Cheshire Cat falls to out-of-form Cambridgeshire stalwart
FORMAT: 72-hole stroke play
How quickly things changed for The Gog Magog’s Ed Dimambro, who arrived in North West on the back of a miserable run of form but returned home last night with the Cheshire Cat.
The 2021 Cambridgeshire County champion even had to endure a nightmare journey up from East Anglia, the infamous M6 doing its worst.
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But the 31-year-old, playing in the event for the first time, posted an eight under par total to finish two ahead of Cumbrian Will Coxon (Carus Green). A third round 66 at Wilmslow left him four clear of the field and he hung on impressively without the putting fireworks of the morning.
The event is made up of two Northern Order of Merit events – The Stockport Salver and Wilmslow Crow. Stratford-on-Avon’s Joel Smith took the former while Matty Dodd-Berry won the latter to record his third Northern Order of Merit victory of the year, putting himself second in the overall standings.
To view all the scores from the Stockport Salver click here
Dimambro finished second behind Dodd-Berry at Wilmslow and was delighted to have found some form with the English Amateur Championship coming at the end of the month.
He said: “I have had a rough time of it on the golf course over the last six weeks and I had been planning on taking a month off after the English Am.
To view all the scores from Wilmslow Crow click here
“I haven’t had a sniff of shooting under par but golf is funny like that. Ball striking wise I was very happy. The strength of my game has always been tee to green and it was nice to hole a few putts. I tend not to holes as many putts as I would like.”
On Thursday at Stockport he opened with a 68 and was the joint leader at halfway in the Salver with eventual winner Smith, who closed things out impressively with a 69.
The 24-year-old was playing in his first Northern Order of Merit event but nearly didn’t make it because he has been battling to get well after a bout of Covid.
However the former greenkeeper’s lack of practice did not hamper him and he took a one shot lead into the Wilmslow leg of Cat with Stockport’s Samuel Prince just a shot further back but Prince had a NR in the first round at Wilmslow.
Matty Dodd-Berry makes it two from two at Bromborough
In complete contrast Dimambro roared into the lead in the Cat. He got off to a superb start, birdieing the first two holes, and when he knocked one in from 35 feet at the eighth, he was four under for his round.
Then at the ninth he left his birdie putt woefully short but sunk a massive momentum par putt from 20 feet.
He got to seven under at the 15th, where he registered his third birdie in a row as his excellent iron play set up three very makeable putts.
However Wilmslow’s infamous closing hole claimed yet another victim, Dimambro bogeying the last to finish six under for his round.
Coxon’s 70 moved him into second and the University of Stirling student matched that score in the afternoon to keep himself in the hunt.
And when Dimambro double bogeyed 15 in the fourth round it was game on.
However the Gog Magog player got up and down brilliantly for a crucial par at 16 and then birdied the par three 17 thanks to stunning eight iron to three feet.
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“The most boring par in the world” at 18 saw him close with a 72 and it was enough for a debut victory and some very helpful WAGR points.
Dimambro added: “In the second round the wind got up and kept switching and I didn’t hole any decent putts like I did in the morning.
“I hit 14 of 18 greens in the afternoon and was pleased with that.”
And despite the journey time and all traffic issues, the new champion plans to defend his title next year.
“Everyone was so friendly and made me feel so welcome and I am definitely coming back.”