Glorious weather greeted players and spectators at the third Graeme Storm Junior Open at Hartlepool.
The tournament, run in association with Dyke House College – where Storm is a golf consultant, doubled up this year as a qualifier for both the Telegraph Junior Golf Championship and the North of England Under 14 Championship.
Freddie McKenna and Libby Bell won 11-14 gross titles while the nett prizes went to Jamie Skinner and Amy Buchan.
In the 15-18 category, Alex Buchanan and Charlotte Pickering took the gross prizes while the nett winners were Cara Weddell and Ben Suggitt.
A new tournament, the Mini Storm Open, for younger players aged 7-10, was held at Wynyard a few days later with Solomon Canning winning the boys event as Charlotte Naughton won the girls prize.
Storm, who is recovering from a wrist operation, was at both events and was full of praise for the players. “I went out in the buggy, the kids did great, there was some fantastic golf from what I saw and the kids were loving it,” he said. “I would like to say thanks to my wife Sara because without her this event wouldn’t run like it does. I am away all the time so she does all the organising, the prep, writing the emails and deals with the flak – I don’t know how she does it all.”
Former Middlesbrough defender Colin Cooper was at both days supporting the event, which sees all the money raised – just over £4,000 – going to the charity set up in his son’s name, the Finlay Cooper Fund.
