Dewsbury golfer Bob Oldroyd recently completed an amazing treble, spanning four decades, when he claimed the Veterans knockout title at the Mirfield based course earlier this year.

As well as many successes in general club competitions the former Club Captain's illustrious golfing resume now includes being Junior Champion in 1968, the Scratch Winner in 1984 and now his newly achieved Veterans crown.

Club Manager Mick Thorpe praised Oldroyd's treble, "This is quite an achievement to have claimed these titles over a 41 year time span and he is still going strong!"

He added, "No one else has managed this fete at the club and we doubt it will have been achieved many times at any other club."

The start times for the next HHDGA Alliance meeting have now been published.

The fixture will take place at Meltham Golf Club on Tuesday 10th November. The full start sheet can be seen here.

Last Monday, the 19th October 2009, Christine Withers from Dewsbury District Golf Club was enrolled as the new President of the Yorkshire Veteran Ladies' Golf Association.

Christine has served as both Lady Captain (1970) and Lady President (1975-76) at The Pinnacle Club.

She has also previously held the office of Captain of the Yorkshire Veteran Ladies' Golf Association in 1998.

Having been excellent supporters of the Alliance for many years, Meltham pair Neil Paxman and Tony Baier proved very popular winners at last weeks Alliance meeting at West End.

In another high scoring and tight competition, Paxman and Baier (pictured below with West Professional David Rishworth) scored an excellent 43 points to claim top spot and end a 10 year drought since their last win.

Being one of the later pairs to complete their round they overtook long time clubhouse leaders Dave Rollinson and Frank Roby from home cub West End. Two other pairs matched Rollinson and Roby’s score of 42 points but it was their excellent 22 points on the back nine that grabbed them second place.

On an interesting note, every Alliance event has specific local rules relating to the course and conditions on the day but this is the first time that Alliance officials have had to have a rule in for balls lost through birds stealing them. In fact on the day some dozen golfers reported balls vanishing from the course!!

In the PRO-AM Bradley Hall professional Rob Booth and his partner Andy Hare (pictured below) claimed first position with an excellent 41 points that included four birdies. In second place, after a card play off, were David Astin from Woodsome Hall and his partner John Gumbley from Hebden Bridge with 39 points.

In what was a welcome return to West End after 10 years, the weather could not have been any better and with the course in excellent condition the day proved a huge success, highlighted by the fact that this was a record field for an event at this time of the year, for which the Alliance would like to give thanks.

James Washington, one of the Alliance's organisers commented, "The service and hospitality received at West End was excellent and many complimented the meal afterwards. The Alliance would also like to thank West End Golf Club, and in particular David Rishworth for his efforts in helping to organise the day and for conducting the presentation with Barry Isles so professionally."

The next event is at Meltham Golf Club on Tuesday 10th November.

Leading Scores.

Simon Lilly carded a fantastic final round of 65 to win the Tour Championship on the PGA EuroPro Tour at De Vere Slaley Hall, Northumberland by seven shots at eight under par – securing his Challenge Tour card in the process and denying Chris Hanson victory.

Lilly (Wellingborough) played with the duo he shared the overnight lead with – Chris Hanson (Woodsome Hall) and Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) – but as they struggled to build on the platform they had set, Lilly stormed out of the blocks with four birdies in the first six holes to seize the initiative.

He then matched that birdie salvo on the back nine by picking up a shot at the tenth then three straight birdies from the 13th moved him to nine under for the tournament before a minor blemish in the shape of a bogey at the last saw him finish at eight under par, seven shots ahead of Steve Surry.

“Obviously with three of us tied for the lead I had winning in my mind and I thought that if I shot somewhere in the 60s I would be hard to beat, but to do that today was just unreal,” said Lilly, who moves into fifth on the final Order of Merit standings with the £15,000 winner’s cheque to take the final Challenge Tour card.

Hanson’s bid for the title was all over after dropping four shots in his first four holes, eventually finishing eight over for the day and in a tie for 18th spot, while Doherty went round in 75 to finish two over for the tournament and in a three-way tie for sixth with Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk) and Paul Maddy (Gog Magog), who shot a three under par 69 in his final round.

The respective slips from Hanson and Doherty opened the door for Surry (Cumberwell Park) to move through the field to take second spot with a two under par final round. Following rounds of 74 and 71, Surry made his move on the front nine with three birdies and just one bogey – consolidating his position with a level par back nine.

