All a blur for junior champ Gavin
Samuels retains title by five point margin
Blurred vision failed to stop Gavin Samuels retaining Leighton Buzzard Golf Club's Junior Championship title by a five-point margin.
The 17-year-old scratch golfer, with his sights set on a career in the sport in which he's won a bucket full of titles, hit a first round 67 to become the walkaway leader at the halfway stage.
But the ex-Cedars student, who won the Bedfordshire County Under 18 title a week earlier, experienced double vision and double bogeys in a second round which ended with his highest competitive score for years – a 78.
Despite leaking 11 shots on his opening round score, Gavin's two-round total of 145 was five better than runner-up Matt Hill, who had rounds of 74 and 76, with Matthew Tizzard finishing third with rounds of 74 and 78. Paul Watmough was fourth with 155, followed by Tom Clarke with 159 and Jamie Stone with 165.
Said Gavin after his win: "I don't know what happened. I just couldn't see the ball clearly in the second round and it told in the score."
The handicap trophy was won by Oliver McManus, the 13-year-old Bedford Modern student making the most of his 28 handicap by returning nett scores of 66 and 60 – a 126 total which gave him a four-shot winning margin over Sam Budgen, with Alex Steeds third with 131 and Tom Clarke with 133 and Paul Watmough with 135.
First round prize winners were (nett) 1 John Rowles, 66; 2 Jack Smith, 56; (gross) 1 Paul Watmough, 78; 2 Lizi Sweetnam, 81; second round: (nett) 1 Alex Steed, 63; 2 Nathan Day, 69; (gross) 1 Tom Clarke, 77; 2 Michael Conybeare, 82.
Eleanor Tizzard topped the table for the girls, with a 158 total, while a nine-hole stableford competition was won by Greg O'Hara, with Liam Edwards taking the runners-up spot a shot in arrears.
Leighton's Lizi Sweetnam had a sweet 'n' sour experience in the Midlands Girls Team Championship at Sandwell Park, Staffordshire.
The sweet taste of success came when she teamed up with Katy Burman and Molly Thorne to retain the Bridget Jackson Salver Team Championship with a 298 point total, with Bedfordshire also winning the Beryl Turner Plate for the best nett score.
Lizi started strongly with three birdies in the opening nine holes and finished with an eagle and two birdies in the closing nine.
The 17th proved to be her achilles heel, the five shots she dropped on that hole costing her three prizes on countback….the best nett for 36 holes and the prizes for best nett and best gross second round scores.
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
