Home joy for Thorpe Hall hero Southgate (From Echo)

Home joy for Thorpe Hall hero Southgate

10:38am Thursday 3rd July 2008 in Search

THORPE Hall's Matthew Southgate has kept up his fine form by winning the second Michael Bonnalack Trophy.

Th prestigious event was introduced last year to mark the club's centenary and honours the best ever Essex amateur by encouraging his present day counterparts to excel at the game.

A field of 84 faced fast greens, hard fairways and punishing rough at the event, which was sponsored by Lexus Southend.

The event was played over 36 holes and the trophy went to the golfer with the best scratch score over two rounds - Southgate.

There were also prizes for the best morning and afternoon scores and the best net totals.

More than 50 members and staff were involved in ball-spotting, marshalling, scoring alongside Essex officials.

After the morning round, very few players were in the low 70s, with members delighted to see Southgate joint-leader with a gross 71 alongside Braintree's James Scade, with Basildon's James Dennison two back on 73.

Southgate, who is now second on the Essex order of merit on 65 points with four of the 10 events remaining, went to to win the event with a second round 72 for a two-round total of 143.

Scade came second on 144, while West Essex's Joe Williams won the handicap prize on 143 net.

Dennison recorded had the best morning score with a net 73 and a 74 gave Epping's Kenny Banks the afternoon award.

Southgate followed this triumph by helping Essex Colts return to form with an 8-4 win at Brookmans Park at Hertfordshire.

In the foursomes, he and Adam Winwood (North Weald) won their foursomes 7 and 6 before coming home 2-up in the singles.

Rayleigh's Jack Clarke, who represents Chelmsford, partnered Ross Spurgeon (West Essex) to a 3 and 1 foursomes win but lost by an identical scoreline in the singles.

The win revives Essex hopes of winning the Northern Division and overall South-Eastern League Colts title.