Golf
Bell needs his best at Bradford
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| Simon Bell defends his Hawksworth Trophy title this Saturday |
Simon Bell will have to be on top form if he is to successfully defend his Hawksworth Trophy at Bradford Golf Club on Saturday.
The 24-year-old - who has rejoined Baildon from Shipley - heads up the local challenge again after winning last year's title but some of the top
amateurs from across the north of England will be out to snatch it from his grasp.
The prestigious 36-hole Yorkshire Order of Merit
competition is the district's first big event of the season and has been running for nearly 40 years.
This year's field of 64 players, with an average handicap of one, includes three other past winners in England
international Roger Roper and county players Adam Best and Richard Broadley.
Rotherham's Matthew Evans - who along with Best is a
member of the England under-21 squad - is the lowest
handicapper at plus two.
Bell, who is believed to have been considering turning
professional, triumphed in 2007 with a two-under par aggregate score and went on to lift his
second Bradford Open title at Cleckheaton.
He should feature prominently again but there are also a host of local players out to take his crown.
Chief among them could be home club player Sam Jewell, who enjoyed a storming second half to last season which saw him win the T&A Golfer of the Year award.
The 18-year-old now wants to lift his first big title and, playing in his fourth Hawksworth Trophy, Jewell would love that to come on his own turf.
But the scratch handicapper, who is out first with Mark Weighman from The Manor, said: "I'll just go out and play and see what happens. I won't set targets because you can put too much pressure on yourself and it's better to play relaxed."
Jewell accepts local knowledge won't do him any harm but said: "It's not a massive
advantage as most players have played here numerous times so it's not the same as maybe somewhere like Baildon."
Lee Shepherd led the PGA North Region east qualifying round for the Manchester Open with a three-under-par 69 at Northumberland club De Vere Slaley Hall.
The 23-year-old, who is trainee
assistant at the Brighouse-based Willow Valley course,
collected four birdies, including three on the opening par fives before giving one back at the 16th.
10:44pm Wednesday 23rd April 2008
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