Bury St Edmunds retain the Hambro Cup with win over Gorleston

Ufford Park's Tolly winning squad. Picture: CONTRIBUTED (Image: Archant)

It was the fifth time Bury have won this splendid silver trophy (insurance value £16,000). The other occasions were in 1935, 1975, 1996 and 2016.

Team captain Phil Smailes fielded a team of experienced club players together with 15-year-old Max Adams whose handicap is one.

Bury were three holes ahead at lunch when the tie still hung in the balance. Bury surged ahead in the afternoon.

Trevor Titcombe and Dan Smailes were four up on Danny Western and young Jack Butcher in the morning. It was all square in the afternoon.

Gorleston were kept in the match by Ray Thompson and Matthew Alp who were five up in the morning against Craig Nurse and Mike Greener.

Nurse and Greener faced different opponents in the afternoon and beat Daniel Crosby and Chris Duffy by seven.

Steve Duffety and Steve Lankester beat Crosby and Duffy by one in the morning, They ended level with Thompson and Alp in the afternoon.

Gorleston team captain Danny Perring and Bob Richardson, a senior player chosen in place of Josh Manser who is on holiday, found it tough against Roger Nicholson and Adams being four down on the day.

Both teams were well supported by members. Among the Gorleston followers were stars of the past such as John Maddock, Geraint Amos, Kevin Woods and Steve Crosby.

Bury were hoping to complete a double by winning the Tolly Cobbold Cup for players with handicaps between 10 and 18. They were three holes ahead at lunch but then Ufford Park came to life to run out winners by nine holes.

Bury’s Edward Pomeroy, who sunk one glorious putt from the fringe of the green, and Barry Storey were five up at lunch against George Butters and Kai Cattermole in the morning.

Simon Severwright and Luke Giles, two down to Steve Gee and Ben Whittaker in the morning, were six up the afternoon.

Ufford Park made the most of their appearance in the final after Ipswich were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player against them in the semi-final.

Hambro Cup final

Bury St Edmunds beat Gorleston by 11 holes.

At Rookery Park.

Morning foursomes (Bury St Edmunds names first): Trevor Titcombe and Dan Smailes 4 Danny Western and Jack Butcher 0, Craig Nurse and Mike Greener 0 Ray Thompson and Matthew Alp 5, Steve Duffety and Steve Lankester 1 Daniel Crosby and Chris Duffy 0; Roger Nicholson and Max Adams 3 Bob Richardson and Danny Perring 0.

Afternoon: Titcombe and Smailes halved with Western and Butcher; Duffety and Lankester halved with Thompson and Alp; Nurse and Greener 7 Crosby and Duffy 0; Nicholson and Adams 1 Richardson and Perring 0.

Tolly Cobbold Cup final

Ufford Park beat Bury St Edmunds by nine holes.

At Rookery Park.

Morning foursomes (Ufford Park names first): Adam Green and Jack Heaney halved with Paul Ives and Max Whittaker; Steve Neave and Graham Campbell 4 Sean Frost Palmer and Mike Darling 0; George Butters and Kai Cattermole 0 Edward Pomeroy and Barry Storey 5; Simon Severwright and Luke Giles 0 Steve Gee and Ben Whittaker 2.

Afternoon: Green and Heaney 1 Ives and M Whittaker 0; Neave and Campbell 3 Frost-Palmer and Darling 0; Butters and Cattermole 4 Pomeroy and Storey 0; Severwright and Giles 6 Gee and B Whittaker 0.

- Fynn Valley Junior Open saw Jonathan Tait of Playgolf Colchester beat Max Weaver (Bury St Edmunds) for the gross prize. Tait had 80, Weaver 81 on count back from third-placed Reegan Marshall.

The handicap competition for those with handicaps of 28 and under was won by Thomas Clark (Fynn Valley) with 42 points. Henry Meadows (Bury St Edmunds) was runner-up with 40. Ben Hembling (Ipswich) had 36.

Sophie Kubitzek (Bury St Edmunds) beat Charlie Sutcliffe (Fynn Valley) on count back for those with handicaps of 29 or higher. They both had 42 points.

The Cowslip (short course) competition was won by Cian Garvey (Playgolf Colchester) from William Etheridge and Jamie Pennington (both Fynn Valley).

Fynn Valley won the team event.