Northern light

Nov 23 2004 By Trevor Peake, Daily Post

THE Welsh Golfing Union's two major championship events next year are both being held in North Wales with Royal St David's hosting the Open Strokeplay Championship from June 17-19 and Prestatyn staging the Amateur Championship from July 26-30.

Wrexham's Welsh international Tim Dykes finished fifth behind Icelander Heider Brugason in the Open event at Royal Porthcawl back in June and Ryan Thomas from Aberdare was the Amateur champion at Ashburnham.

Prestatyn hosted the Open Strokeplay in 2003 when it was won by Michael Skelton of Middles-borough and the last North Wales winner was 10 years before when

Mike Macara, now professional at Rhos-on-Sea, won the third of his three strokeplay titles at Maesdu.

The last North Wales winner of the Welsh Amateur was Pwllheli's Mark Pilkington in 1998 and he went on to play several seasons on the main European Tour and is currently on the subsidiary Challenge Tour.

The Boys Championship is also being staged in North Wales next year at Abergele from July 20-22.

Lee Lewis from Gower won the championship this year beating Matthew Jones from Pontypridd in the final. Lee Jones from Conwy was the leading qualifieafter two rounds of strokeplay but was beaten by Lewis in the quarter-finals.

The first of the three regular Welsh order of merit 72-hole events staged in North Wales is the Clwyd Trophy at Prestatyn and Wrexham on May 7-8. Winner last year was Ben Westgate of Perranporth with Tim Dykes in third place.

Maesdu and Conwy are the venues for the Aberconwy Trophy taking place next year on June 4-5. Winner last year was Ben Briscoe from Old Colwyn who is on a golf scholarship in America, with Dykes finishing second.

The St David's Golf Cross is being held at Harlech on July 16-17.

FIXTURES

APRIL 2-3: Central Wales Boys (Borth and Aberdovey); 9-10: Duncan Putter (Southerndown); 23-24: Trubshaw Cup (Ashburnham and Tenby). MAY 7-8: Clwyn Open (Prestatyn and Wrexham); 14-15: North Wales Boys Open (Rhuddlan and Abergele); 28-29: Open Youths Championship (Langland Bay). JUNE 4-5: Aberconwy Trophy (Maesdu and Conwy); 7-9: Seniors Championship (Aberdovey); 11-12: County Championships; 17-19: Open Strokeplay (Ryl St David's). JULY 9-10: Tucker Trophy (Whitchurch and Newport); 16-17: St David's Gold Cross (Ryl St David's); 20-22: Boys Championship (Abergele); 26-30: Amateur Championship (Prestatyn). AUGUST 12-14: Welsh Team Championships (Radyr); 19: Welsh Boys (Vale of Glamorgan); 21: Handicap Team Championship (Celtic Manor); 26: Boys Inter Counties (Creigiau). SEPT 1-2: Individual Handicap Championship (Llandrindod Wells); 18: Inter Counties Championship (Borth & Ynyslas). OCT : Junior Inter Club Championship (Builth Wells) date to be announced.

Edwards hits top form to win Pro-Am

PRO NEWS

SIMON EDWARDS, who is now attached to Clays, won the De Vere Winter Pro-Am at Mottram Hall by a stroke.

The Wrexham professional was round in three-under-par 69 to edge Walton Golf Centre's Adrian Ambley into second place with Adrian Hill of Portal third on 71.

Berwyn Lewis from Northop Country Park was in a group on 73 but with his team posted a 14-under-par total of 130 to take the honours in the Pro-Am.

Both the new European Tour and the Challenge Tour schedule begin on Thursday, the main tour in China and the Challenge Tour in Mexico.

Flint's Garry Houston, who regained his card on the main tour when he finished 10th in the Challenge Tour order of merit, failed to get in to the China event, but is hoping for a place in the Hong Kong Open the following week.

Mark Pilkington begins his bid for Challenge Tour glory in Mexico and will be taking part in the Panama Open a week on Thursday and the third of the three events before Christmas in Peru, starting on December 9.