FINAL SCORES FROM DE VERE SLALEY HALL
1 Simon Lilly 208 -8 73, 70, 65 £15,000
2 Steve Surry 215 -1 74, 71, 70 £7,500
=3 Brian McElhinney 216 Lvl 75, 72, 69 £2,650
=3 Steven Parry 216 Lvl 73, 73, 70 £2,650
5 Matthew Ford 217 +1 76, 73, 68 £1,500
6 Paul Maddy 218 +2 73, 76, 69 £1,300
=7 James Gill 219 +3 79, 69, 71 £1,000
=7 Colin Roope 219 +3 73, 72, 74 £1,000
=7 Paul Doherty 219 +3 71, 72, 76 £1,000

TOP 15 ORDER OF MERIT
1 Scott Jamieson £23,492.25
2 Tom Haylock £22,972.41
3 Daniel Brooks £22,274.17
4 Steve Surry £20,922.50
5 Simon Lilly £20,407.02
6 Jack Doherty £17,218.79
7 Paul Dwyer £16,455.00
8 James Busby £15,935.00
9 Elliot Saltman £14,383.57
10 Paul Maddy £14,374.49
11 Graeme Clark £14,245.00
12 Sandeep Grewal £12,031.00
13 Nicky Harris £10,341.83
14 James Ruebotham £9,714.99
15 Matthew Ford £9,662.30

Chris Hanson, Simon Lilly and Paul Doherty lead by two strokes at one under in the Tour Championships at De Vere Slaley Hall ahead of Thursday’s final round of the 2009 PGA EuroPro Tour finale.

Hanson (Woodsome Hall) led by one stroke after his opening round 70 in the North East but he found his second round tougher going and a one over 73 saw him drop to one under. The 24 year-old began well with birdies at the fourth and sixth holes moving him to four under, but a double-bogey at seven was followed by bogeys at eight and nine to move to level par – with three birdies and two bogeys on the back nine taking him to 73 for the day and one under after two rounds.

Lilly (Wellingborough) produced a fine round of 70 to join Hanson at the top of the leaderboard, beginning on the back nine with two birdies before dropping his only shot of the round at the second but making that back at the fourth to leave the 2004 Order of Merit winner in a very strong position after an opening round 73.

Completing the triumvirate in pole position for the £15,000 winner’s cheque is Paul Doherty (Vale Hotel) who recorded a level par second round thanks to cancelling out a pair of bogeys on the front nine with birdies at 11 and 12.

Level par was also the score that sees Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk) sit two strokes behind the leading trio at one over par. Roope played in Hanson’s three-ball and endured an up-and-down day, recording his first birdie of the day at the fourth but then dropping three shots before the turn. The 29 year-old responded immediately though with back-to-back birdies from the tenth and picked up another birdie at 16 but a bogey at the last saw his deficit move from one stroke to two.

Roope will tee-off with Steve Surry (Cumberwell Park) in the final round after the Bath man carded a one under round of 71 to move to one over for the tournament. Surry – who won the opening event of the Tour back in May – began his second round on the back nine where he picked up three birdies and one bogey to move to level par after an opening round 74. A fourth birdie of the day moved him to one under for the tournament but he slipped to one over with bogeys at the fourth and seventh holes.

Sandeep Grewal (ISM) will join Roope and Surry in the final round after a three over round of 75 dropped him to two over for the tournament. Grewal is joined by Llewellyn Matthews (Southerndown GC) who also recorded a 75 and Steven Parry (Bolton) who recorded his second 73 of the tournament in eventful fashion with an eagle and three birdies spoiled by six bogeys, including a bogey-bogey finish.

At the end of the Tour Championships the top five in the Order of Merit progress onto the Challenge Tour for 2010, so with money list leader Scott Jamieson seven over for the tournament, the door is opened for his competitors to pounce. Currently lying in second spot is Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd) who recorded a one over par round of 73 to sit in a three-way tie for 13th spot at four over. Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill) is in third spot on the money list but is struggling alongside Jamieson at seven over, so Jack Doherty (North Gailes) and Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) will consider themselves in the best position to capitalise at three over par, alongside Phil Worthington (Donnington Grove).

The final round of the Tour Championship from De Vere Slaley Hall begins at 8.15am on Thursday (October 29), with the final three-ball of Paul Doherty and Hanson, Lilly teeing-off at 9.45am. Live scoring from what promises to be a nail-biting final round in Northumberland is available via the Score Updates link at www.europrotour.com, where you can find the full leaderboard after the opening two rounds.

BETTING LATEST
Chris Hanson is the 11/4 favourite with official bookmakers Sky Bet to win the Tour Championships.

Hanson led going into the second round but a one over 73 saw him drop to one under for the tournament and into a three-way tie for the lead with Simon Lilly (3/1) and Paul Doherty (10/3).

Steve Surry and Colin Roope are their closest challengers sitting two strokes behind and are 5/1 and 12/1 respectively, while the trio of Sandeep Grewal (16/1), Steven Parry (20/1) and Llewellyn Matthews (25/1) are one stroke further adrift at two over par.

To bet on the Tour Championships with Sky Bet, click the logo below and get a FREE £10 bet.

Patience is the key for Yorkshireman Hanson who leads by one at Slaley Hall.

Local tour pro Chris Hanson drew first blood at the 2009 Tour Championship on the PGA EuroPro Tour at De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland, holding a one stroke lead at two under with an opening round of 70.

