SUFFOLK scored their second Anglian League win of the season when they overcome Norfolk at Great Yarmouth & Caister by seven and a half matches to four and a half.

By Tony Garnett

SUFFOLK scored their second Anglian League win of the season when they overcome Norfolk at Great Yarmouth & Caister by seven and a half matches to four and a half.

Suffolk laid the foundation for their success by winning the foursomes by three and a half matches to a half. In the afternoon the honours in the singles were shared which was all Suffolk required on a day when some of the play reached a very high standard.

There was an amazing 7 & 5 foursomes win for Alex Holmes of Gorleston and James Reiss of Aldeburgh over Daniel Henderson and James Palmer.

Henderson, the Norfolk strokeplay champion last year, then gained swift revenge over Reiss in the singles with a 6 & 5 victory.

The biggest win of the day, though, came from Suffolk's Michael Swan, who hammered Simon Locke 7 & 6. Swan, still a junior, was in determined mood all day and has become a formidable opponent in Anglian League golf.

Suffolk had two young players, John Wybar of Aldeburgh and Rhodri Harston of Felixstowe Ferry, making their county first team debuts. Both ended with a point and a half from their efforts which delighted team captain Martin Youngs.

Wybar and Liam Brace halved their foursomes but both recorded impressive 4 & 3 wins in the singles. Brace beat Chase Davis, who won the Norfolk match play title last year.

Harston and Chris Smith were foursomes winners. Harston, the Welsh under-15 champion last year, then halved his singles with Norfolk's classy teenager Stuart Ballingall, who was Norfolk Open champion last year. That was no mean feat by Harston.

Youngs said: “We've got a bit of momentum going and this was another solid team performance.

“There were a lot of excellent individual performances and some of the foursomes play I saw from Bradley Wilkins and Michael Swan was brilliant. They birdied the 15th and 16th, which Norfolk also birdied, before closing the match out at the 17th.”

Suffolk's next match is at home to Northamptonshire at Rookery Park on July 15. Then there is a visit to Leicestershire at Luffenham Heath on August 5 before the final match against Lincolnshire at Hintlesham on September 9.

Scores

NORFOLK 4.5 SUFFOLK 7.5

At Gt Yarmouth & Caister GC. Norfolk names first.

Foursomes: Dave Marshall & Simon Locke lost to Bradley Wilkins (Fynn Valley) & Michael Swan (Stoke by Nayland) 3 & 1; Daniel Henderson & James Palmer lost to Alex Holmes (Gorleston) & James Reiss (Aldeburgh) 7 & 5; Keith Pratt & Stuart Ballingall halved with Liam Brace (Stoke by Nayland) & John Wybar (Aldeburgh); Chase Davis & Craig Butler lost to Rhodri Harston (Felixstowe Ferry) & Chris Smith (Fynn Valley) 3 & 1.

Singles: Marshall halved with Wilkins, Henderson beat Reiss 6 & 5, Locke lost to Swan 7 & 6, Pratt beat Holmes two up, Palmer lost to Wybar 4 & 3, Ballingall halved with Harston, Butler beat Smith one up. Davis lost to L Brace 4 & 3.

SUFFOLK'S second team scored a comprehensive victory over Norfolk seconds at Haverhill with Dave Quinney, on his home course, proving to be an inspired selection.

He teamed up with Rob Murray of Stoke by Nayland in the foursomes to beat Norfolk captain James Ollington and Tom Robinson 4 & 3. Then Quinney beat Ollington 5 & 4 in the singles.

Kevin Eagle of Rushmere also had convincing wins. He and Scott Brace won the top foursomes 3 & 2 against the Dunston Hall pair, Steve Chick and Steve Tidy. Then beat swept aside the challenge of Mark King 5 & 4.

In the singles Hugo Dobson of Fynn Valley won the final three holes against Bruce McQuade to come away with a one-hole victory. Hugo's brother Paul saw a six-hole lead reduced by a never-say-die Mark Burton but made sure of a 3 & 2 success.

Scott Brace and Murray were both held to halves in the singles but otherwise it was success all the way for Suffolk.

Scores

SUFFOLK 2nd 10 NORFOLK 2nd 2

At Haverhill. Suffolk names first.

Foursomes: Kevin Eagle (Rushmere) & Scott Brace (Stoke by Nayland) beat Stephen Chick & Steve Tidy 3 & 2; Owen Pearl (Stoke by Nayland) & Hugo Dobson (Fynn Valley) beat Bruce McQuade & Mark King two up; Paul Whittle (Stoke by Nayland) & Paul Dobson (Fynn Valley) lost to Nick Paling & Mark Burton; Rob Murray (Stoke by Nayland) & Dave Quinney (Haverhill) beat James Ollington & Tom Robinson.

Singles: Pearl beat Chick two up, S Brace halved with Tidy, Eagle beat King 5 & 4, H Dobson beat McQuade one up, P Dobson beat Burton 3 & 2, Whittle beat Robinson two up, Murray halved with Paling, Quinney beat Ollington 4 & 3.