North come of age

Northumberland lifted the Men’s County Qualifying Championship for the first time in 21 years at Seascale Golf Club.

The team of Phil Ridden, Alex Dixon, Matty Lamb, Craig Penny, Daniel Shevill and Andrew Minnikin produced a dominant performance in the 36-hole event with a total of 869 to finish 13 shots clear of second-place Cheshire.

Northumberland captain David Gilroy said: “I couldn’t be prouder of the team. From travelling through to Wednesday’s 36 holes everything fitted in great and each one of them played some brilliant golf.”

Minnikin led the way with rounds of 72 and 67 for a two round total of 139, just one behind individual winner Lewis George. Shevill (69-71) was another shot behind as Ridden (146), Lamb (146), Dixon (147) and Penny (151) all contributed to the win. “The guys all stuck to the game plan set out by our coach Andy Paisley and executed it really well over the two rounds,” added Gilroy.

“We also had tremendous support with nine guys coming over to Seascale with us as caddies and ball spotters – I can’t thank them enough for their support.

“We’ve put a plan in place to build a strong county team capable of results like this – though I’ll admit the success has come sooner than I thought it would,” added Gilroy.

Northumberland will head to Trevose Golf Club September 29-October 1 to represent the Northern Counties in the Men’s County Championship.