THREE definitely is a magic number for North Yorkshire’s most successful women’s amateur golfer, Emma Brown.

In her first top competition since giving birth to her first child, Jack, the Malton & Norton Golf club star defied rain-drenched elements to capture her third Yorkshire Ladies Championship crown.

Brown’s other two conquests – under her maiden name of Duggleby – were recorded in the years 2000 and 2002.

But this week’s completion of her hat-trick was not only equally as joyous as the previus two, but was also all the more impressive since the birth of Jack just this past winter.

To win her third crown at Bradford GC she not only seized the Mid-Amateur title for her stroke-play rounds of 72 and 75, she then majestically negotiated four rounds of match-play to lift the trophy for the third time and in what was her 13th Yorkshire Ladies final of an illustrious amateur career.

And all this with juggling the demands of motherhood. “By the time I’d finished playing it was back home to see to Jack,” she said.

“By the time I’d got him off to bed I was ready to go to sleep myself.”

However, the woman, who has also been appointed the non-playing captain of the Great Britain team which will compete in the high-calibre European Ladies’ Amateur Team Championship at Fulford GC from July 9 to 13, produced some of her most consistent golf to gather in her third county crown.

In the first match-play round, she accounted for Fulford GC’s Helen Barugh by an emphatic 6 and 5 margin before then edging past Holly Morgan (Lees Hall GC) on the 20th hole of a tense quarter-final.

“That was a really brilliant battle against a very good up and coming young player,” she recalled.

Brown’s semi-final was against former tour professional Nicola Buxton.

Coincidentally Brown and Woodsome Hall GC’s Buxton had played in the Yorkshire final some 21 years earlier when the latter won.

But revenge was sweet for Brown who saw off her opponent – now restored to amateur status – 6 and 5.

That put the Malton & Norton marvel into the final showdown against Huddersfield GC’s Megan Lockett in atrocious rain-lashed conditions.

“The rain was so bad that they (the green staff) had to squeegee the last three greens as we came along to finish the final,” added Brown, who eventually prevailed 2 and 1 to enjoy her third coronation as Yorkshire Ladies champion.

She said: “I played steady golf right through the whole week and when it got to the final we were so drenched it just made me focus on each shot and not thinking too far ahead.

“It’s a great feeling to have won it for the third time, especially after not long having Jack and not being able to play any tournaments.

“With the winter being so bad I haven’t hardly even been able to bring Jack down with me to practise, so it was a great boost to win.

“It’s just as good a feeling as I had when winning the title in 2000 and 2002.”