Golf round-up

The pair posted a late 65, seven under par, to dislodge the long-time leaders from Redditch in the regional stage of Europe's biggest pro-am.

Bailey, a former county squash champion who hung up his racquet because there was no money in the game, made a superb contribution on the inward nine.

Playing off what seemed like a generous handicap of 17, the 31-year-old sales manager made a firm imprint by firing three straight birdies from the 12th, the first becoming a net eagle on handicap.

Smith, who became head pro at Kidderminster last year after 10 years as assistant, underlined their worth at the final hole.

He produced a tracer-like five-iron 160 yards into the wind that rolled to within two feet of the flag for his third birdie of the round.

The winners now join 15 other finalists from all over Great Britain and Ireland for the 36-hole Grand Final over the Ocean course at Vale do Lobo in the Algarve in September.

The championship will provide a prize fund of almost £80,000, of which the professional winner banks £10,000.

l Kidderminster's Richard Wassell was in fine form to qualify for the Powerade PGA British Assistants' Championship with only a final falter prevented him from playing the round of his life.

Playing over the new Gaudet Luce course at Droitwich in the Midland Region qualifier, Wassell carded a highly satisfactory four-under 66.

But the 21-year-old former Worcestershire amateur champion contrived to mess up the final two holes, and drop his only shots of the day.

That slipped him into third place two shots behind joint winners, Andrew Plester from Nuneaton and Leicester's Oliver Johnson.

"It wasn't as if I had bad drives at either, they were both fine," said Wassell, whose driving was first class.

"But I just made things hard for myself, thinning a shot from the edge of one of the greens, and taking three putts on the other."

The top 10 from more than 50 starters will now join qualifiers from all over Britain and Ireland for the 54-hole Powerade final at The London club near Brands Hatch in August.

The winner picks up not only £5,000, double last year's first prize, but also receives an invitation to play in the Taylormade-adidas USPGA Assistants' Championship in Florida in October.

l A trio from Kidderminster Golf Club kept the success story rolling by winning the team championship at the county championships at Malvern.

Joe Ferguson, James Toman and Steve Clarke now go forward to represent Worcestershire in the EGU Club tournament later this year.

They were presented with the Tomson-James Cup with an aggregate score of 219.

Ferguson also won the Best 36-hole score with 141 to take the Amateur Champion Gold Medal and become the inaugural winner of the Centenary Champion Putter Trophy.

With a score of 73 the following day he won the G D Carr Cup with a 54 hole total of 214.

Wharton Park

IN winning the Wharton Park Golf Club Men's Cup, a 36-hold competition played over two days, Matt Richards reduced his handicap from 25 to 20.

There were 77 members participating in the event, 43 achieving the cut on day one.

Richards won with a total nett of 123, comprising a first round gross 89 25 handicap 64 nett, second round 84-25-59.

In second place with a total nett 132 was Hadley Trenfield: 1st round 84-17-67, second 82-17-65 (new handicap 15), and third with a total nett 135, David Smart scored first round 76-9-67, 77-9-68 (new handicap 8).

April Stableford: Division One - Karl Bowyer 12 handicap 41 points, Richard Clarke 11-38, Steve Harvey 5-37; Division Two Phil Green 13-43, Trenfield 19-40, David Postlethwaite 16-39; Division Three - Chris Smith 27-39, Matt Smith 21-38, Alan Barton 21-36.

May Medal: Division One PaulHopkins 73-8-65, Tad Marszalek 75-7-68, Chris Lojko 79-10-69 (back nine); Division Two - Tony Scorer 86-16-70, Adam Granger 84-13-71 (back nine), Pete Hill 88-17-71.

Mid-week competitions

Third April Medal: Brian Dean 89-16-73, Steve Owen 79-6-73; number four - Adam Arnold 82-12-70, Frank Saporito 99-27-72;five - John Gittens 94-28-66, Robert hill 88-15-73.

Second Stableford: Steve Shilton 4-39, Owen 6-38; third - Bob Lawrence 7-35, Ken Bell 16-32 (back nine).

First May Medal: Bell 93-16-77, Mike Thompson 107-27-80; two - Marsden Young 96-23-73, Thompson 102-27-75.

First Stableford: Art Cox 25-38, Gittens 25-33; two - Bopwyer 11-43, Thompson 27-29.

Ladies April Stableford: Silver Division Bett Middis 16-34, Sue Smart 10-32; Bronze Division One Di Owen 122-39, Carole Allsop 24-35; Bronze Division Two Gay Hartwell 32-33, Pat Pearson 32-27.

Ladies May Medal: Silver Division Paula Barrie 92-17-75, S Smart 89-10-79 (back nine); Bronze Division One Mandy Sylvester 90-24-66, Lyn Broomfield 92-22-70; Bronze Division Two Hartwell 108-32-76.

Open Stableford: Hartwell 30-41, D Owen 22-39, Sarah Laker-Smith (Little Lakes) 26-37, Middis 16-35, Pam Ellis (Upper Sapey) 14-34, gross S Smart 1-26, front nine Pat Watkins (Upper Sapey) 12-20,

Back nine Alison Edwards 23-18.

Daily Mail Foursomes: S Smart and Hannah Whibley beat Stourbridge Ladies to go into next round.

Droitwich Inter League: Wharton Park Ladies 4, Droitwich Ladies 1.

Seniors April Medal: Steve French 97-28-69, Brian Poyton 81-9-72, John Bailey 95-16-79.

Seniors April Stableford: Alan Bishop 14-33 (back nine), Bob Marriot 16-33 (back nine), John Bailey 16-33.

