THE hard work put in by so many of the junior members of Royston Golf Club was rewarded by their successes in two recent events. In the last qualifying game in the CAGU Junior Inter-Club Matchplay League against Lakeside Lodge, Royston needed at least a

THE hard work put in by so many of the junior members of Royston Golf Club was rewarded by their successes in two recent events.

In the last qualifying game in the CAGU Junior Inter-Club Matchplay League against Lakeside Lodge, Royston needed at least a 4-2 win to progress through to the regional final.

The juniors set off in glorious sunshine with light winds, but by the time the leading group had reached the 10th tee, nearby thunder and lightning had reached the course and, with safety paramount, play was interrupted.

The storm subsided and Royston went on to secure a superb 5.5-0.5 win.

A highlight of the day was a hole-in-one by Chris Trimble at the par-3 16th hole, on his way to a 2 &1 win.

The other Royston wins were secured by Marcus Shipley (2&1), Tom Clapham (4&3), James Sandford (4&3) and James Smith (5&4).

Royston's unbeaten record on the day was assured by junior captain Oli Bance, who halved his match.

The incentive for the Royston juniors now is the knowledge that the winners of the upcoming regional final will go on to play in the national final at Woodhall Spa in October.

The recent Royston Junior Open attracted a large entry, predominately from clubs in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire.

The overall winner of the 36 holes scratch prize was Oli Bance (70 and 72) whose morning round also won him the Daily Telegraph Junior Golf Championship 2006 qualifier position.

Other notable Royston successes on the day were Marcus Shipley (winner handicap section; 16-18 years), James Smith (winner handicap section; under-16), Hugo Christie (runner-up handicap section; under-16), Jonathan Osler (runner-up youth section; 19-21), Adam McKenzie (winner 18 hole stableford competition for 21-40 handicaps) and Matthew Barrett (runner-up in the 18 hole stableford).

Other highlights of the recent Royston Golf Club calendar include the Midweek golfers' monthly Stableford competition won by Walter Shaw (36 points) on countback with Fred Wilding in second place.

The Royal British Legion Cup was won by Chris Taylor (41 points) on countback from Alan Evans, with victory in the ladies section going to Joan Smith (32 points), just ahead of Janice Abrahams, which was also settled on countback.

The England v Scotland match for the Quaich Trophy, which has been played each year over The Heath for almost 25 years, was a closely fought affair with England just managing to stay level with a strong Scottish team to force a 3-3 draw and retain the cup.

A magnificent gross score of 68 (nett 63) secured first place in Division One of the Sunday Medal for Ben Geldart, as well as the day's prize for best scratch score.

Second place in this category went to Mark Hill nett 64 (72-8).

Division Two winner was Stuart Hunt nett 66 (81-15) who pushed Stephen De Fraine nett 66 (80-14) into second place on countback.