THE most surprised player in the clubhouse when Club Taree Golf's senior champion was announced was the winner, Craig Allport.
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"(Club captain) Kay Woolcock came over to me and told me I'd won,'' Allport said.
"I didn't think I was chance. It was a very pleasant surprise.''
(The senior championship is for players aged over 50).
However, it was close run thing, Allport getting the decision by a stroke over the early leader, Todd Watkin. who looked to have it wrapped up going into the last round.
"I had a 75 in the last day, Todd had a 79,'' Allport explained.
He was also runner up to Jon Hopkins in the nett event, completing was had been a satisfying championship campaign.
Allport is the Manning River Times-Iguana sport award winner, earning a $50 open order at Iguana.
Allport won the overall club championship in 2019, his best achievement to date, but was away last year so unable to defend his title, eventually won by Matt Walz.
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He was right in the mix this year and featured in the seeded draw of the top eight contenders in the last day, although he was five shots adrift of the leader, Walz and never seriously challenged for the title.
Still, Allport was generally happy with his form over the four rounds. He reasoned that had he been in better touch with the putter he may have gone closer.
Now 57, Allport was a comparatively late starter to the game, having his first game when he was 32.
"Bertie Chapman got me into it when I moved in next door to him,'' Allport explained.
Virtually from the start he was hooked and admits to spending a lot of time on the course. Allport plays every weekend and has a practice hit most mornings for an hour or so.
"There's usually no-one much there (in the morning) and I enjoy it just to get away from work as much as anything else,'' Allport explained.
With his wife Sue, Allport owns Taree-Wingham Produce.
He captained Taree's master pennants team to their three wins this year, although COVID-19 canned the Lower North Coast pennants.
He's hoping things return to something like normal next year so he can get to Newcastle to play in some senior events, as well as contesting the Taree championships.
He plays off three, but has been down as low as one. Allport is confident that he can still challenge for the club championship. At very least he'll be out there trying, he assured.
