With Thanks to Elaine Dick (Extract from the Draft History of ELLCGA)
The Handyside and Stiles Trophies
Handyside Trophy – Summer match play
Championship Bowl – Stiles Trophy
In 1924 Sir Patrick Handyside presented a trophy to the new Association of which he was the first President. This Trophy has had a chequered history. It was played for at the Spring Meeting in 1924 when it was awarded for the best scratch score. In the Autumn Meeting that same year it was awarded for the best handicap score. In early 1925 it was decided that the trophy should be awarded to the winner of the County Championship.
The first Championship was held in 1925 at Longniddry. The format was match play with twelve ladies competing. Mrs MT Smith was the first winner. The following year eight ladies competed but in 1927 the format changed with the championship decided by the best scratch score over two rounds in one day at Kilspindie.
In 1933 the then President Sir Harold Stiles presented a new trophy and this has been the Championship trophy ever since although the format has been tweaked several times before settling on the current format of a one round qualifier (the Spring Meeting) followed by the best 16 scratch players playing match play over two days.
The Handyside Trophy was then awarded to the winner of the Summer Meeting then played over two round on the same day. This however did not last and the committee meeting in September 1948 referred to a proposal that the Handyside Trophy be played for again. In 1950 the trophy found its permanent home when it was decided that it should be awarded to the winner of the Hole & Hole competition.
The Cuthbertson Cup
Presented in 1953 for “junior golf” by Mrs Cuthbertson and more fully reported under Junior Golf.
Winter Foursomes
Grahame Cups – Winter Foursomes
In 1960 Miss Violet Grahame donated two small silver cups for an annual foursomes competition.
The Brown Trophies
Brown Quaich – Silver Aggregate (Nett)
Brown Salver – Bronze Aggregate
In 1970 Mrs Jean Brown on demitting office as Captain presented the Association with two trophies for the best two scores in the Spring, Summer and Autumn Meetings in the silver and bronze divisions. In 1987 Mrs Brown presented a replacement Trophy for the Bronze Handicap since the original trophy presented by her was showing signs of wear and tear. The replacement being a salver rather than a cup.
The Haddingtonshire Plaque (The LGU Coronation Medal)
LGU Coronation Medal – Scratch Aggregate
To mark the coronation of George V in 1911 any county with at least 3 affiliated clubs could apply to the LGU for a Coronation Medal. Gullane Ladies Golf Club applied in 1914 for a medal for Haddingtonshire and hosted the first completion. It was played for twice in 1914 before World War I brought an end to most competitive golf.
The Medal passed to ELLCGA at some point and in 1953 it was decided that it should be awarded to the best handicap aggregate over the three County Meetings. There is no record of the winners of this trophy and when it ceased to be awarded if indeed it ever was. In 1971 it was decided that the medal or plaque should be presented to the best silver scratch aggregate in two out of three of the Association Meetings. (Note Haddingtonshire became known as East Lothian in 1921)
The Captain’s and President’s Brooches
In 1974 Mrs Patricia Hay and Mrs JW Dickson presented a gold brooch to be worn by the Captain. In 1991 Mrs Patricia Hay presented a similar brooch to be worn by the President.
Secretary and Treasurer’s Brooches
Having attended a number of centenary lunches during her time as President, Caryl Campbell decided that ELLCGA were rather short of “medals” for its officials and in 2009 donated brooches for the Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer.
Commonwealth Spoons Crystal Glasses
In 1983 a pair of crystal glasses were donated to the Association and it was decided that they would be awarded to the pair winning the Commonwealth Spoons. The name of the donor was not recorded and the glasses have now disappeared. Perhaps a victim of their fragility.
Handicap Quaich
Presented by the Association and played for in 1986 for the first time.
Connie Lugton Prize for best scratch at Spring Meeting
Connie Lugton Prize – Spring Meeting Best Scratch Score
This plaque style trophy was donated in 2004 by Connie Lugton
The Catriona Matthew Team Trophy
The Catriona Matthew Team Trophy
The Catriona Matthew Team Trophy is a team competition that is played for at the Autumn Meeting each year. Honorary member of ELLCGA Catriona Matthew worked with ELLCGA to create the competition. The competition is in recognition of her captaincy of the successful European Team that won the Solheim at Gleneagles.
‘The Catriona Matthew Team Trophy” is played for by teams of ELLCGA members from East Lothian Clubs. The clubs select the teams taking part. Each team will consist of 3 members of the same club, with 2 scores to count.
Junior Trophies
Gill Morrison Quaich
Morrison Quaich – Spring Meeting
The first Junior Championship Competition was held in 1982 and Gill Morrison the then captain presented a Quaich for the Junior Handicap Champion.
The Draper Cup
The Draper Cup – Junior Championship
Also in 1982 Mrs Marjorie Draper, a past captain and then Vice President, presented a silver cup for the winner a junior meeting. The winner would hold the cup for a year and there was a spoon for her to keep. The very first Junior Meeting was held that spring and is more fully reported under Junior Golf.
The Connachan Quaich
The Connachan Quaich – Most improved junior
In 1985 Jane Connachan donated a Quaich as a token of her appreciation for all the help and encouragement she had received from the Association. The Quaich was to be awarded to the winner of a Hole & Hole knock out competition.
Jean Dryden Trophy
Jean Dryden Trophy – Aggregate
Donated in 1999 by the sister of the late Jean Dryden the trophy is awarded to the girl with the best net score in 2 out of the 3 meetings (Spring, Summer and Autumn Meetings)
Other Trophies
The Unwary Fairy
This trophy is played for in the annual match between ELLCGA juniors and Northumberland Juniors. The Trophy was donated by Gill Morrison who arranged the first match in 1990. Gill reports that she sent the girls off to play the match at Dunbar then announced to Marjory Ferguson, who was helping with the match, “We need a trophy!” So at the 11thhour off they went and in the window of a jeweller’s shop in Dunbar was the “Unwary Fairy”, the perfect trophy for the occasion. This seems to have been last played for in 2007 and the fixture was dropped due to difficulty in raising teams.
The Persevere Trophy (re christened The Percy Vere Trophy)
This fun trophy was donated by Mary Lou Renton (now Watkins) in 2005 and is competed for each year in one of the “warm up” team matches between a team from the County squad and the Gullane Seniors. Originally named Persevere since it was thought that was exactly what the ladies would have to do to win the trophy. When they won the following year the trophy was renamed by a corruption of the spelling to form two names one male one female. This trophy was misplaced by the Captain of Gullane GC in 2014/5 and a replacement was donated by Robert Dick. (the guilty party!). Percy however was later found hiding in a cupboard and should have been on the table at the post match supper in 2017. Unfortunately he had gone AWOL again but was later found.
Note – Until the prize fund was established in 1975 prizes for the various competitions were donated in kind by members and their families. After the prize fund was set up a member of the committee was instructed to buy the prizes each year. In 1979 a suggestion that vouchers be awarded instead was vetoed by the committee and it was not until 1983 that the then committee took the decision to award vouchers and seek retrospective agreement at the AGM.
