All hail Hale ladies

10/10/2008

HALE Golf Club ladies’ team made it a magnificent double for Trafford’s nine-hole clubs as they won the MDLGA Bell Cup in emphatic style at Tytherington.

Hale beat Great Lever and Farnworth 6-1, Peover 4-3, Reddish Vale 5-2 and the strong Tytherington team 4-3 to make it to finals day.

With confidence high they eased to a morning 5-2 semi-final win over Wilpshire with wins from Gillian Brogden, Wendy Walsh, Barbara Spark, Irene Kirk and Sally Ann Kurton.

The other semi went to the wire with Birchwood and Bolton Old Links locked at 3-3 with everything resting on the final match between Bolton’s Sue Harrison and Birchwood’s Barbara Booth.

Harrison kept her nerve for a one-hole win to take her team through to meet Hale.

In the final Gillian Brogden set an early marker with a 7/5 win for Hale and Sally Ann Kurton added a 7/6 victory to give their team a flying start.

Corrinne Veitch made it 3-0 with a hard-earned one-hole success and more wins came from Tiffany Fielden (two up), Irene Kirk (5/4) and Barbara Spark (4/3) to seal an emphatic win with Old Links’ sole victory coming from Christine Rostron, by 2/1.

A delighted Hale Lady Captain Win Heath received the trophy, which has now been played for over 100 years, from MDLGA President Frances Sandeman of Tytherington.

As well as being Hale’s first ever win it was also the first time that they had made the final and they are only the fourth nine-hole club to win the trophy. The others are Bowdon, Alderley Edge and Breightmet.

Heath said: "It’s great for a small nine-hole club such as ours to win one of the top team competitions in the region from an original entry of well over 80 clubs.

"We have a very good squad of players who have been working hard on their game and their dedication has paid off with this superb result.

"My only regret is that I had to miss the final, having played in all of the other rounds, with a shoulder injury, but my team did themselves, and their club, proud with a terrific display.

"I would also like to thank all of the ladies on the MDLGA committee who do such a tremendous job in organising their competitions and to Jackie Foy for her excellent running of the Bell Cup."

Sale’s men played for the Millenium Bowl and John Russell was the main man returning +4 to win from John Parkinson (+3).

Another Sale ‘major’ went to junior Graham Horton, who won the Richard Burton Trophy, winning a card play-off on 66 from Andrew Coope with Andrew Southworth and James Bostock both two shots off the pace.

Sale ladies played the final of the Victory Cup for the match-play knock out. Sue Barrett won on the 19th with a 25-foot putt to beat Moira Forster.

The Dunham Forest Bowl was won by A Foster with a neat 66 from Abishekh Ruia (68).

Ashton-on-Mersey’s men played a singles Stableford and Mike Burns was out on his own with 40 points from Roger McCall.

Mersey’s ladies played for Mrs Young’s Prize and it was taken by G Jenner with 37 points from Lynda Brenner (36).

Marple hosted the Manchester Alliance competition for the Glenmuir Cup.

Blackley’s Julian Robinson and Alan Lane saw off last year’s winners, Alan Pengelly and Paul Smethurst of Shrigley Hall, after posting a superb 44 points.

The prize list was completed by Ashton-on-Mersey duo Oliver Pantoja and Mike Darin with 41 points.

n TO get your club and individual results in this report contact Geoff Garnett on 0161 881 7550 or email ggggarnett@aol.com