GOLF: Mary Tucker proved that age is no barrier as she recently qualified for a national final.The 63-year-old member of Waldringfield Heath won last year's nett club championship that enabled her to play in the National Club Champions Cup for 2002 that was sponsored by Izzo.

MARY Tucker proved that age is no barrier as she recently qualified for a national final.

The 63-year-old member of Waldringfield Heath won last year's nett club championship that enabled her to play in the National Club Champions Cup for 2002 that was sponsored by Izzo.

Mary, who now plays off a 19 handicap, won through five regional rounds to earn a place along with 15 others winners from all over the country, and a trip to the Vale of Glamorgan Golf and Country Club.

There she finished in sixth place, beaten for fifth position on countback, but Mary gave a good account of herself.

In the regional qualifying rounds the format was matchplay, but in the national final there was just one round of medal play.

Mary said: "Matchplay would have suited me much better in the national final. I was the oldest competitor in the field and there were a number of low handicap players.

"It was a difficult and hilly course with a lot of water and the greens were difficult to read, but I didn't do too badly."

Mary finished with a nett round of 79 that was five strokes behind the winner, Gillian Dyson from Glossop & District GC.

Mary has been a member at Waldringfield since 1987 when she started with a 36 handicap, but has made gradual improvement since then.

"The lowest I have been down to is 16, but then I went up to 21 before coming down to 19," she said.

Having won last year's Ladies Nett Club Championship, her first opponent in the regional matchplay knockout competition was Fiona Ferrie of The Suffolk whom she beat 3 &2 on her own course.

Then Mary won at Rushmere against Sue Woods 3 & 1 and in the third round overcame Monica Wood

4 & 3 at Waldringfield.

A trip to Norfolk in the fourth round where she defeated Nesta Lake of Middleton Hall near King's Lynn 3 & 2 and finally beat Rosemary Kerr of Braintree on home soil 3 & 2 to qualify for the national final.

Mary, who plays on an average twice a week, did not enter this year's Waldringfield Nett Club Championship because of a shoulder injury.