THE Sunningdale Foursomes started today with Suffolk and Essex well represented in a field that includes Ollie Fisher, Sam Torrance, Lee Slattery, Bernard Gallagher and Barry Lane.

By Tony Garnett

THE Sunningdale Foursomes started today with Suffolk and Essex well represented in a field that includes Ollie Fisher, Sam Torrance, Lee Slattery, Bernard Gallagher and Barry Lane.

Kevin Earp of Bury Golf Range and Simon Harrison of Thorpeness, who won the Joe Proudfoot Memorial Trophy at Southwold in November, team up with a chance of a second round tie against Vanessa Bell of Ipswich and John Morgan, winner of the PGA Europro event at Ufford Park last year.

Keith Preston of Aldeburgh plays with Robert Joyce of West Essex for a second successive year.

They will be giving six shots to Sarah Tyson of the London Club and Nick Pateman of Porters Park.

Simon Reeve of Aldeburgh, with a leading Sunningdale member as his partner, will have Bill Longmuir of the European Seniors Tour as a first round opponent.

Former Suffolk amateur champion Lawrence Dodd, starting his first full season as a tournament professional, plays with Gareth Edwards, assistant professional at Donnington Valley. They face a pair from Fleetwood.

There is in a keen tussle in prospect when Jenny Pease and David Thomas of Braintree meet Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) and Tommy Hunter (Ilford).

Jon Robson, a former winner on the European Tour, plays with Mark Hooper, a PGA trainee at the Rayleigh Driving Range.

Sarah Bennett, who has coached at Seckford in the past year, partners Andrew George, the Newmarket-based professional at Ely City.

Other PGA East Region players taking part include Peter Cherry, Andrew Clapp, Sean Whiffin, Darren Charlton and Tony Charnley.