EVERGREEN Brian Bishop rolled back the years to complete a remarkable feat during the Droitwich Golf and Country Club seniors’ open.

Club member Bishop, who turns 80 in September and plays off a handicap of 10, finished runner-up in the contest for the Vintage Shield with 38 points.

However, in returning a score of 78, he became only the second winner of the ‘challenge bounty’ — set by former member Jack Rogers, who died in 1976, for the player over 65 who carded a gross total less than their age.

While the Vintage Shield goes each year to the best individual stableford score in the seniors’ open, the bounty had laid unclaimed since 85-year-old John Tyson fired an 84 to secure second place in 1995.

This year, more than 100 competitors from 26 different clubs took part and it was home member Wilf Matthews, a 15-handicapper, who hoisted the shield with a 42-point haul.

The shield was presented to the club by Rogers, a Scotsman who, with his wife Margery, left Glasgow in 1964 to reside locally. They became keen golfers at Droitwich and Rogers made the presentation to honour his late father.

Droitwich seniors’ open results, category ‘A’ (60 to 64 years): 1 Stuart Plested, Ludlow GC, 34 points; 2 Geoff Allen, Droitwich, 33; 3 Jim Ashmore, Droitwich, 32.

Category ‘B’ (65 to 69): 1 Chris Archer, Droitwich, 39; 2 George Nixon, Kings Norton GC, 38 (on count-back); 3; John Bevis, Kings Norton GC, 38.

Category ‘C’ (70-plus): 1 Wilf Matthews, Droitwich, 42; 2 Brian Bishop 38 (on count-back); 3 Michael Gordon, Bewdley Pines, 38.