Golf: THERE'S no stopping Robin Mann at the moment.Winner of the Suffolk Open and the Suffolk PGA Strokeplay Championship, the former European Tour player started the Suffolk Winter Alliance season with another terrific score in the opening meeting of the season at Hintlesham.

THERE'S no stopping Robin Mann at the moment.

Winner of the Suffolk Open and the Suffolk PGA Strokeplay Championship, the former European Tour player started the Suffolk Winter Alliance season with another terrific score in the opening meeting of the season at Hintlesham.

In ideal conditions for golf, Mann shot a seven under par 65 to win the professionals' prize by two shots from Roly Hitchcock (Stoke-by-Nayland) with Fynn Valley's Simon Dainty a further two shots behind in third place.

Mann reached the turn in five under par and was a further two under on the inward half in a round that contained two eagles on par five holes, four birdies and just one bogey.

Hitchcock, too, had five birdies on the outward half, but he found the back nine more difficult for scoring and failed to pick up any further shots.

In the better-ball Stableford competition the Lancaster brothers, Steve and Jimmy, and Mann and his partner, Simon Chapman (Stowmarket), had posted 47 points, but then Paul Wilby, the Fynn Valley professional, and Roger Toone (Stoke-by-Nayland) came in with a staggering 49 points to take first prize.

They both knitted in well together, the key to success in a better-ball competition, but overall scoring was good on the day.

Breaking with tradition, the Winter Alliance started on a Wednesday instead of the usual Sunday at Stowmarket because of a clash of dates. There was a field of 86 including ten professionals.

The next meeting is at Stowmarket on Sunday, October 13, that will be a Pro-Am, Am-Am meeting with teams of four competing.

There is already a big entry and any other members wanting to play should contact the Alliance

secretary Phil Segger as soon as possible.

Prizewinners

Professionals: 65-Robin Mann (Ufford Park). 67-Roly Hitchock (Stoke-by-Nayland). 69-Simon Dainty (Fynn Valley).

Better-ball Stableford: Roger Toone (Stoke-by-Nayland) and Paul Wilby (Fynn Valley) 49 pts, Jimmy and Steve Lankester (The Suffolk) 47 on countback from Robin Mann and Simon Chapman (Stowmarket), Tom Wright (Rushmere) and Jim Deasy (Stowmarket) 45.

Other leading scores: 44-R Hall and A Lucas, 43-G Holmes and R Gissing, E Goodridge and D Bradman, T Dobson and L Emmerson. 42-M Waite and R Hitchcock.