THE Geoff Edge Cup’s penultimate round at Worcester’s Ravenmeadow and Perdiswell Park finished with a scramble for the lower podium places with four tied players.

Phil Lane (16 handicap) took the golf victory ahead of the marauding masses when he returned 37 points to edge his win by just one.

The past seniors’ captain coped best with the trying conditions as the unpredictable weather continually changed throughout.

Three pars and birdies on the fifth and 18th helped put Lane in charge but with three single-point holes and a no-score on the second he only just held on.

He was grateful of his extra shot-in-hand and brought home another win despite carding three double bogies and a triple.

Geoff Jones (20) was the only other player who finished on or under nett par for the course when he brought home a respectable 36.

Norman Vernalls (14) took third on 34 on countback with Jan Schutte (16) fourth from Richard Higgs and Steve Baylis.

A tight finish requiring countback to separate the first three places in a medal at the course saw Steve Williams (7) take the win based on his back-nine score.

He recorded 65 nett which included 12 pars and birdies on the second and 15th but also bogies on three holes.

Ian Threadgold (22) was second on countback followed by Scott Thomas (16).

Schutte continued his run of form to take fourth after finishing tied with early clubhouse leader Michael Hill on 67.

Williams, Threadgold and Thomas had their handicaps cut to six, 21 and 15 respectively.

Hill won his first competition after topping a stableford with 39 points in trying conditions and his handicap was reduced from 22 to 21.

He secured five pars and only really dropped shots on five holes with four single-point scores and one no-score. 

Tom Gregory (21) took second place on countback after returning 37 to edge out Baylis (7), while Jones finished fourth with 35.

Another medal saw Mark Purser brush aside the other 33 players to take the win after returning 64 nett as his handicap dropped from nine to eight.

Fourteen pars and a birdie on the 16th helped take Purser to the head of the field overall. 

With eight of his pars on the opening nine holes Purser suffered a triple bogey on the seventh but another two bogies did not deny him.

Williams came in with 66 to take second place and Tommy Hayes (3) took third on countback with 67 from Richard Adcock (16).