By DAVID COULTER

Published at 09:10, Monday, 23 July 2012

IT was all to play for in the ladies’ section at Hexham Golf Club with four trophies up for grabs in a busy championship week.

The Joan Swan Trophy goes to the player with the best nett score from two rounds, and scores of 74 and 72 saw the award go to Val Pesarra by eight clear strokes. Sarah Longstaff was runner-up with a total of 154 for the two rounds and Sue Crawford was third with 155.

Eight players with the best gross scores progressed to the knock out for the ladies’ championship – The Challenge Bowl – culminating in the final between Sarah Longstaff and Val Pesarra.

The final was a close match with Sarah notching up birdies on the fifth and sixth, and Val countering with birdies on the fourth and 11th. The match finished on the 17th hole when Sarah got par and Val could only make a bogey, meaning the match went to Sarah (2 up).

The Bronze Salver, awarded to the lady with the lowest gross score in the first round of the Bronze Shield, was won by Paula Forster with a gross score of 108. This was on count back from Pat Borthwick. The eight ladies with the lowest gross scores then play a knockout competition.

Paula Forster and Pat Borthwick played out a very close match for the first nine holes, before Pat (3 up) hit a winning streak and finally took the match on the 16th green.

The July Monthly Medal, meanwhile, was played at the same time, with Val Pessara (79-7-72) winning the Silver Division. June Lomax (85-10-75) was runner-up.

The Bronze Division was won by Mary Williams (102-22-80), ahead of Elinor Hinds (109-28-81). In the Silver Vase and Bonbon Dish, Viv Younger (+2) won the Silver Division, with Sue Shaw-Toomey (+1) runner-up. The Bronze Division was won by Jean Thompson (+2), from Lesley Tallant (0).

Joyce Whitfield (38 points) won the McIntyre Trophy, with Mary Williams (37) close behind in second.

The pairing of E. Bell and A. Roberts lifted the Senior Men’s Open at Tynedale Golf Club as their 47 points saw them finish ahead of the chasing pack.

Second placed P. Brown and N. Nichols (44) needed countback to be split from third placed E. Handy and R. Robinson. K. Mewse and D. Strangeways recorded the best gross of 69.

Mary Tully, Anne Spence and Edna Robson swung their way to glory in the ladies’ open, their score of 66 seeing them finish ahead of Janet Joyce, Jean Thompson and Sue Crawford (64).

Jane Harrison, Sandra Gradwell and Fran Philipson (59) were third, while Anne Scott made the longest drive and Laura Johnson recorded the nearest to the pin.

At Allendale, the first of the junior opens in the inaugural March2Matfen series saw some impressive scoring on a tricky course for first-time visitors.

This was not least by Ponteland players, Patrick Alsop (39 points) winning the boys’ event and Katie Thirlwell (36) the girls’.

Meanwhile, the club’s nine-hole junior medal was won by Elliott Fairless with a nett 27.

A busy weekend saw the ladies’ championship retained by Fran Philipson, whose 94 prevailed by nine strokes from Debbie Carter, while the first round of the men’s championship resulted in Richie Rutherford (69) taking a nine stroke lead.

The 36-hole gross Stocksfield Salver was won by Ben Lee with 72+74=146, while the 36-hole net Jubilee Cup was won by Adam Thompson jnr with 62+70=132.

Simon Martin (68-6-62) won the July Tankard and the Vets Trophy belonged to John Soppitt (85-19-66).

The president’s day, mixed competition, was won by Geoff Robson and Muriel DeVere with 36 points, followed by Peter and Jo Blackburn with 35 and Roger and Wendy Jones with 34 after countback.

The lady nearest the pin was Paula Williamson, while Chris Hartley was closest gent.

The quarter-finals for the 36-hole Club Championship are as follows: Ben Lee v Richie Armstrong; Kevin Honeybell v Martin Wilkinson; Steve Cram v Graham Simpson; Steve Relph v Simon Martin.

Tom House, with 43 points, won Haltwhistle’s Clint Banks Open Classic, with Steven Batey (41) second and David Nicholson (40) third.

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk