11:06pm Thursday 2nd July 2009
By Mike Crowther
England player Gareth Evans has played down his chances of winning Sunday’s 36-hole Bradford Amateur Championship at Northcliffe.
His pedigree means his name will be one fellow contenders look out for on the leaderboard, especially as he is playing on his home course.
But county commitments and involvement in top national events means he rarely gets to knock it round his home track.
And the 29-year-old will also be playing 36 holes for Yorkshire the day before.
He said: “I don’t usually do 36 on to 36 and we have a crunch game against Cumbria on Saturday.
“But it is at Fixby so it’s not too far away.
“I’m not going to put myself under pressure.
“There’s probably a lot of people who have played Northcliffe more than me in recent years.
“I am not even thinking about winning it. I will just play my game and see where that takes me.”
Evans plays in the standout three-ball along with Baildon’s Simon Bell and The Manor’s Mark Weighman.
Bell is the defending champion, having won last year at Cleckheaton, while Weighman is also a plus-handicapper.
Other names to look out for include Cleckheaton’s Peter Fenton and home player Terry Brushwood, who have both returned from the professional ranks this year.
Fenton lines up alongside Baildon’s James Firth and Shipley’s Danny Rowley – who both enjoyed good seasons last year – while Brushwood is paired with Bradford’s promising youngster Matthew Atter.
The Hawksworth teenager made it through to the quarter-finals of the Yorkshire Amateur Championships at Pannal last week before losing to Rotherham’s Sam Haywood.
Evans, who won the title in 2006, also reached the last eight before losing to eventual winner Nigel Sweet of Moortown.
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