Defeat hits title hopes

Golf

Ashford’s hopes of winning the East Kent League title we’re dented when they went down to a narrow 3-2 home defeat against Chestfield.

All appeared to be going well for the hosts when in the scratch matches Jason Barnes and Jack Owen won 5/4 and the pairing of Callum Gardiner and Mark Penfold won 1up but Chestfield hit back with close victories as Dave Bible and Sam Osborne went down by one hole while Lee Smith/Josh Wise were beaten 2/1. The visitors clinched the win when Craig Oliver and Mel Head fidished on the wrong end of another close game.

Attention now turns to this weekend’s visit to Sheerness in the semi-final of the Guilford Trophy.

The Ashford Club hosted its inaugural Seniors Open and the Trophy stayed at Sandyhurst Lane as John Linstead,Alan Taylor, Kevin Harrison and Keith Hopson combined to register 110 points, beating off the challenge of the other teams from home and away. The Vets Fourball betterball competition attracted a good field with John Leahy and Andrew Setchell emerging as winners with 43 points. David Eldridge and Peter Leckie were second on 41, one point clear of Colin Shaw and

Albert Edwards.

The Groombridge Trophy, featuring a junior with a club member, went to Luke Griggs and Nick Watkin, who beat off the father-and-son pairing of Kevin and Lewan Smith.

The first two of the three men’s knockout finals were played on Saturday with a comfortable win in the Denys Earl for Tony Checkley and James Mitchell, 5&4 against Alan Crust and Carlo Barbieri. Gary Barnett was victorious over Mark Bullock in the President’s Cup going all the way to 18 for a one-up win. Finally the Men’s Weekend Medal prize was won by Neil Collins whose nett score of 75 ensured victory two shots better than the score returned by Rocky Reed.