Marjorie is an inspiration

ALL SMILES . . . at Marjorie’s lady-captain’s day at Crompton and Royton. From left: Zoe Styles (best back nine), Marjorie Bray, Joyce Adams (runner-up), Andrea Lowe (winner) and Jennifer Kenworthy (best front nine).

GOLF: MARJORIE Bray, one of the true stalwarts of the local women’s golf scene, is currently in her second stint as lady captain at Crompton and Royton – 20 years after her first.

The 74 year old, an Oldham magistrate for 36 years until her retirement four years ago, has just completed her third decade as a member of the High Barn club.

She has won Crompton and Royton’s lady-captain’s prize four times and has landed the majority of the club’s majors.

Marjorie currently plays off 20, having been as low as 13 during her extensive golfing exploits.

But it is for her incredible organisational efforts that Marjorie is best known. A secretary for 25 years, she used her skills to get involved in golf development and was one of the founder members of the Oldham Ladies’ Golf Association 15 years ago. She remains secretary, helping to organise the Chronicle Cup and the Joan Hirst Charity Cup in memory of the association’s former president.

Marjorie was also a member of the Lancashire Ladies’ Golf Association for four years before

joining the senior set-up two years ago. She is responsible for organising competitions under the association’s umbrella in the South-East section of the county.

Attracting youngsters to golf is a major motivation for Marjorie, who has been involved in the development of junior sections at Crompton and Royton and Oldham, where she was a member for four years.

She helped to establish Golfmark for both clubs and remains committed to bringing more people into the sport. To that end, she has helped to organise an open day for women golfers of no or limited experience at Crompton and Royton on August 9. Anyone interested in registering need only ring the club.

Marjorie is married to George, a former civil engineer for Royton Council, and the couple – originally from Northwich – moved to this area a year after they were married.