Heswall pair take Spalding Cup win

Nov 20 2007 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Daily Post

TOM ATKINSON and John Little from Heswall are the 2007 winners of the Liverpool Alliance’s prestigious Spalding Cup.

On a day of gale-force winds at Formby they beat Kris Archer and Josh Sims of Caldy in the semi-finals.

That victory set up a final meeting with Alan Harrison and James Robinson from Southport and Ainsdale, winners in their semi-final against the Upton-by-Chester pair of Mike Jones and Peter Bostock.

Both semi-finals finished a few holes before the 18th, giving the finalists a break from the winds before the afternoon final when Atkinson and Little won the title 2&1.

The Spalding Cup, a foursomes medal scratch competition, started in 1923 for the trophy presented by the sports company.

Players had also battled against the winds for the previous day’s meeting of the Alliance at nearby West Lancashire, where Mike Jones continued his run of top form to win the individual section with 38 points, one ahead of plus-two amateur James Robinson from Southport and Ainsdale. John Donoghue, the former professional at Hesketh and now in the senior ranks, was third with 36.

Jones and Bostock won the pro-am with 41, one ahead of Kevin Hartley and John Moore from Runcorn. Three pairs shared third position.

Eric Goodwin from Childwall, who celebrated a hole in-one the previous week, won the am-am 42 points with club colleague Phil Wiggins.

The meeting produced another ace, from Heswall’s Len Jones at the par-three 17th.