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Club History 4

Despite these problems, the golfing activities of Scraptoft were very rarely out of the news and both members and our professionals featured regularly among the winners of the local Alliance Competitions. 1932 was a vintage Alliance year at Scraptoft with Len Browning winning the Alliance Championship with Alfred Goodridge. The professional and

Frank Liddiard the Assistant Professional also taking prizes. A supper was given in their honour at the clubhouse.

Frank Liddiard was at that time the youngest professional golfer in the Midlands and took over from Alfred Goodridge in 1932 to become club professional until 1936.

Due to continuing financial pressures, a General Meeting was finally called at the Grand Hotel in Leicester in 1933. Francis "Frank" W Doleman, a relatively new member and a well known Chartered Accountant in the City, offered his assistance in arranging a moratorium with the creditors. Money to pay the first 50p in the El was raised at the meeting through an offer from the directors to members to purchase additional non- voting 'B' shares.

Together with Mr Arthur Stanilands an insurance inspector, Mr Doleman then saw all creditors and was successful in concluding an arrangement to pay 50p in the El with the remainder on a promissory note. The promissory note stated that the remaining 50% of the debt would be discharged at the end of a ten year period but in fact due to changing financial fortunes, all debts were paid well within the ten year period. Frank Doleman well remembers his visits to the creditors with.

Mr Stanilands who would explain the sorry state of affairs and at the point of putting their proposition forward would cause a tear to fall down his cheek which always seemed to carry the day.

After this setback, the club tried desperately to regain its dignity.

Efforts were made to increase membership and improve the social life of the members. The annual dinner dances of the period were exceptionally well attended and seemed very grand affairs. Vivid descriptions of the ladies' finery were well reported in the local press. 16 1936 it was decided for the first time to run the annual event as a dance at the Palais de Dance. 400 people attended and it was the first time that the Palais had been booked by a single golf club. The local newspaper reported that the highlight of the evening was a "Pardon Me" dance where the only illumination was from Japanese lanterns held by the dancers.

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