar names to Non-League football – ex-Wrexham boss Dean Saunders and former Stevenage, Thurrock and Darlington striker Drewe Broughton.
And Rendell was happy with his team’s efforts.
“We all scored really well,” Rendell told The NLP. “I’d been to Stoke Park before but I’d never actually played the course. It’s lovely – the clubhouse is fantastic. Individually, I think I was seven-over-par which isn’t too bad considering I haven’t played there before. Keith won the nearest the pin competition. I was just happy to get on the green! There were a lot of bunkers to get past.

“I play regularly so I didn’t have to be asked twice to play golf – especially on a training day. We were at Gateshead on the Saturday so all us boys who played had the day off.”
That win in the north-east returned Gary Waddock’s Shots to the top of the league.
“It’s well documented the injury list we’ve had so I think that shows the character and quality we’ve got in the side even though we’re so threadbare,” Rendell said. “That can only be a positive thing for when the boys do come back in the coming weeks.
“You don’t want to be chasing anything in this league. A good start was crucial for us. We won the first three games, then had a little blip, but we bounced back well from our defeat to Dover the other week with two good away wins.”