SIX-TIME York Union of Golf Clubs’ amateur champion Martin Brown captured a top trophy for the first time.

The Pike Hills Golf Club ace won the York Rose Bowl, a Yorkshire Order of Merit competition, over two rounds at York GC.

The strength of the 66-man event – the cream of the county’s golfers vying for the coveted prize – was such that half the field boasted handicaps of scratch or better, including two plus-three golfers, seven on plus-two and 13 on plus-one.

Brown carded two rounds of 70, a superbly consistent level-par 140 to edge past his Pike Hills and York Union inter-county team-mate Craig Smith. He was one shot adrift of Brown on 141.

Third place went to Will Whiteoak from Bingley St Ives on count-back after finishing as one of a quartet of players, including Selby GC’s Chris Ramsey, to score 142.