FORMAT: 36-hole stroke play
Whittington Heath’s Ollie Read won an eventful play-off at the Staffordshire County Championship to collect the title for a second time.
Three players finished on one under at South Staffordshire, Drayton Park’s Richard Hunt and Greg Peters (Ingestre Park) joining Read back at the first tee for the sudden death showdown.
While the eventual champion found the heart of the green in two, Hunt went long with his approach, the ball eventually finding it way on to the 16th green, and Peters also missed the target.
It was eventually decided that the Drayton Park player had to take his ball off the putting surface and both he and Peters failed to get up and down while their playing partner got down in two from 20 feet.
For Read there was also a huge dollop of relief after he bogeyed his final hole.
He and Peters led at halfway alongside Leek’s Harry Fearn and his two under 70 included a triple bogey seven at the third but he also bagged five birdies and an eagle (at the par five 12th).
In the afternoon Hunt recorded the best round (70) while there also a strong finish from newly-turned 14-year-old Ronnie Groves (Enville).
The six handicapper is thought to be the youngest ever winner of the nett prize (Legge Trophy). Gross rounds of 78 and 74 gave him an overall nett score of 140.
The event also acted as the county’s team championships with the South Staffs A side of Tom Hewitt (72, 76), Chris Crane (78, 81) and John Mackie (77, 75) finishing one ahead of Great Barr.