Lancashire win northern qualifier at Hesketh

Jul 24 2007 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

LANCASHIRE finished on top of the pile at a rain-soaked EGU Northern Counties Boys’ Qualifying Championship at Hesketh Golf Club.

And Formby Hall’s Tommy Fleetwood emerged with the John Todd Trophy for the best 36 hole score of level par 144.

This year’s Championship at the Southport club was in doubt after thunder and lightning brought more heavy rain onto an already wet course just 24 hours before the scheduled start.

Organisers paid tribute to the Hesketh green staff for their hard work in getting the course playable, using preferred lies.

The best five scores to count out of six gave Yorkshire a one stroke lead over Lancashire after the first round. Adam Best set the ball rolling for Yorkshire with a fine 69 closely followed by a 70 from Garrick Porteous of Northumberland. Two strokes divided Cheshire, Northumberland and Durham. But Lancashire ran out winners with a score of 740, two strokes better than Yorkshire and eight strokes ahead of Cheshire.

Adam Wills (Cheshire) won the best second round prize with 72.