GOLF: Lawrence Dodd of Bury St Edmunds yesterday became Suffolk Amateur champion for the third year in succession. He won on his home course in 2000, at Ipswich last year and yesterday completed his hat-trick at Aldeburgh.

GOLF

LAWRENCE Dodd of Bury St Edmunds yesterday became Suffolk Amateur champion for the third year in succession. He won on his home course in 2000, at Ipswich last year and yesterday completed his hat-trick at Aldeburgh.

He equalled a record of three successive wins set by David Whinney of Ipswich between 1967 and 1969.

Dodd came closest to conquering the difficult conditions. There was a tricky breeze and long rough, so steady play was required for anyone hoping to record a respectable score.

Dodd was six over par at lunch with a round of 74 which was three shots off the pace set by Jamie Philpot of Aldeburgh Artisans. Philpot, once an assistant at Aldeburgh, blew up in the afternoon and fell down the leaderboard.

Dodd, who had a triple bogey at the 425-yard par four seventh in the morning, kept his concentration in the afternoon for a round of 73. He was playing with two of his closest rivals, James Wright of Rushmere and John Maddock of Gorleston. Dodd knew how he stood with them, but had little idea of how others were faring.

In fact he had little to fear. Andrew Tokley of Stoke-by-Nayland was one shot worse than Dodd in both rounds and he turned out to be the closest challenger.

The William T Todd Cup has eluded James Wright, one of the county's most consistent players, over the past decade. His chance faded on the third (his 12th) on the second round.

He drove into a bunker on the right with the ball ending under the lip. Maddock was in a bunker a few yards shorter, also with a difficult lie. Dodd's drive was similar, but came to rest on top of the bank surrounding the bunker. He made the most of his fortune. The hole produced a one-shot swing on Wright and two on Maddock.

Tokley will look back on a nightmare eight at the 430-yard third in his morning round or else he would have been a considerable threat. There is little doubt that his chance will come before long if he retains his amateur status.

Maddock, winner in 1993, 1994 and 1997 thought the conditions were the most testing he had ever experienced for a Suffolk Amateur Championship.

No returns were plentiful and there was harsh punishment for anyone who strayed off the straight and narrow.

Adrian Hine of Felixstowe Ferry had a 12 down the fifth in the morning which must have dampened his enthusiasm while Tim Dainty (Stoke-by-Nayland) took nine at the dogleg sixth. Nines, though, became commonplace as the day went on.

One had to feel for Kieran Canham, the Suffolk player from Stoke-by-Nayland, who was going well until the 125-yard 17th hole (his eighth) in the morning. He hit a nine iron into the greenside bunker. He thinned the ball out into real trouble. This was followed by a chapter of accidents which meant he ended with an 11. His score for the round was 80 so, had he parred one of Aldeburgh's easier holes, he would have been very much in contention.

Roger Taylor, a former Suffolk captain who knows the Aldeburgh course better than anyone, was Suffolk amateur champion 24 years ago. After his opening round of 73 there was a feeling that he might just upset the odds. It was a tiring day, though, and his back was aching with the result that his challenge faded.

Luke Miller, back from the United States, put his driver away in its bag and used a two iron for safety off the tees. Even so it only needed an eight up the last in the morning to leave him with too much of a mountain to climb in the afternoon.

Alan Middle, winner of the Eastern Counties Cup at Woodbridge, showed his usual consistency while Alex Holmes of Gorleston caught the eye with his second round of 73 while others were fading fast.

Rushmere won the club team championship easily with James Wright, Will Wright and Danny Barton. They totalled 461 with Woodbridge runners-up with 483 (Alan Middle, Jason Finch, John Blackmore and Geoff Henney). Stowmarket were third with 493.

The Suffolk Matchplay, for the President's Putter, will be played at Aldeburgh next Saturday and Sunday.

The draw is: Dodd v Hedin, Maddock v Middle, Amos v Pudney, Holmes v Barton, Tokley v Vandervord, T Dawson v Redding, J Wright v Philpot, A Robinson v W Wright.

Last year Dodd completed the strokeplay and matchplay double.

Aldeburgh scores

147: L Dodd (Bury St Edmunds) 74 73.

149: A Tokley (Stoke-by-Nayland) 75 74, J Wright (Rushmere) 72 77.

150: G Amos (Gorleston) 74 76.

152: A Robinson (Rushmere) 73 80.

153: P Buckle (Stowmarket) 76 77, A Holmes (Gorleston) 80 73.

154: T Dawson (Rookery Park) 75 79, J Maddock (Gorleston) 74 80, N Meadows (Felixstowe Ferry) 78 76, A Middle (Woodbridge) 73 81, L Miller (Woodbridge) 79 75.

155: N Redding (Hintlesham Hall) 79 76.

156: W Wright (Rushmere) 83 73, D Barton (Rushmere) 76 80, J Philpot (Aldeburgh Artisans) 71 85, R Pudney (Diss) 75 81.

160: S Vandervord (Stoke-by-Nayland) 80 80.

162: T Hedin (Aldeburgh) 83 79, T Moreton (The Suffolk) 78 84, R Nicholson (Bury St Edmunds) 76 86.

163: J Burrows (Felixstowe) 82 81, A Whittaker (Woodbridge) 87 76, C Wright (Bury St Edmunds) 78 85.

164: S Nichols (Rookery Park) 79 85, T Dainty (Stoke-by-Nayland) 82 82, R Spore (Stowmarket) 79 85, R Taylor (Aldeburgh) 73 91.

166: J Finch (Woodbridge) 89 77.

168: A Moorecroft (Woodbridge) 82 86, M Allen (Woodbridge) 81 87.

170: J Blackmore (Woodbridge) 80 90, A Meredith (Hintlesham Hall) 81 89.

171: M Greener (The Suffolk) 84 87.

172: P Dobson (Woodbridge) 86 86.

174: S Debenham (Hintlesham Hall) 93 81.

175: K Canham (Stoke-by-Nayland) 80 95.

176: N Beer (The Suffolk) 89 87, E Terre (Stowmarket) 90 86.

178: M Gissing (Hintlesham Hall) 86 92.

184: J Lloyd (Aldeburgh) 93 91.

JAMIE Moul of Stoke-by-Nayland, the Suffolk Open champion, is included in the England team for the European Boys' Team Championship to be staged at Reykjavic in Iceland between July 9 and 13.

Moul has been runner-up in the Hampshire Hog and Selborne Salver this year, the latter after a play-off. He won the Hampshire Salver for the lowest aggregate score in both events.