How It All Started
Morpeth - League Champions 2006
Harry Cone captained the Morpeth Team to League glory in 2006. The photographs here show Harry with his victorious team & receiving the League trophy from Angus MacEachen, League Chairman in 1996-98.
With his proven team building abilities, it was no surprise that Harry felt so passionately about maintaining the friendships he had built up with Captains from the other League Clubs.
His first step was to invite those Captains for a game of golf & dinner at Morpeth golf club in September 2006. The event clearly established there was a desire to maintain relationships between the Captains.
Then, at the League's AGM in December, Harry formally proposed that a Society should be formed. The League itself felt that it wasn't really their business & so Harry & Richard Hannam (Prudhoe) worked together to put the Society on a firmer footing.
One of the first decisions was that the Captain who won the competition would host the event the following year. Terry Irving from Newcastle United was the inaugural winner & hosted the 2007 event.
With Terry winning again, we made another decision that, should a Captain win two years (or more) in succession, the hosting would be offered to any of the other Clubs. Especially since, so far anyway, host Clubs have been good enough to give the Society course courtesy. As the years have passed, this arrangement has become even more flexible.
As a result of Terry's successful defence of his title, Tony Hunter very kindly offered to host the 2008 event. At the same time, Richard offered to provide all the administration support such as maintaining & developing the Society's Constitution, Captains' contact details & assisting host Captains when needed. For further details about the Constitution click here.
Also in 2007, Harry generously donated the Harry Cone Shield so that we now all have a lovely trophy to compete for every year. At the same time, we established that our annual get together would be at a date convenient to the host course, ideally in early September with the date set well in advance. That way, everyone can plan their diaries.
We must all remember that friendship is the Society's foundation stone. The game of golf involved forms only a part of it. Not all of the Captains are able to play each year but it's equally important that they try & attend the Dinner.
At the start of 2010, to help the promote the spirit of the Society still further, Hon Sec Richard developed this web site. He continues to do so although Harry took on the remainder of the Hon Sec's duties in 2013.
The website is important so that, as the Society becomes older, there will always be a readily available public record of the Society's development. This is valuable, not only to the Society's own Captains, but also as an inspirational reference for all other Captains, past present & future, who may wish to form their own Societies.
The very best way we can thank Harry for making it all happen is for as many Captains to attend each year's event. After all, since 2006, we've already lost two Captains - Jeff Martin in 2012 & Peter May in 2014. Surely, the sad loss of two of our friends already is the best reason for us all to try & get together every year.
With his proven team building abilities, it was no surprise that Harry felt so passionately about maintaining the friendships he had built up with Captains from the other League Clubs.
His first step was to invite those Captains for a game of golf & dinner at Morpeth golf club in September 2006. The event clearly established there was a desire to maintain relationships between the Captains.
Then, at the League's AGM in December, Harry formally proposed that a Society should be formed. The League itself felt that it wasn't really their business & so Harry & Richard Hannam (Prudhoe) worked together to put the Society on a firmer footing.
One of the first decisions was that the Captain who won the competition would host the event the following year. Terry Irving from Newcastle United was the inaugural winner & hosted the 2007 event.
With Terry winning again, we made another decision that, should a Captain win two years (or more) in succession, the hosting would be offered to any of the other Clubs. Especially since, so far anyway, host Clubs have been good enough to give the Society course courtesy. As the years have passed, this arrangement has become even more flexible.
As a result of Terry's successful defence of his title, Tony Hunter very kindly offered to host the 2008 event. At the same time, Richard offered to provide all the administration support such as maintaining & developing the Society's Constitution, Captains' contact details & assisting host Captains when needed. For further details about the Constitution click here.
Also in 2007, Harry generously donated the Harry Cone Shield so that we now all have a lovely trophy to compete for every year. At the same time, we established that our annual get together would be at a date convenient to the host course, ideally in early September with the date set well in advance. That way, everyone can plan their diaries.
We must all remember that friendship is the Society's foundation stone. The game of golf involved forms only a part of it. Not all of the Captains are able to play each year but it's equally important that they try & attend the Dinner.
At the start of 2010, to help the promote the spirit of the Society still further, Hon Sec Richard developed this web site. He continues to do so although Harry took on the remainder of the Hon Sec's duties in 2013.
The website is important so that, as the Society becomes older, there will always be a readily available public record of the Society's development. This is valuable, not only to the Society's own Captains, but also as an inspirational reference for all other Captains, past present & future, who may wish to form their own Societies.
The very best way we can thank Harry for making it all happen is for as many Captains to attend each year's event. After all, since 2006, we've already lost two Captains - Jeff Martin in 2012 & Peter May in 2014. Surely, the sad loss of two of our friends already is the best reason for us all to try & get together every year.