Sullied Skeggs sees off seagulls to seal Minches win

David Hartley of Hastings Adventure Golf presents the trophy

 A DOUBLE defecation failed to knock Richard Skeggs off his stride as he won the May Minches in Hastings.

Gentle Touch was targeted by the town’s seagulls twice in a day in the run up to the contest but recovered to take the trophy 3-0.

The first soiling took place in the morning as Skeggs walked to the seaside course after enjoying breakfast at Wetherspoons.

He said: “When it hit, I thought either some urchin had thrown something at me or a bird had pooed on me from a great height. It turned out to be the latter.”

Skeggs forced Oliver Florence to wipe clean his hair at a nearby public toilet, but less than a few hours later he was struck again, causing him to return to his hotel room for a more thorough cleansing.

On the course however Skeggs kept a clear head to take the two rounds needed to retain the title he won in Worthing in March.

Cleaning off the bird poo

Florence and Skeggs were in Hastings to compete in the inaugural World Adventure Golf Masters on the newly-opened pirate golf course.

In a tournament won by Martin Stöckle of Germany, Skeggs finished in 21st while Florence came in 28th – ahead of veteran Austrian Peter Schallek and Alex Pragnell, who played throughout with no rubber on his putter.

The pair are now preparing for the eagerly anticipated trip to Norfolk for the English Open at Wroxham Barns.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Florence is considering quitting blogging to concentrate on his game and the quest to break in to the top 20 of the BMGA order of merit.

Florence was unavailable for comment.