The inaugural Castle Point, Rochford and Southend Schools Golf Championships, staged at Boyce Hill, proved to be a swinging success.

An Essex Schools Golf Association was set-up by FitzWimarc's Craig Hands when it was discovered that they were the only county without one.

Two succcessful boys from the Boyce event will now be making representative appearances at Aylesbury on June 1.

They are Southend High School for Boys pupils Daniel Nixon and Paul Ring. In future years the event, hastily-arranged this time, will also cater for girls golfers.

Craig Hands praised the co-operation of Boyce's Peter Keeble in staging the competition.

The under-14 competition proved a big success for Rayleigh's FitzWimarc with Jordan Moss taking the gross prize, Rhyce Piper the net award and school collecting the team honours.

In the under-16s, Ring was the gross winner with his Southend High squad collecting the team honours. Gross prize was won by Martin (King John).

Nixon won the under-18 gross award with D Mountney (Furtherwick Park, Canvey) the net winner and Southend again picking up team honours.

Straight down the middle - 13-year-old Adam Moy, from King Edmund School, Rochford, in action at Boyce Hill

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL Meehan hits the Bulls Eye

Basildon's annual Bulls Eye Trophy saw Tim Meehan complete his first club victory.

His net 68 beat Colin Carlile and Keith Etherington on countback and qualifies him for a place in the public courses national championship in which the final goes ahead in Portsmouth later in the year.

Basildon's lady captain Judy Long celebrated her birthday when she won the spring meeting with 35 points while Josie Wilby came in second on 34.

The medal and McMillan Spoon was won by Margaret O'Leary on 33 points on countback from Eileen Morgan.

The ladies bronze team were well beaten by Burstead in the County Shield with only the performance of Josie Wilby avoiding a whitewash.

After five months lay-off with a broken ankle, she limped round the course.

In the first round of the Hawtree Cup, Castle Point triumphed 3.5 - 1.5 over Basildon. Hibbitt makes his Mark at Thorpe

A busy Bank Holiday weekend, capped with good weather, saw two monthly competitions and a special four ball take place at Thorpe Hall.

Monthly Stableford division one winner was Mark Hibbitt (39 points) from Paul Mackenzie (37). Rupert Basset won division two with 39 from Roy Knowles (37).

Division one medal winner on 67 was Ken Blackman. Bruce Turner beat John Andrews on countback for runners-up spot.

The two best scores in division two were Daniel Beverley with a net 69 and Lee Jefford with a net 70. Both are cadets and were cut to 18 and 15 respectively. The winner was Brian Taberer with a net 70 off 15 and Alan Andrews (71) was runner-up.

The Bank Holiday Monday four ball better ball went to Craig Nicholls and Louie Higgon on 46 points from Gary Fuller and David Jones (44). Belfairs

Belfairs held their mixed greensomes Stableford in conjunction with the Douglas Bader Cup with Margaret and Glen Bremerman on top with 35 points. They will play in the area final at Ely City on August 19.

Bob Fagg and Terri Hirons were runners-up on countback from Barry and Alex Meddle. Both pairs had 34 points.

Belfairs emerged triumphant in their bi-annual matches with Southend. The senior took the Roger Foreman Trophy 11-5, while the cadets captured the Martin Foreman Shield 154-144.

Roger Foreman Trophy scores (Belfairs first): Phil Bishop and Jim Breakspear beat Jim Groves and Joe Lamb 3 and 2; Peter Philpot and Roy Mason beat Cyril Elliott and Brian Hull 2 up; Dave Smith and Alan Gribbon lost to Mick Burch and Ron Edwards 4 and 3; Tony Fagg and Eric McMahon halved with Derek Bell and Peter Hilliday; Bob Mace and Bob Clark beat Ray Threadgold and Dave Seymour 2 and 1; Jerry Davenport and Glen Bremerman beat Darren Lee and Stan Ferguson 2 and 1; Bob Fagg and Phil Hance lost to Calvin Williams and Mark Fasey 7 and 6; Alan Halls and Ken Trusler halved with Ian Spooner and Mick Mathews; Hugh Thomas and Alan Berry beat Peter Gregory and Paul Downey 2 and 1; Kevin Buck and Mick Price beat Dave Grimble and Les Aston 5 and 3; Jim Pacey and Gerry Reeves beat Archie Walker and Garry Godfrey 1 up; Andrew and Barry Meddle beat Alex MacDonald and Tony Greenan 1 up; Harry Burke and Harry Smith beat Karl Ramdin and Chris Yeomans 6 and 5; Mick Collins and Mike Wellham beat Kevin Hickin and George Sutton 2 up; Ian Shaw and Peter Deller lost 4 and 2 to Paul Kreyling and Jerry Neoh; Bob Whale and Alan Pace lost 2 down to Barry Sutton and Noel 0'Regan.

In the Martin Foreman Shield scores were as follows (Belfairs first): Chris Sawyer 26, Chris Tayler 39; James Knight 29, Mark Skinner 21; David Harrison 24,James Kreyling 24; Trevor Bremer-man 38, Greg Kiss 26; James Humphreys 37, Richard Skinner 34. Rochford

Rochford Ladies battled for the Silver Division Peter Cup with Judith Scoging (5) on 75 from Janice Hazledine (9) 77 and Sue Proctor (10) 79.

Paul Cup winner in the brronze division was Denise Stone (22) 75 from Pauline Fyvie (19) 79 and June Jennings (27) 91. Bronze Stableford winner on 30 points was Jill Austin. Jay Rumsey (28) was second and Doreen Wildsmith (22) third. James home and dry in Bowl

Boyce Hill's James Parker has won the Essex under-25 competition for the Chigwell Bowl.

Forty years ago the Chigwell Club donated the trophy to be played for over the challenging and compact course situated in the midst of the stockbroker belt at Chigwell.

This year, in the presence of Chigwell captain Lewis Barker, Essex president Clive Inskip presented the trophy to Parker, who triumphed in a sudden-death play-off.

Parker, a product of his club and county junior training schemes, and having represented Essex at all levels, was achieving his first victory in a major event.

After two rounds of gruelling golf, Parker, a two-handicapper, found himself level on 147 with a golfer possibly the youngest ever to get so far in this competition - 16-year-old student Ross Wilson, of Channels.

Parker shot 73 and 74, while Wilson followed his opening 76 with a 71.

For most of the play-off it looked as though young Wilson was going to emerge triumphant. At the first hole, the short par three 10th, he hit the green while Parker fell short at the bottom of the steep slope.

Parker "got out of jail" with a splendid chip, while Wilson three-putted to halve in three.

On the par four 11th, Parker found himself behind a tree in the light rough some 170 yards from the green, while Wilson was in perfect shape on the fairway.

The next two shots determined the winner. Parker, a jeweller by profession, hit a gem of a recovery shot to the edge of the green while Wilson's ball trickled into a greenside bunker and lodged under the fringe.

This left Wilson with one of the hardest shots in golf to play. Parker chipped to the edge of the hole and Wilson took two shots to get out of the bunker.

When asked at which point he thought he might lift the silverware, Parker replied: "At the fifth in the afternoon. I had three-putted from about three feet on the fourth, but got a magniificent birdie on the fifth."

The handicap competition was won by Craig Housden, of Benton Hall, on net 144.

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