GOLF: Robin Mann, plagued by injury and loss of form over the past couple of years, still proved that he has something left in the tank.Mann, the former European Tour player, who spends much of his time teaching on cruise ships these days, was locked in a four-way tie at the end of the second and final round of the Ufford Park Hotel Classic last week.

GOLF

ROBIN Mann, plagued by injury and loss of form over the past couple of years, still proved that he has something left in the tank.

Mann, the former European Tour player, who spends much of his time teaching on cruise ships these days, was locked in a four-way tie at the end of the second and final round of the Ufford Park Hotel Classic last week.

The fact that he came within a whisker of taking the title said much of Suffolk's most successful professional, but in the end he was defeated at the fifth extra hole by Paul Barham, the 36-year-old from Crondon Park in Essex.

Mann, Barham, Clacton's Jason Levermore and Simon Barron (Newmarket) had all ended on 138 – four under par – for their two rounds and a play-off was needed to decide the outcome.

After Barron and Levermore had been eliminated, it was left to Mann and Barham to slug it out. Three more holes were played before the title was finally decided in Barham's favour when Mann, who had shot rounds of 66 and 72, just missed from 12 feet to take the play-off further.

While Mann definitely left his mark, there was little other joy for the Suffolk professionals in the field.

The next best placed were Stoke-by-Nayland's Kevin Lovelock (72, 71) and Andy Cotton (69, 74) who is attached to Waldringfield Heath on 143 while Paul Kent (Bury St Edmunds) 70, 75 and Alex Lucas (70, 75) were a further two shots back.

Other Suffolk scores included: Simon Harrison (Halesworth) 74, 72, Stuart Robertson (Ufford Park) 72, 75, Paul Wilby (Fynn Valley) 70, 77, Tim Johnson (Cretingham) 77, 71, Shane Warren (Bramford Driving Range) 76, 73, Roly Hitchcock (Stoke-by-Nayland) 74, 75, Jon Markham (Stowmarket) 73, 76, Tony Dobson (Bourne Hill DR) 76, 75 and Martin Elsworthy (Rookery Park) 76, 79.

In the Pro-Am on Friday that followed the main event John Fryatt (The Essex) shot a five under par 66 to win by two shots from Clacton's Jason Levermore. In joint third place on 69 were Pat Winston (A1 Golf ) and Chris Goddard (Romford).

Winston, who finished joint seventh at Ufford Park in the main event, is this year's winner of the East Region Order of Merit with Levermore in second place. Both these players will play in the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth next May and also have free entry and flights to the Azores Open.