Hanson (Woodsome Hall) began his round on the back nine and quickly moved to two under par after four holes. Bogeys at the 18th and second holes put him back to level par before birdies at the fourth and eighth holes saw him card one of just four rounds under par in tough conditions in the North East.

“I knew that a score around level would be good – so I’m pleased to have got in under par,” said Hanson. “I was a couple under early on but dropped those shots but getting an easy birdie at the fourth and another one at the eighth was pleasing and I hit a couple of good shots on the ninth to walk off at two under.”

Hanson has missed the cut in his last two events on the Tour but sits in a promising position at Slaley Hall and says he’s aware of what he needs to do to come out on top: “The key for me in the final two rounds will just be to be as patient as I can be,” said the 24 year-old.

Paul Doherty (North Gailes), Sandeep Grewal (ISM) and Llewellyn Matthews (Southerndown GC) all carded one under rounds of 71 to sit on Hanson’s shoulder after the opening exchanges. Doherty will feel aggrieved after bogey-bogey finish saw him slip from a leading position after recording five birdies in his round, while Grewal will be full of confidence after winning the PartyPoker.com International Open at Fairmont St. Andrews and he will look at an eagle on the par-five fourth hole as the key to his good start to the event. Matthews can claim the best comeback of the day after starting his round with an eight on the par-four tenth, recovering with five birdies to shoot a fine round of 71.

Adam Frayne (St Mellion) sits alone in fifth spot at level par after cancelling out four birdies, with three in his opening four holes, and he is one stroke ahead of a group of nine players at one over par – Phil Worthington (Donnington Grove), Colin Roope (wstore.co.uk), Ian Keenan (Royal Liverpool), Simon Lilly (Wellingborough), Graeme Clark (Doncaster), Paul Maddy (Gog Magog), Steven Parry (Bolton), Jack Doherty (North Gailes) and Paul Dwyer (Clitheroe) all carded rounds of 73.

With much of the focus at the Tour Championship is on the top of the Order of Merit, Jack Doherty and Dwyer know that victory and the £15,000 winner’s cheque that goes with it could secure top spot from their respective fourth and fifth positions with money list leader Scott Jamieson perhaps opening the door to his rivals after an opening round 76 left him at four over. Jamieson is playing with closest competitors Tom Haylock (Ground Construction Ltd – second) and Daniel Brooks (Mill Hill – third) but neither managed to capitalise with Brooks matching Jamieson’s score and Haylock going round in 75.

The second round of the Tour Championship from De Vere Slaley Hall in Northumberland begins at 8.15am on Wednesday (October 28), with live scoring available at www.europrotour.com.

SKY BET ODDS UPDATE:
Hanson’s first round lead has seen him installed as the new 7/1 favourite for the Tour Championship with official bookmakers Sky Bet.

The Yorkshireman’s one stroke lead at two under par is a slender one in the eyes of the oddsmakers, with Grewal (9/1), Paul Doherty (10/1) and Matthews (12/1) hot on his heels at one under par. Dwyer is an 11/1 shot at one over par, while Surry is four strokes behind Hanson but seen as a danger-man at 12/1.

To view the full prices after the opening round and back Hanson for Victory visit Sky Bet

The start sheet for Thursday's Alliance at West End has now been published.

An excellent turn out of over 100 competitors at this new venue for the 2009/10 season means that the field is full with 12 professionals entered for the Pro-Am competition.

See the full start sheet.

Andy Wilford burnt the Outlane course up with a gross 65 but could only finish in 4th place during the October Medal!

As the course is using two temporary holes it couldn't count as a course record but a round like this was quite amazing at this time of the year when the greens had been hollowtined for later work on them.

Paul Phillips won the first division with a nett 60 and junior player Mattew Alsop carried on his good form with his new handicap to come second. Bob Hazelden also produced his best round of the year with a 79 gross for a nett 64 to share fifth place.

In the second division Roger Holroyd won on the countback from Gary Bayley who also carried his form through with his new handicap.

1st Division:
Paul Phillips 70 gross (10) = 60 nett
Matthew Alsop 75 gross (15) = 60 nett
Steve Osborne 72 gross (10) = 62 nett
Andy Wilford 65 gross (3) = 62 nett
Mr.Captain 73 gross (9) = 64 nett
Bob Hazelden 79 gross (15) = 64 nett

2nd Division:
Roger Holroyd 83 gross (21) = 62 nett
Gary Bayley 81 gross (19) = 62 nett
Dale Brook 83 gross (20) = 63 nett
David Cromack81 gross (18) = 63 nett

Despite the very blustery conditions there was a great turnout for the first Lady Captain v Lady Vice Captain competition at Crow Nest Park.

A field of 36 golfers took part, with over £100 going to the Captains Charity, Overgate Hospice.

Lady Vice Captian Aamanda Mowl lead her team to victory, against Lady Captain Helen Pearson who despite fighting breast cancer took defeat with the the usual good grace.

Best Pair: Amanda Mowl & Rick Spurr
Best Gent: Glyn Owen
Best Lady: Ruth Wilson