Leighton Buzzard Golf Club host schools regional final

Leighton Buzzard golf club staged the South East England Schools’ championship on Friday – with local talent topping the table on a rain-soaked day.

Club Captain Simon Rossiter is pictured with the Boys champion, Milton Keynes based Arnie Arkanath, and the Girls Championship winner Roisin Scanlon who both play off handicaps of just one.

Both players are Bedfordshire County juniors, but Arnie, 18, who is a member of the Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands club and plays for Buckinghamshire, carded an impressive 68, a shot clear of runner-up George Wright representing Hertfordshire.

Roisin, 13, who plays her club golf at Bedfordshire Golf Club, completed her round in a trophy winning 72 shots, three clear of Olivia Lee (Bucks)

Fifty-six golfers from seven counties took part, with Norfolk girls winning the team championship and Essex beating the Bedfordshire boys on countback after both teams tied with 220. The winners will now represent the South East region in the national Schools championships to be held at Belton Park, Lincs, on June 28.

CLUB NEWS

Kitchen store boss Tim Martin credited his playing partners after carding a handicap busting 47 points to win Leighton Buzzard golf club’s 50th Anniversary Trophy.

“They slowed me down and focused on the game,” said Tim, 65 after his first major silverware win since joining the Plantation Road club from Mentmore six years ago.

Tim, a 26-handicapper playing with club colleagues Roger Hughes and Chris Figg, started his round with a par and by the turn, had carded 24 points. There was a blip on the 15th which cost him points, but he finished the tough final three holes in style to top the table five shots clear of runner-up George Elford, with Jon Woolford finishing third with 39pts.

Other leading scores were: 38pts – Paul Dowdeswell, Derek Ellam; 37pts – Nigel Chapman, Raymond Stewart, Steven Molyneaux, Lee Newman.

Former club champion Paul Atkinson carded 40 points playing off a handicap of five to win Leighton’s 75th Anniversary Trophy. He beat Daniel Latimer by a shot, with former club and junior champion Ed Stephenson beating Richard Harris, Paul Whiteman and Peter Morgan on countback for third place after all finished with 38 points.

Other leading scores were: 37pts – Mark Sandham, Steve Richardson, Lewis Scott, Graham Magill; 36pts – David Banwell, Christian Lester, Richard Samuels, Alex Gowen, Voja Savic, Jason Brooks, Joe Brinded, Jack Jones and Jamie Thomson.