* ALTHOUGH his son Mark failed to regain his place on the main European Tour at the recent Tour School, former Pwllheli professional John Pilkington will have hands on interest in the 2005 season with two of the players he coaches having earned their cards.

Simon Wakefield from Stoke-on-Trent finished second at the school to regain the card he lost by less than £100 when he finished 116th in the final money list at the end of the 2004 season. Simon Hurd from Leeds also won a place on the main tour next year.

Henllys team get into festive spirit

NORTH WALES ALLIANCE

THE North Wales Alliance signed off the autumn season with a Christmas Scramble at Rhyl which was won by the team of Henllys assistant David Gadsby and members Stephen Lindoe, Chris Hetherington and David Williams with a score of 30.

30. Second on 30.5 were Rhos-on-Sea professional Mike Macara and North Wales members Steve Holt, Iain McDonald and Graham Stocks with the host club quartet of Rhyl professional John Stubbs, his dad Alan and Richard Addison and Pete Parry third on 31.1.

The amateur team prize went to Malcolm Edwards, Phil Davies, Juston Kemp and Derek Bowen from Carden Park with a score of 30.7. Kevin McGimpsey, Brian Green, Tony Stevenson and Jim Jones from Hawarden were second on 31.3. The Alliance spring season will start at Conwy on March 2.

CLUB NEWS

MORE than £280 was raised when seniors at CLAYS held a Poppy Day Appeal competition which was won by Bill Hughes with 41 points.

Ian Samuels won a Turkey Trot bogey comp with a score of plus three and Will Jones won a stableford with 39 points, one ahead of Steve Taylor with Arwyn Jones third on 37.

A seniors betterball was won by Ken Lawrence and John Butterwick with 45 points, one ahead of Don Wraight and Larry Birch. The team of Den Murphy, Derek Lyon, Reg Taylor and Colin Williams won a seniors Texas

Scramble. Johnathan Calverley (95-26-69) won a junior medal from Jonathan Owen (86-16-70) and Max Peate (82-9-71), Peate winning the best gross prize.

THE North Wales Ladies Challenge Shield Association, which was formed in 1912 by a handful of clubs, now boasts 52 teams from 34 clubs playing in 10 different divisions. Winners of the Scratch A Division this season were Maesdu with Royal St David's runners-up, and Llangollen won Scratch B Division from Denbigh.

Other winners: Div 1: Ryl St David's; r-up: Baron Hill; Div 2:

Rhuddlan, Abersoch; Div 3: Aberdovey, Prestatyn; Div 4: Padeswood & Buckley, Caernarfon; Div 5: Henllys, Wrexham; Div 6: Clays, Conwy; Div 7: Bala, Bull Bay; Div 8: Nefyn, Betws-y-Coed.

FOUR pairs finished with nett 62s in a betterball medal at BULL BAY , Richard Hughes and D Hart winning from O Griffiths and P Parry.

DAFYDD WILLIAMS bagged 40 points to win a Winter League competition at NEFYN .

TWELVE-HANDICAPPER Andy Davies racked up 46

points to finish seven ahead of his nearest challenger John Price (handicap 10) in a stableford at NORTHOP . The annual match between members and club staff ended in a 9-5 win for the members.

ELLA BICKERTON won the RNLI stableford at PRESTATYN with 35 points and a nine-hole "chicken run" went to Liz Roberts (54-15-39).

CAPTAIN Merddin Roberts and Bleddyn Williams bagged 46 points to win a competition at BARON HILL by three points from Deiniol Roberts and Ben Jones.

THE November medal at BETWS-Y-COED was reduced to 14 holes which 13-handicapper Steve Riley negotiated in 61 strokes for a nett 48 to win by one.

TONY EVANS (80-13-67) won the Armistice Day Trophy at RHOS-ON-SEA by a stroke from Dave Masters (77-9-68).

A GREENSOME stableford at BALA was won with 45 points by T Jones and R C Roberts, one ahead of club captain Dilwyn Morgan and his partner GR Jones.

H Rowlands and N Davies were third on 43.