DRUNKEN golfers took a swing at each other when a row broke out over blue gags at their annual bash.

One of the guests at the all-male, £15-a-head do got teed off with Yorkshire comic Gil Morris and started heckling.

Other diners tried to bunker him by shouting him down, but the

fracas later erupted into scuffles in the car park outside the Oxford Centre, where 252 members of the Oxfordshire Foursomes League met for the annual trophy presentation.

League secretary Vincent O'Laughlin has now summoned leading golfers to a meeting tonight to find out exactly what happened.

One insider at the dinner in the Banbury Road conference centre told the Oxford Mail: "One young lad was a bit the worse for wear for drink and started to give the comedian a hard time because he didn't think much of his jokes, which were fairly blue.

"Some of the older players told him to shut up and there was a bit of verbal slanging. The comedian actually asked them to calm down."

One golf professional is understood to have suffered sore ribs - but no permanent handicap - in the midnight bust-up, which happened in the car park at the end of the evening. Mr O'Laughlin will be chairing tonight's meeting at Southfield Golf Club in Oxford. He said: "There are a lot of rumours and accusations flying around.

"We had a very good night with a comedian there and I want to find out exactly what went on.

"If anything did happen, it was just a bit of banter and horseplay."

John Norman, secretary of Chipping Norton Golf Club, added: "A lot of people are talking about this. I don't think any of our players were involved but everyone has a fair amount to drink at this kind of do."

Golfers from 23 clubs across Oxfordshire enjoyed a meal of salmon mousse, mushroom soup and gammon and potatoes, followed by apple crumble and custard.

David Webster, conference and banqueting manager of the Oxford Centre - which is the headquarters of Freemasonry in the city - said the golfers would be welcome back next year.

He said: "I understand there was an argument in the car park afterwards but no police were called and none of my staff were involved."

The Shaw & Company Oxfordshire Foursomes League was formed in 1981 to give local clubs a chance to play competitive matches.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.