Bella Elaine

The Heworth Golf Club mainstay has crowned a superb year by bagging an all-expenses paid trip to play at three of Italy's most glamorous courses later this month.

Besides winning the women's leading York title earlier this year Elaine also entered the Sunday Express 'Keep a Six off your Card' competition, which rewarded any medal round decorated by scores of five or less.

One such card of a gross 70 - 'my best round yet so far' - was posted by Elaine and was duly entered. She soon collected a prize of six balls from joint sponsors Maxfli.

But then came the icing on the pannetone.

She was also put into a draw and this week discovered that with one other woman from Huddersfield and six men from the rest of the country Elaine had won a dream trip to Italy, where she will play at the Bologna, Modena and Castel San Pietro courses.

Said the independent financial advisor who runs her own firm, Invest It-Pronto: "I am absolutely thrilled. I've never been to Italy before and to play golf there is a dream trip.

"It's been quite a year for me, really. I am looking forward to it, to put it mildly.

"There's only the two women in the final eight, so hopefully we can give the men a run for their money. I'll certainly be trying."

Elaine's introduction to golf back in 1983 when she was 13-years-old was quite an unusual one.

Boasting all-round ability at various sports she mentioned at Huntington School, where she was a pupil, that she fancied trying to get a game of golf. That took her to Heworth GC and soon after her father joined.

"It was a bit unusual in that my dad was to follow in my footsteps rather than the other way around," she recalled.

Within four years of first taking a club in her hand Elaine was the Yorkshire schoolgirl champion. She was also drafted into the Yorkshire Ladies' team, whom she represented for two years.

Back then her handicap was down to four and currently it has increased to just five, which has helped her to her 2001 successes.

Treasurer of the ladies' section committee at Heworth GC, her main ambition now is to keep fit and be able to play. Bella, bella, Elaine.

EXTENDING the Azzurri analogy if 52-year-old Dick Sefton had a favourite Italian football team it might have to be 'Inter Divan' (ouch).

For the nine-handicap member of Malton and Golf Club's reward for his first ever hole in one was - a bed.

The computer programmer was a guest in a tournament organised for the Furniture Trades Benevolent Association at the Hillsborough GC in Sheffield. On the 185-yard par-three tenth hole Sefton sent a three-iron shot into the cup for his first ace in more than two decades of playing.

To his astonishment that earned him the prize of an impressive pocket-sprung bed kindly donated by Middlestown Furnishings of Wakefield.

"I've heard of cars being given as prizes for holes in one, but never a bed. It was quite a surprise," said Sefton.

THERE were Tooms of glory at Easingwold GC in the ladies' September medal.

Lady captain Ann Tooms was not only the overall winner, but she also won the Ladies Golf Union pendant with her nett 70.

Mrs Tooms topped the bronze 'A' division, while the silver division was won by Doreen Clark, and the bronze 'B' by Anne Myers.

Easingwold GC's men's team however just missed out on a place in the quarter-finals of the Mail On Sunday team classic after losing 3-1 to hosts Newark.

The team comprised Stuart Rank, the sole winner, Giles Haddaway, Carl Tyrer and John Ellison, while other team members who helped to negotiate seven rounds were Steve Faulkner and Bill Allen.

The picturesque fifth hole at Easingwold has yielded two aces.

Frank Myers used a seven-iron for his first hole in one in 20 years on the 144-yard fifth, while David Donaldson fired a nine-iron shot into the cup for his seventh hole in one.

FORMER Yorkshire player Peter Huddlestone won Fulford's September medal with a nett 69 on count-back from runner-up Paul Foulger. Huddlestone had the best gross round of 72.

Five players finished on the same 41-points mark in the seniors' trophy, but that went to Doug Martin on count-back.

The lady captain's day was won by Ann Robinson with 45 stableford points, four ahead of Liz Jones, while in the junior section Hessay Trophy Ben Kelleher posted a superb nett 60 to finish nine shots in front of Charlie Parry.

KILNWICK Percy GC's Vivien and Alan Howson, plus Steve Johnson and Paul Potts, had a superb round of 84 to win the stableford Am-Am from a brace of Cottingham GC teams.

Potts meanwhile was in the lead in the September Medal with a nett 64 and also recorded the lowest gross of 79 ahead of Steven Kendra in second place and Jim Baldwin, who was third on count-back from Peter Wright.

The junior medal was led by Jamie Nesfield with a nett 63, while Anne Beharrell took this month's ladies' qualifier with Vivien Howson winning the medal.

COUNTBACK determined Allerthorpe Park GC's medal competition in favour of Julian James after he and Grant Tolworthy both scored a nett 59. Gordon Kelly's round of 69 earned the best gross prize.

The second medal competition was won with a nett 58 by Steve Moran, while Terry Holmes landed the Eve Missin Trophy with 50 points.

The club hosted the Pocklington and District Licensed Victuallers' Association golf day in which Black Swan, North Cave, won the division one honours and Black Sheep II division two. Neville Furness had a hole in one on the par three sixth.

IT was happy Holliday all the way at Kirkbymoorside GC.

The Holliday Invitation Cup was won for the first time by Pickering's John Holliday. It was the death of his late father Alec that sparked the founding of the event for which the trophy was that originally won at Kirkbymoorside GC's captain's day way back in 1933.

John Holliday's triumph, after he had twice come second, was all the more fitting on the tenth anniversary of the competition.

He totalled 40 points to pip Viv Robinson on 39, who was second on count-back from Brian Carroll.

YORK Union of Golf Clubs suffered a sorry swansong to the season when they finished sixth and last in the Yorkshire Union six-man stroke-play championship at Harrogate.

The best performer for York was Fulford GC's James Mason, who fired rounds of 68 - one-under-par - and 76.

The tournament was won by Leeds, who were a massive 20 strokes ahead of second-placed East Riding.

Malton and Norton Golf professional Steve Robinson was bidding for honours in the Rayrigg Motors Lakes Autumn Classic, which started at Windermere today.

The north region PGA event is a two-round format with a total prize fund of £10,000 with the second round played tomorrow.

Robinson, who has recovered from a serious back injury to enjoy one of his most successful summers, is in a strong field that also includes former Heworth GC professional Neil Cheetham, now playing out of Barlborough Links in Sheffield, and Ganton GC's Gary Brown.

ROUTE 66 did the trick for Andrew Lydiatt to capture the Forest Park GC men's September Medal ahead of no less than ten competitors who all scored nett 69.

The lowest gross of 76 - four over-par - was carded by third-placed Colin McLorg.

Julie Ashton meanwhile won the Lady Captains Cup on 40 points ahead of Christine Mosley on 38 and third-placed Lorna Mastaglio with 37.

MALTON and Norton GC ladies' team have reached the national quarter-finals of the Mail On Sunday team competition after beating visitors Turton GC 3-1.

The quartet of Jean Mackenzie, Judy Butler, Janet Rushworth and Pat Hague have been pitched away to Worsley Hall in October in the last eight with the chance of reaching the semi-finals, which will be played in Portugal.

FORMER member of both Fulford and The York Golf Clubs Stephen East will next month play in the United States mid-amateur championship in California.

East, now a member at Moortown in Leeds, seized the British mid-amateur event last month to earn the invitation to the American tournament.

PIKE Hills GC's Dennis Martindale notched his first hole in one in 35 years of playing with a five-iron shot to the 156-yards 15th hole in the monthly medal.

Updated: 11:24 Saturday, September 15, 2001