County captain Flower ready to tee off championship bid

COUNTY captain Ian Flower features in the Glamorgan Mid Amateur County Championship at Swansea Bay today.

Flower is due to be in the last trio to tee off, alongside Swansea Bay's Dean Morris and Mike Thorne of Southerndown.

The host club is represented by Ed Morgan, Martin Ford, Dilwyn Price, Dean Morris and Lyn Mittel, who is better known under his stage name of Owen Money.

Neath are represented by Chris Bailey, Steve Watkins, Rob Arbourne, Herbie Herbert, Ian Protheroe, Mike Horner, Matthew Arbourne and Kerry Jones.

Clyne's Roger Maliphant, Steven Joseph and Peter Rees also take part, as do Leighton Lee and Mike D'Angeli of the Mond Valley club.

Meanwhile, Ashley Collins fired a net 69 to win the final stage of Swansea Bay's Millennium Cup Medal, finishing four ahead of Bill James and Mike Lewis.

Glan Moule won the closely contested Club Stableford with 41 points, beating Steven Allen and Mike Bugden on the back nine.

The Charleston Cup at Mond Valley was the last club final of the season to be decided and it was contested by first-team players Adam Curtin and Huw Jones.

After a close match between the talented duo, young Curtin won the match on the 18th hole.

The annual Team of Three competition was won by a team of past club captains in John Mayo, David Osborne and Peter Power.

They saw off the challenge of Ken Jones, Paul Gardiner and Gordon Johns, with Peter Knight, Mike Tierney and Roger Gordon third.

The Matchplay Finals took place in a busy week at Morriston, with former pro Neil Roderick winning the Club Championship.

The Presidents Cup went the way of Julian Thomas, while Steve Taylor won the Paramount Trophy from runner-up Mike Watts. But Watts did get his hands on silverware when he won the Varley Cup from Jon Hurley.

It was also incredibly busy at Pennard, the weather staying kind as the course staged a successful Open Week where almost 900 people played — 640 of whom were visitors.

Among the winners were Richard Harris, who took the Men's Individual Medal.

And Darren Vincent took the Men's Individual Stableford with a score of 39, edging out both John Ashford and Lee Davey.

Richard Coombes won the Saturday Stableford at Fairwood with 40 points, but there was a close finish in the Sunday medal, with Steve George beating Wayne Evans and John Pennock after all struck net rounds of 70.

Andrew Pugh won the Rhys Rees Cup at Neath from Matthew Arbourne, while the weekly stableford events went the way of Garry Vaughan and Simon Baker.

Glamorgan went down to an 8-7 defeat at the hands of Somerset in a match at Southerndown.

Glamorgan started well when Tim Harry and captain Ian Flower and Ollie Dickson (Clyne) and Chris O'Neill won their foursomes. The Neath duo of Richard Hooper and Craig Melding won their contest 5&4.

But Somerset hit back in the singles as they claimed a couple of narrow victories to edge ahead.

CLYNE : Farr Casket Mixed Foursomes: 1. Peter & Debby Keith-Lucas 67.5, 2. Ian & Caron McColl 68.5.

FAIRWOOD : Saturday Stableford: 1. Richard Coombes 40, 2. Peter Williams 39, 3. David Johnson 37.

Sunday medal: 1. Steve George 70, 2. Wayne Evans 70, 3. John Pennock 70.

MOND VALLEY : Club final Charleston Cup: Adam Curtin bt Huw Jones 1 up.

Team of Three: 1. John Mayo, Dr David Osborne & Peter Power, 2. Ken Jones, Paul Gardiner & Gordon Johns coming second, 3. Peter Knight, Mike Tierney & Roger Gordon.

MORRISTON : Paramount Trophy: 1. Steve Taylor 38, 2. Mike Watts 36.

0-12 — 1. Bob Laugharne 36, 2. John Thomas 36.

Matchplay finals: Club Championship: 1. Neil Roderick, 2. James White.

Presidents Cup: 1. Julian Thomas, 2. Seb Cotton.

Varley Cup: 1. Mike Watts, 2. Jon Hurley.

Rees Bath Villa Cup: 1. Darryl Bray & Tod John, 2. Dan Jones & Mike Thomas.

Lewis Bowl: 1. Colin & Lee Thomas, 2. Eddie & Christian Matthews.

Bowker Bowl: 1. Val & Gerald Sandford, 2. Andrea & Gethin James.

Presidents Trophy (Ladies) 1: Jayne Davies & Nicola Torrington, 2. Maureen Palmer & Justine Williams.

NEATH : Rhys Rees Cup: 1. Andrew Pugh 41, 2. Matthew Arbourne 40, 3. Graham Robinson 39.

Thursday Stableford: Div. 1 — Garry Vaughan 41, 2. Richard Williams 37, 2. Nigel Hill 37.

Div. 2 — 1. Lee Harding 43, 2. Martin Cook 40, 3. Raymond Britton 38.

Sunday Stableford: Div. 1 — 1. Simon Baker 38, 2. Troy Olszewski 38, 3. Stephen Jones 37.

Div. 2 — 1. Terry Sheen 42, 2. Phillip Williams 39, 3. Keri Jones 38.

PENNARD : Vets' Individual Stableford: 1. Peter Haddow 40, 2. Richard Matthews, 3. John F. Mahoney.

Team of Three: 1. Andrew S. Jones, Denys Jones, Gareth Duddridge 77, 2. Alun Mowe, John Gowen, Nathan Brant, 77 points, 3. Michael Cook, Tom Collins, Stuart Cook 77.

Men's Individual Stableford: 1. Darren Vincent 39, 2. John Ashford, 38, 3. Lee Davey 38.

Ladies Team of Three: 1. Helen Davies, Kathryn Terry, Sally Crowley 81, 2. Gill Higgins, Jayne Loft, Liz Sparks 78, 3. Sarah Taylor, Ann Thorburn, Joanne Radcliffe 78.

Men's Fourball Betterball: 1. Steve Roberts & Sam Houston 43, 2. Phil Griffiths & Des Robins 43, 3. Steve Williams & Martin Purvis 42.

Men's Individual Medal & Best Gross: 1. Richard R Harris 64, 2. Stephen Harrison 66, 3. Des Jones 69.

Best Gross: Richard R Harris 70, Tai Yasuda 70, 3. Stephen Harrison 71.

Mixed Greensome Foursomes: 1. David Baxter & Amanda Ransom 43, 2. Des Robins & Hilary Jennings 43, 3. Peter Lowe & Cherry Lowe 42.

SWANSEA BAY : Thursday Stableford 1. N Latif 43, 2. G Watts 40, 3. M Garvey 38.

Millennium Cup 1. A Collins 87-18=69, 2. B James 78-5=73, 3. M Lewis 86-13=73.

Club Stableford 1. G Moule 41, 2. S Allen 41, 3. M Bugden 41.