A retired quantity surveyor and four young school children have proved that golf is a sport for people of all ages.
For while 70-year-old Nicholas Brown was carding 44 points to win Leighton Buzzard’s Austen Farrell Trophy for senior golfers, at the other end of the age scale Hannah Walsh, and fellow Leighton juniors Josh Thorne, Sam Harris and Owen Barry were winning prizes in a Bedfordshire Schools rookie golf event.
In his 40 years as a member of the Leighton club, Bletchley-based Nicholas has won the odd medal or stableford event…but he had to shoot eight shots below his 20-handicap to win the coveted Austen Farrell trophy.
Nicholas beat 80 other competitors to register his first major trophy win, beating newspaper sub-editor Mike Smith by a shot, with Steve Richardson taking third place on countback after finishing with 41 points along with Peter Gadsden.
Thirty-six aspiring golfers aged from six to 14 took part in the Rookie event played over nine holes, with four young members of the Plantation Road club winning prizes.
Hannah Walsh, a Year 5 student at Brooklands Middle scored 26 points to finish runner-up in her age category; whilst Cottesloe’s Josh Thorne scored 28 points and school pal Sam Harris carded 26 points in the Year 7-8 group, while Leighton Middle pupil Owen Barry scored 20 points.
Says Bedfordshire Schools golf organiser and former teacher David Sweetnam: “We are now seeing some of our earlier lower school entrants representing the County at Regional and National School championship level. They are progressing really well.”
PICTURE CAPTION:
YOUNG TALENT….(left to right) Josh Thorne with dad Michael; Hannah Walsh with dad Lee and Sam Harris with dad Paul.
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Josh Thorne, Hannah Walsh and Sam Harris with Bedfordshire Schools golf organiser David Sweetnam.