EVENTS | REUNIONS | DINNERS | SPORTS | PROFILES
HENRY ELSTON (S17)
© ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Left: The 18th Leaderboard towers over British Open winner Shane Lowry as he putts. Below left: The Leaderboard and the approach to the Green
Keeping score
Last summer, nine Old Carthusians headed to Northern Ireland to man the leaderboards at The Open, proudly continuing a 30-year long tradition. They share their experiences
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ince 1979, pupils and alumni of Charterhouse have been manning and updating the leaderboards at the 18th green at The Open. Last year, nine Old Carthusians made the trip with Sam James (BH10–), David McCombes (BH11–) and Roger
Smeeton (BH78–19), travelling across the water to Northern Ireland to continue this tradition, competing with rivals Cranleigh School who man the opposite board. “The scoreboards were oldfashioned with very little electric assistance,” explains James Hockley
(W17), one of the attending OCs. “We received information via hand-held devices and then we had to replicate the information onto the scoreboards, spelling out the players’ names and scores using individual letter and number cards.” “We were really impressed with the professionalism and attitude of the boys,” commented David McCombes. “This was the School’s first Open in Northern Ireland, which proved a logistical challenge and meant we sent nine boys as opposed to the usual 12–15. The boys maintained the high standard set by generations of Carthusians before them and hopefully they’ll invite us back!” It wasn’t all hard work and no play though, as James explains: “As we were staff at the event we received official kit and staff passes, so rather than stand behind the ropes during our time off, we could cross them and watch the golf unobstructed. Of course, nobody said anything because they presumed that we were supposed to be there. So it was an extra bonus to be able to watch the golf for free.” b F You can read more about the logistics behind the scoring in The New York Times: nyti.ms/2RJr1sv Well done to Will Dewar (D16), Toby Rawlings (S19), Mark Barley (g16), Henry Elston (S17), Robert Elston (G19), James Hockley (W17), Jack Stewart (W17), Oliver Platts (g17) and James Platts (g17).
The Greyhound E 33
