Emma Lyons wins South-Eastern Championship
22/07/05

Emma Lyons joined an exclusive group of Surrey golfers - including Jill Thornhill and Laura Davies - when she won ELGA’s South Eastern division championship at the Wildernesse in Kent.The 22-year-old from West Surrey claimed her first major matchplay victory when she beat her great friend Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) 3/2 in the final. Emma showed her battling qualities throughout the championship. She qualified for the matchplay stages in 15th place on countback and edged through her quarter-final, beating Rachel Graves (Colchester) on the 20th. In the semi-final she pulled off a heroic comeback, beating Clara Leathers (Ellesborough) by one hole after being three down with five to play. Kent's Sian Reddick, 2004 English strokeplay champion led the qualifiers with a level par 144 over 36-holes and trounced her opponents in the first two matchplay rounds. But her challenge ran out in the semi-final, against the immaculate play of Tara Watters, who reached her third successive final. The championship was sponsored for the 16th year by The Lady magazine. Sian Reddick (Sene Valley) bt Katherine Russell (Royal Ashdown Forest) 6&5; Hayley Charlick (Sundridge Park) bt Samantha Round (Tadmarton Heath) 5&4; Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) bt Clarissa Bushell (West Sussex) 6&5; Liz Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) bt Fiona Smith (Chelmsford) 1 hole; Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) bt Anne Wheble (Dartford) 1 hole: Clara Leathers (Ellesborough) bt Sarah Tyson (Redlibbets) 3&1; Rachel Graves (Colchester) bt Tracey Boyes (Meon Valley) 4&3; Emma Lyons (West Surrey) bt Alex Marshall (Royal Cinque Ports) 2 holes

Quarter finals:Sian Reddick (Sene Valley) bt Hayley Charlick (Sundridge Park) 5&4; Tara Watters (Muswell Hill) bt Liz Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) 4&3; Clara Leathers (Ellesborough) bt Nicole Whitmore (Woburn) 3&2; Emma Lyons (West Surrey) bt Rachel Graves (Colchester) 20th.
Semi finals: Watters bt Reddick 2 holes; Lyons bt Leathers 1 hole
Final: Lyons bt Watters 3&2.

Trio of champions
15/07/05
England girl international Katrina Holford is celebrating a championship win – alongside Devon’s Emma Tayler and Lancashire’s Catherine Roberts.

They are the winners of the three ELGA divisional championships played so far this season.

Kat (Ingestre Park) swept the board of honours in the Midland championship at Shrewsbury. She was leading qualifier on the opening day on one-over par 147. Her score also won her the intermediate championship and helped Staffordshire to victory in the team trophy.

The 18-year-old moved steadily through the matchplay stages, winning the title in a low scoring final when she defeated county colleague Samantha Birks (Wolstanton) 1 up.

Rachel Jennings, 16, (Izaak Walton) was the third member of the successful Staffordshire A team and also won the Enid Wilson Trophy for the best gross morning round by a junior in qualifying. She scored a level par 73.

In the Northern championship at Headingley Catherine Roberts (Pleasington) produced sub-par golf to beat Karen Heywood (Crompton & Royton) 5/4 in the final.

Low-scoring was the keynote of the tournament with two new course records created during the strokeplay qualifying rounds, despite heavy and prolonged rain. The first came from Clare Brown (Furness) who had a three-under par 71 in the morning. Then Laura Harvey (Richmond) bettered it by a stroke in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Laura Holmes (Hessle) won the Slazenger Trophy for 18-25-year-olds with her two round total of 146 (73, 73). The scratch and handicap team trophies were both won by the Yorkshire trio of Cheryl Smith, Laura Holmes and Laura Harvey.

The South-West championship at Trevose was won by Devon’s Emma Tayler (Saunton) who beat Emma Brown (West Wilts) 2/1 in a good-quality final.

The two players dominated the event. Emma Brown was top qualifier on 147 after 36 holes of strokeplay and was also the gross intermediate winner. Emma Tayler won the intermediate handicap prize.

Devon won both the scratch and handicap county team prizes.