Golf round-up: Castle Point aim for county glory...

The Canvey-based club, the only public golf course to reach the semis, beat Ilford 8-5-6-5 at Orsett, with both sides fielding some very young players, in the one genuinely-close last-eight tie.

Crondon Park, Braintree and Three Rivers were far more comfortable winners, with all four quarter-finals being played at neutral venues.

Castle Point now face Braintree at Three Rivers on Sunday, August 22, for a place in the final of the 74-year-old event. Crondon Park and Three Rivers meet at Theydon Bois.

The morning foursomes of Castle Point's foursomes were played in searing heat, with M Mountney and G Wakefield opening with a 6-4 defeat of Ilford's J Beck and B Parsons.

Wins then alternated for both sides, and the last match was all square until the last hole.

A superb tee-shot from Castle Point's Andy Worthington met the response of a nervy shot into the trees from Ilford, who then played into the opposite rough.

Castle Point's D Marney hit a match-winning second to within six foot of the hole.

It left Castle Point 3-2 up after the morning foursomes.

Ilford hauled themselves level in the match after the first nine holes of the afternoon singles, played in gusty winds. Yet wins by Mountney and Nicki Banks put Castle Point back on top.

Ian Stewart then thrashed Ilford's club championship runner-up Richard Webb 6 and 4.

Worthington, three down after five holes, won 2-1 - only for Ilford to triumph in the next two matches.

However, Gary Loveday clinched Castle Point's victory with a 4 and 2 defeat of Keith Leahy.

Quarter-finals: Birch Grove 3 Crondon Park 12 (at Braintree); Castle Point 8.5 Ilford 6.5 (at Orsett); Chelmsford 4 Braintree 11 (at Crondon Park); Three Rivers 10.5 Orsett 4.5 (at Ilford).

Vice-skipper pipped in salver

Rochford Hundred's closely-fought Centenary Salver saw 12-handicapper Oliver Jefferson edge home on 43 Stableford points.

Vice-captain Dave Turner (5), was a point behind, as was consistent Trevor Brown.

Jefferson birdied the fifth and 16th holes and added nine pars while Turner had five birdies and eight pars, but double-bogeyed the par 5 sixth.

Brown added 12 pars to his two birdies.

Turner, though, won the senior section, with Jefferson taking Intermediate honours and Ron Rowson (42 points) pipping John Sellar on countback in the juniors.

Jackie and Shirley triumph

Rochford Ladies Guest day led to victory for Jackie Waghorn and Shirley Holmes, whose 45 points in the Fourball betterball Stableford competition was two clear.

Second were Wendy Wilcock and Kay Linney (43), ahead of Joyce Copleston and Sue Meddle (41), Janice Hazledine and Eunice De Vries (41), Elean Eley and Betty Austin (41), Chris Fox and Mrs Janice Tapp (41). Next came Barbara Ridgewell (Thorpe Hall skipper) and Viv Simmonds (captain of Boyce Hill) (40) and Joan Parr and Jill Hair (39).

Rochford ladies recent medal saw Silver division victory go to Janine Trenaman (90-19=71) who edged out Rosemarie Gemmell (81-10=71) on countback with Judith Scoging (83-6=77) third.

Bronze winner was Wendy Wilcock (99-26=73) ahead of Pauline Richardson (100-21=79) and Susanne Conil (111-31=80).

Record start earns crown

A record 37 (one over par) on the front nine helped Josie Williams clinch the Langdon Hills Ladies Section Club championship, with Doreen Hall taking the handicap title.

Marjorie Crowley (42 points) won the Summer Meeting on countback from Doreen. Team winners were Julie Champion, Liz Hull and Jackie Bailey.

Jane to lead Garon's club

Seventeen handicapper Jane Bodiam (pictured, front, centre, all in white) is the new ladies captain for the millennium at Southend-based Essex Golf Club.

The thriving ladies' membership at the Garon Park club welcomedJane, a golfer for six years, presenting her with flowers at her drive-in day. Her vice-captain is due to be named shortly.

Show-stealer Dave

A steady back nine took Jason Stringer (5) and Mick Heiser (7) to the Harry Peck foursomes title at Ballards Gore - but David Caton still stole the limelight on the club's 19th birthday.

Caton potted a hole in one at the 12th.

Stringer and Heiser, meanwhile, were notching birdies at the sixth and seventh holes, before an eighth-hole blip undid some of their hard work.

A tidy second half to their round, including an excellent 16th-hole birdie, sealed victory on 38 points.

Ian Brogan (4) and Andy Hall (7) had posted 37, despite dropping three shots on the first four holes.

Yet Colin Langstone (18) and Norman Christensen (14) pipped them for runners-up spot on countback after a good run of pars on the back nine.

Sunshine title bid

Stuart Gogay and Simon Vidgeon - who were the two lowest handicappers in the last eight - face a final showdown in the Sunshine Challenge after convincing victories.

Gogay, from Risebridge Golf Club, and Vidgeon, of Burnham-on-Crouch, are set to meet early this month at a date and venue to be arranged.

Sunshine Challenge Third Round (home players first): Stuart Gogay (8) (Risebridge) beat M Hodnett (18) (Basildon) 3 and 2; David Hull (13) (Hanover) lost to Kim Shead (10) (Ballards Gore) 4 and 3; David Smith (21) (Boyce Hill) lost to Simon Vidgeon (5) (Burnham-on-Crouch) 2 and 1; Simon Stone (16) (Three Rivers) beat Roy Nesbitt (10) (Rochford) 3 and 1.

Semi-finals: Gogay beat Shead 4 and 3; Vidgeon beat Stone 4 and 2.

Ladies in £4,000 aid boost

More than £4,000 was raised on a magnificent and varied charity day held by the North Thamesside Ladies' Auxiliary at Channels Golf Club.

NTLA chairwoman Ann Adams, of Canvey's Windjammer pub, hailed the group's ninth fundraising day as a non-stop success.

She praised organisers from the Half Moon in Rayleigh, the Exhibition pub at Great Wakering, Southend seafront's Hope Hotel and Britannia pub, and the White Horse in Pleshey.

The money raised will go to breast-screening unit The Lady McAdden B.U.S.T., as well as the support and test centre Bosom Pals.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.