Gwent clubs one win away from team finals day

A CLUTCH clutch of Gwent golf clubs are just one tantalising step away from reaching the finals of the Welsh Team Championships at Newport this summer.

The hosts, smarting after defeat to Neath in last year’s final, will have home advantage this time around as they bid to regain the title they won back in 2010.

First, Newport and holders Neath, both automatically through to the finals which run from August 17-19, have to wait and see who joins them in the last 32 of the knockout competition.

No fewer than 14 spots are up for grabs in Group C of qualifying and it’s there where the remaining Gwent clubs face-off in the second and last preliminary round for the honour of making the trip to Newport this summer.

Alice Springs and Raglan Parc booked their places in the final preliminary round with 3-2 and 4-1 wins over Monmouth and Bargoed respectively, however, West Monmouthshire bowed out with a comprehensive defeat to the Vale of Glamorgan.

Raglan Parc reached the quarter-finals 12 months ago before losing to Newport and now face Maesteg at Bryn Meadows while Alice Springs have a stern test in the shape of 2009 runners-up Whitchurch, who also made the semi-finals last year.

Those two lock horns at Pontnewydd, who in turn meet Merthyr Tydfil club Morlais Castle at Caerphilly. Monmouthshire, Bryn Meadows and Parc were all knocked out by Swansea’s Langland Bay in 2011 but are back again in the hope of laying those ghosts to rest.

While Parc and Bryn Meadows slug it out at Radyr, Monmouthshire tackle Dewstow at Tredegar Park. Peterstone Lakes hosts the games between Llanwern and Glamorganshire and Greenmeadow and Caerphilly with Brynhill the venue for Celtic Manor’s encounter against Pyle & Kenfig.

There wasn’t such good news for Alice Springs in the Victory Shield as they slipped to a 4&3 reverse against Newport whose reward is a third-round tie with Dewstow. Pontnewydd needed two extra holes to see off Monmouthshire and they play Aberdare next.

St Pierre’s Richard Bentham tied for seventh at the Welsh Open Strokeplay Championship, but it could have been a much higher finish had he not shot a final round 76 at Prestatyn.

Champion Craig Hinton was never going to be caught after firing 67 on the last day to finish seven-under-par, seven strokes clear of Kiwi Vaughan McCall.

But following rounds of 70 and 72 to make the halfway cut with ease, Bentham could do no better than four-over-par by the end of the tournament. Former North Wales champion Luke Jackson, now attached to Misterton in Nottinghamshire, shared seventh place with Bentham.

Five players, including Newport’s Joe Vickery, tied for 14^th on 10-over-par, the Gwent man carding two rounds of 74 and two of 75. Meanwhile, Oliver Mottram, also of St Pierre, and Celtic Manor duo Ryan Haskell and Mitchell Reid all missed the cut in North Wales.

There are a number of competitions coming up for the region’s young stars to look forward to, starting with the Welsh Open Youths’ Championship at Bull Bay on Anglesey this Saturday and Sunday.

Haskell, Reid and Mottram are joined by Celtic Manor’s Joshua Davies and Daniel King of Newport for the 72-hole tournament while next Wednesday, Newport Links in Pembrokeshire hosts the South Wales Boys’ Under-15s and Under-13s Championships.

Edward Price, Scott Mayo (both Newport), Laurence Vargas, Benedict Tindall (both St Pierre), Lewis Jones (Monmouthshire) and Ben Blakesley (Celtic Manor) are involved and on the same day Llanwern is the location for the Monmouthshire Girls’ Championship.

The next Gwent Boys’ Division 2 meeting is held at Pontnewydd on Sunday while Gwent Under-18s face rivals Glamorgan at Raglan Parc a week yesterday.

St Pierre’s Angharad Evans had to make do with fourth place in the silver division of the South Wales Girls’ Spring Cups at Pontardawe, but Dewstow’s Rhian Morgan triumphed in the bronze division with a total of 42 points, seven clear of second place. Another St Pierre youngster, Eleanor Willis, won the Under-12s event by an amazing margin of 13 points.

On the club scene, Matthew Trigg’s 36-hole gross score of 148 just gave him the edge in the Tredegar & Rhymney club championship qualifier. Alun Davies was second and there was a tie for third between Leon Hillman and Darren Sullivan (151).

The other four qualifiers for the September strokeplay event are last year’s champion Alan R Jones, Chris James, Stefan Zdzieblo and Glyn Jones.

A nine-hole net score of 34 gave Andrew Thomas the Albert Morgan & Gerald Hancock Cup at the club’s Cock of the North home day while Gerwyn Frowen’s 41 points sealed the Idris Andrews Shield.

Mark Cross registered 35 points to claim the stableford competition at Tredegar & Rhymney’s Cock of the North away day, which took place at Forest Hills Golf Club. A net 66 saw Adrian Jackson lift the Seniors Cup with Roy Morgan five back in second.

The Wayfarers lost 4-1 at Peterstone Lakes with only Dale Middleton and Roy Jones the only pair to win their match. Jessica Baynham has been in fine form at Pontypool recently, beating Cynthia Blamire to first place in both the Sunday Medal and Irene Strong Medal with two net scores of 71.

Over at Wernddu, Carl Warren clinched the Shackleton Cup with a net 65 and Phillip Melville triumphed in the Summer League with 40 points.

Results

Monmouth

May Medal; (div one) 1. D. Brown net 65, 2. P. Bennett 67, 3. S. Arthur 67, (div two) 1. D. Seymour 62, 2. L. Lane 69, 3. P. Trueman 69

Pontypool

Welsh Individual Handicap Qualifier (Medal); (0-12 Hcp) 1. G. Davies net 69, 2. R. Davies 70, 3. C. Morgan 71, (13-18 Hcp) 1. M. Rogers 68, 2. M. Williams 70, 3. A. Price 70, (19-28 Hcp) 1. R. Charles 65, 2. C. Price 67, 3. G. Smith 67

Ladies Irene Strong & Extra Medal; 1. J. Baynham net 71, 2. C. Blamire 75

Ladies Sunday Medal; 1. J. Baynham net 71, 2. C. Blamire 78

Tredegar & Rhymney

Club Championship Qualifier (Scratch Medal); 1. M. Trigg gross 148, 2. A. Davies 149, 3. L. Hillman, D. Sullivan 151

Albert Morgan & Gerald Hancock Cup (9-Hole Medal); 1. A. Thomas net 34, 2. N. Aplin 34, 3. S. Davies, G. Owen 35.5

Idris Andrews Shield (Stableford); 1. G. Frowen 41pts, 2. S. Davies 39, 3. A. Thomas 36

Cock of the North Away Day Stableford; 1. M. Cross 35pts, 2. W. Price 33, M. Trigg, A. Thomas 33

Seniors Cup (Medal); 1. A. Jackson net 66, 2. R. Morgan 71, 3. S. Philpotts 73

Wernddu

Shackleton Cup; 1. C. Warren net 65, 2. N. Howells 67, 3. B. Turner 68

Summer League; 1. P. Melville 40pts, 2. T. Hinc 39, 3. J. Kelly 38