SIMON Dainty of Fynn Valley won the Dell Bower Suffolk PGA Trainees' Championship at Hintlesham for the third successive year.He had an impressive 36-hole score of 131 which was 11 under par.

By Tony Garnett

SIMON Dainty of Fynn Valley won the Dell Bower Suffolk PGA Trainees' Championship at Hintlesham for the third successive year.

He had an impressive 36-hole score of 131 which was 11 under par. He had 14 birdies on the day and only three dropped shots.

Dainty, the Suffolk Open champion, had a first round of 67. This gave him a three-shot advantage over Rob Pritchard of Stonham Barns at the halfway stage with Andrew Robinson of Felixstowe Ferry still in touch at one under par.

There were heavy showers throughout the day, interspersed with sunny spells.

The event was completed largely thanks to PGA official John Wright whose work with a squeegee on the wettest of the greens kept play moving. Most of the greens, though, drained quickly after a deluge.

Both Pritchard and Robinson produced tidy golf to take second and third prizes, both under par for all their rounds.

The course is fast maturing into one of the best in the county although the wet grass in the rough was testing so accuracy off the tee was of paramount importance.

The amateur section of the tournament, for invited category one players who work in golf pro shops or driving ranges, was won by Paul Dobson of Stonham Barns.

His second round of 69 had the promise of being even better when he was five under par at the turn. His score was boosted by an eagle three at the third.

Then a double bogey at the 10th and dropped shots at the following two holes left Dobson just one under. His finish produced birdies at the 15th, 16th and 18th but also a dropped shot at the 17th.

The best amateur round of the day came from Scott Brace, the Suffolk amateur champion from Stoke by Nayland, whose second round 67 was in marked contrast to his opening 76.

Brace reeled off a run of successive birdies from the fifth to the ninth to go five under. A level par second nine left him one shot behind Dobson.

Had he managed to repeat his morning birdie on the 452-yard par-five final hole he would have won on count-back.

Third amateur prize went to Alex Stanley of Aldeburgh on count-back from Bradley Wilkins of Fynn Valley. Stanley was amateur winner in 2004 and 2005.

Tom Everett of Stoke by Nayland won the extra prize for the amateur with the best afternoon round, level par 72, excluding those featuring on the main prize list.

The event was sponsored by Suffolk PGA president Dell Bower.

Scores

131: S Dainty (Fynn Valley) 67 68.

141: R Pritchard (Stonham Barns) 70 71.

142: A Robinson (Felixstowe Ferry) 71 71.

145: M Holder (Waldringfield) 73 72.

149: W Shaw (Aldeburgh) 74 75.

154: C Oldrey (Thorpeness) 79 75.

No return: J Peasey (Woodbridge).

Amateurs

142: P Dobson (Stonham Barns) 73 69.

143: S Brace (Stoke by Nayland) 76 67.

146: A Stanley (Aldeburgh) 74 72, B Wilkins (Fynn Valley) 72 74.

149: T Everett (Stoke by Nayland) 77 72.

151: M Ransome (Hintlesham) 77 74

153: T Stephenson (Bury St Edmunds) 76 77

154: A Cameron (Bungay) 78 76, A Bowen (Fynn Valley) 76 78.

155: T Pakenham (The Suffolk) 76 79.

157: M Alderton (Bury St Edmunds) 75 82

158: O Rush (Newton Green) 78 80

161: S Byford (The Suffolk) 78 83

162: R Talbot (Fynn Valley) 84 78.

Retired: S Masterson (Rushmere) 85 retired.