Juniors first April Stableford: George Trenfield 23-42, Dan Jones 22-32.

Juniors second April Stableford: Adam Groves 22-41, H Trenfield 19-35.

Juniors April Medal: Dan Milichip 83-15-68, G Trenfield 91-22-69.

Juniors May Medal: Luke Towler 86-18-68, Lojko 79-10-69.

Men's Matches (friendly team): Leominster 3, Wharton Park 3; Cleobury 4, Park 2; Park 5, Habberley 1; Sapey 1.5, Park 4.5; Park 3, Penn 3.

Seniors matches: Park 7, Little Lakes 1; Bewdley Pines 4, Park 4; Park 6.5, Bidford Grange 1.5; Evesham 2, Park 6; Little Lakes 4, Park 4; Park 8, Gaudet Luce 0; Sapey 4, Park 4; Park 6, Habberley 2; Hagley 5.5, Park 2.5; Perton Park 5, Park 3.

Coming events: June 2 Juniors Open; June Lady Captain's Away Day; June 11 Midsummer Madness; June 15 Ladies Better Ball Open; June 24 Captain's Away Day; June 25 Ladies' Invitation; June 26 CMS Cup.

Little Lakes

THE Men's May Medal at Little Lakes Golf Club was a tight match, with nothing to choose between the top two sportsmen, and just one nett point separating them from the third-placed golfer.

Division One: Garry Barth 80 nett 11 handicap 69 nett (countback back nine), Paddy Ballinger 78-9-69 (countback back nine), John Leigh 81-12-69.

Division Two: Bryan Symonds 80-17-63, Matt Roberts 83-15-68, RJ Wilson 88-19-69.

Division Three: Christopher Smith 95-25-69, S Groves 97-25-73, Adrian Freeman 96-24-72.

Fiddle Day out, Llandrindod Wells, May 15

Morning Team Competition: Mark Dunn, Matt Allen, Dave Gandy, Marcus Ballinger 67 points; Steve Morris, Dan Ballinger, Clive Dorrell, Maurice Moore 66; Tim Wright, Mike Wood, Keith Whitehouse, Rob Smith 65; Mac Chandler, Bob Hill, Chris Enticknap, Steve Flavell 60; Barry Turner, Andy Higginson, Sarah Laker-Smith, Rob Wilding 59.

Gong team: John Roberts, Dave Flavell, Nick Emery, Andy Tomlinson 41.

Afternoon team competition: Kieron Williams, John Hall, John Debar, Garry Barth 146; Morris, D Ballinger, Dorrell, Moore 136; Frank holder, Phil Winsley, Paul Bridgewater, Alan Flavell 136; Wright, Wood, Whitehouse, Smith 134; Turner, Higginson, Wilding, Williams 132.

Gong team: Shaun Williams, Ray Nixon, Clive Williams, Pete Weaver 103.

Individual afternoon competition: K Williams 40, Hall 39, Emery 38, Smith 38.

Ladies Invitation Open, May 21: Laker-Smith and Sue Wilson 41, Sheelah Salsby and Gail Loftus 40 (on back nine), Marilyn Wood and Ann Heaton 40.

Dates for the diary: Saturday, June 4 Men's Medal; Sunday, June 5 Ladies Medal; Tuesday, June 7 Ladies Mid-week Medal; Sunday, June 12 Lady Captain's Mixed Charity Competition; Sunday, June 19 Ladies Club Championship.

Ombersley

OMBERSLEY Golf Club's Lynn Mamos and Sally Wilkinson came fourth in the AM/AM at Shifnal.

Anne Burt and Andy Wright were beaten in the Daily Mail Competition.

Senior Winter Pairs League: 1 Audrey Hewitt and Joyce Duncan, 2 Pauline Perry and Val Witham.

13-hole competition: Jenny Horton 50, Carr 53.

April Medal: Sue Apps 64, Burt 73, June Reynolds-Lacey 73.

Bar St Martins Trophy: Yvette Nunn 41, Wright 38, Reynolds-Lacey 37.

Senior Spring Classie: Hewitt 30, Val Eels 29.

Matches: Ombersley 3, Abbey Park 2 (high handicaps); Ombersley 2, Henley-in-Arden 2; Bewdley Pines 3, Ombersley 1; The Vale 4.5, Ombersley 3.5 - mixed match.

Cleobury Mortimer

MORE than 150 golfers from 40 clubs competed in Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club's Seniors Open, with 14 prizes on offer over three divisions, and including prizes for nearest the pin and nearest the line.

Division One (55 to 69years) handicap 0-15: John Wall (Market Drayton ) 40 points, Jim Atwell (Shirley) 39, Alan Betts (Sandwell Park) 39, Phil Sharpe (Redditch) 37.

Division Two (55-69) handicap 16-24: John Lawrence (Bromsgrove) 40, Graham Morris (Enville) 36, Graham Bromwich (Stratford) 36, John Williams (Worcestershire) 35.

Division Three (70 and above): Peter Weston (Droitwich) 35, Jim Nisbett (Abbey Park) 35,D Keohane (Herefordshire) 35pts, Gordon Stokes (Redditch) 34; Nearest the Pin Jim Atwell (Shirley); Nearest the Line Chris Lea (Copt Heath).

The Men's Betterball Medal at Cleobury Mortimer Golf Club was won by M and M Broad.

Full result: M Broad and M Broad 61 nett, I Hutchins and S Best 67, R Preston and M Williams 68, I Gough and G Perks 69.