Defending champions return to Albany for carnival highlight, the Wittenoom Cup and Brenda Wittenoom Plate

Defending champions Doug Backhouse and Mandy Sudlow-Brown will be back in Albany this weekend, hoping to repeat last year’s trophy successes. Backhouse won the Wittenoom Cup and Sudlow-Brown the Brenda Wittenoom Plate over two days of competition at Albany Golf Club in 2025. Both have entered for 2026, with Sudlow-Brown having practised on the links course several times over the past two weeks. Last year the Esperance golfer came from two shots back after the first round to lead the field by three shots at the end of day two, despite losing a ball on the 10th hole during round one. Sudlow-Brown was an Albany resident for 10 year and moved to Perth before heading to Esperance. Backhouse, from Nedlands, was the star of the show in the second round after lying 20th in the 167-strong field after the first. Another former winner expected to be in the field is Noel Sewell, now aged 87, who was champion in 2018 and who still plays off 13. The Wittenoom trophies are the climax to the golf club’s Wittenoom Carnival, which features a full program of handicap events over the preceding week and began last Saturday. Club manager Dan Northcott said conditions over the week had been tricky, with a difficult wind and firm greens. “It’s been busy; the weather has been kind to us, but the conditions have been challenging,” he said. “There has been quite a breeze but the forecast is good for the weekend, so the greens will be firm and fast and, with the wind, it will be a challenge.” Albany golfers have picked up carnival wins, with Tony Jackson pipping Rob Leonard to take the men’s stableford last Saturday and four of the top six finishers in the women’s stableford the same day were Albany clubmates. Irishwoman Sheelagh Le Quesne collected 35 points to win on countback from Albany’s Glenda Waugh and Nedlands’ Roslyn Davies. Anne Pinchen, Rosie Fowler and Helen Ericson, all of Albany, all finished a further point adrift. On Monday, Russ Ferry, of Albany, and Mt Barker’s Dane McGill were runners-up in the two-person Ambrose on Monday with Albany’s Leon Kowalski and Justin Derby third.