Bostock Memorial Golf on May 7

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN Kandy Sports Corr

The annual Mark Bostock Memorial Golf Championship 2011 organized by the Victoria Golf and Country Resort and sponsored by John Keells Limited will be worked off at the beautiful Victoria Golf Course at Rajawella off Kandy on May 7 (Saturday) commencing at 7 a.m. May 6 (Friday) will be the practice day for the golfers to get themselves acclimatised to this challenging golf course.

It must be recalled that late Mark Bostock was the founder of this beautiful 18 hole golf course designed for 36 holes. It was in the nineties that late Mark Bostock during one of his visits to the Victoria region which was a mixed planted, struck the idea of having a golf course in this 550-acre coconut plantation on the banks of the Victoria reservoir.

He told himself that this particular area had all the ingredients to make a beautiful golf course and being an ex-planter he wanted to retain all the nature's feature which will make it an unique golf course in sylvan surroundings.

For the record Mark Bostock was a fine cricketer and ruggerite and above all an excellent marksman who started his career as a planter after coming from 'Old Blighty.' He was the owner of Aislaby Group Bandarawela which was the 'show piece' of the plantations with well kept tea fields, vegetable plots, dairy farm and more famous for its flowers, especially roses which were large and sweet smelling. He later became the chairman of the John Keells Limited and took this firm to great heights.

Though a British by birth, Mark Bostock loved Sri Lanka where he grew up and spent most part of its life. His vision in having a golf course in the mid country of Kandy to boost up local and foreign tourism. There was a golf course in Colombo and also in Nuwara Eliya but none in between in the Kandyan region which is a place of tourist attraction with its moderate climatic conditions and scenic beauty.

His vision has come true as the Victoria Golf Course is a major attraction and it is not only the golf tourists but also others visit it for a quiet holiday and live with nature. It has also plenty of accommodation enjoying a very high occupancy rate and is often fully booked.

Golf at Victoria has reached very high standards conducting several major championships in addition to the Monthly Golf Championships. This course was designed by none other than the President of Great Britain's Professional Golfers' Union and world renowned golf architect Donald Steel with the assistance of Martin Ebert and was opened for golfers in 1998 and the first golf championship being the Donald Steel Golf Championship which is conducted every year in February.

Mark Bostock Memorial Trophy will be awarded to the golfer with the Best Nett Score and the defending champion is Kandy Sports Club's South African born Jhann Taylor who is back in the island to defend his title.

The other competitions will be Ken Balendra Trophy for Men's Gross. Tony Witham Trophy for Ladies Gross and there will be also trophies fro winners and runners-up for Nett, Nearest to the Pin, Longest Drive, Ladies Nett.

A full house of local and foreign golfers are expected to turn up for this prestigious golf championship: Entry forms for this championship could be had from Dhanu 94-0777840894, 94-0727840894 or log into golfsrilanka.com. email [email protected].