Leighton golfers win county title once again
Leighton Buzzard golfers won a titanic battle to become only the second club team to retain a coveted Bedfordshire County championship title (writes Stuart Oliver)
A year after beating John O’Gaunt 4-1for the Bedfordshire Mid-Handicap championship title, Leighton’s five-strong contenders faced local rivals Aspley Guise and Woburn Sands at Luton Hoo and carded a 3-2 victory to become the only the second club to retain the title in the 29 year history of the competition.
Leighton’s John Scott got the ball rolling with an opening three-hole win over Aspley’s Dave Allen.
Team mate Jack Jones gave Leighton a 2-0 lead, beating Corrie Brandon by the same margin before Aspley got onto the score sheet with a victory by Steve Green over Leighton’s Mark Sandham,
But son Alex, conceding shots playing off 7.4 against Aspley’s Tom Hardings, delivered a tip-top performance, winning by five holes to secure an unassailable three-match win, with Leighton President Graham Freer conceding on the last match against Aspley’s Eric Hardton.
Said Leighton Mid-Handicap team Captain Ian Down: “This was a great performance against a strong Aspley Guise team. No club has yet won this competition in three successive years, but if we can carry on playing so well, we are in a great position to change all that next year.”
With a 14-strong squad for the season-long competition including Steve Leng, Connor Littley, Dan Waite, John Latimer, Darran Velentine and Andy Tizzard, Leighton won 16 of their 18 inter-club matches to qualify for the final played at Luton Hoo.
*The results of Leighton’s major club competitions this year have now been finalised.
The Peter Taylor Scratch Cup was won by Club Champion Ed Stephenson who beat Fraser Jamieson in his semi-final.
Mark Sandham beat Jon Dymock on the way to the final of the Plantation Cup where he beat Martin Flynn, while Peter Sheridan and Andy Tizzard teamed up to beat Manny Barker and Ian Woodman for the Rosebery Cup.
The Lucking Cup was won by David Sweetnam who beat Stuart Goodwin for the title abnd the Seniors trophy was won by John Latimer with Chris Ive runner-up.
Matthew Lowe and Josie Sheridan won the Davis Cup, beating Lesley Bednarek and Andy Tizzard in the final, while Alex Sandham won the Groves trophy beating Jamie Thomson in the final.
The Austin Farrell Seniors trophy was won by Neale Proud with Stephen Maddison runner-up, and club captain Stuart Mills won the Henly Cup, with Craig Simmons runner-up.
*Simon Thornton won Leighton’s October Mid-week stableford with 40 points, three clear of runner-up Daniel Hill, with Neil Laming and Andrew Robson heading a chasing pack with 36 points.
*Paul Bishop, Matt Byrne, Julian Heffron and Mike Manning teamed up to win Leighton’s Professional Day competition with 85 points, two clear of four teams each scoring 83 points.
*Colin Ball won Leighton’s September Midweek Medal with a nett 66, two shots clear of Tony Russell while the monthly stableford was won by Richard Diggins who beat Graham Magill, Lee Walsh and Jamie Brodie on countback after all four players carded 41 points.