GOLF by Neal Manning: A SUFFOLK club has come up trumps by winning a national competition. Last week at Hawkstone Park, the home of Sandy Lyle, Ufford Park won the Masterclass Seniors Plate.

A SUFFOLK club has come up trumps by winning a national competition.

Last week at Hawkstone Park, the home of Sandy Lyle, Ufford Park won the Masterclass Seniors Plate.

"We're quite pleased with ourselves," said captain Brian Websdell, after this triumph in a competition in which the format up to the final was singles matchplay playing off threequarters of the handicap, but in the 36-hole final, played over two days, it was played as a Stableford with all scores counting.

Ufford Park were impressive winners and their team of Brian, handicap 14, Jim Hewett (12), Brian Clarke (15) and Bob Denton (17) averaged 33 points per player on each of the two days.

The other two members of the six-strong squad were Graham Watkinson, who was on holiday in America, and Dave Edmonds who had a prior engagement.

It is the fourth year that Ufford has entered the Masterclass Seniors Club Classic, and it is the first time they have got beyond either the first round of the main competition or the Plate.

Ufford are only one of two clubs from Suffolk that enter this prestigious competition, and so far it means they have played Stoke-by-Nayland in the first round every year.

Having been knocked out in the first round by Stoke, they went into the Plate competition, and won four matches to reach the final where they were decisive winners against Whitley Bay and Llantristant & Pontyclun Golf Clubs.

The qualification for this seniors competition is aged over 55 and a handicap of 18 or below.

There was an entry of 400 clubs from all over the UK, and it is a feather is the cap for Ufford Park that have gone all the way and come home with a trophy.

In the first round of the Plate Ufford beat Hainault Forest 3-1 and then Roehampton 31/2-1/2, Windlesham from London 3-1 and in the semi-final used their home advantage to good effect by winning 4-0 against Romsey from Hampshire.

In last week's final the Ufford Park quartet amassed a total of 263 Stableford points - 131 on the first day and 132 on the second against Whitley Bay's 242 and Llantristant & Pontyclun's 234.

Now if any other Suffolk club wants to enter the Mastercard Seniors Club Classic next year, they should get in touch with the organiser, Peter Smith, at 22 Castello Drive, Castle Bromwich, B36 9TB or ring him on 0121-747-3912.