12:56pm Wednesday 8th July 2009
By Simon Parker
Ian Martin led from the front to win the Bradford Amateur Strokeplay championship at Northcliffe.
The Baildon player was always in command after shooting a superb six-under-par 65 in the morning round to pull clear of the pack.
Martin was one of only four players to break par over the first 18 holes, establishing a two-shot advantage over Cleckheaton’s Peter Fenton.
And a level-par 71 in the afternoon safely protected his lead to emerge the tournament winner by three shots.
The victory continued a rich vein of form for 36-year-old Martin, who won the Bradford Union’s first major competition of the season in May when he lifted the Foursomes Strokeplay Championship alongside clubmate Matt Roche at Woodhall Hills.
Although the wind during Sunday’s tournament got up as the day went on, the better scoring took place in the afternoon session.
Apart from the top two, only Baildon’s James Firth and Richard Malloy of Northcliffe had carded under-par tallies from the first 18 holes. They both shot 70 while Sam Jewell (Bradford) hit an even-par 71.
But scores hotted up second time around, with nine players going round under par.
The best of those was a 69 from Northcliffe’s Terry Brushwood, which was enough to earn the home player a share of fifth place with Liam O’Neill. The Keighley player shot a 70 to follow up his initial 72 as the pair finished six adrift of Martin.
Fenton’s 72 kept him in second spot with Firth’s even-par second 18 keeping him a shot ahead of O’Neill and Brushwood in third.
Shipley’s James Simpson and 17-year-old Jack Lampkin (Bracken Ghyll) both carded one-under-par 70s in their final round but Jewell faded out of contention with a 74.
The top 16 finishers qualify for the Matchplay Championships, which also begin at Northcliffe on Monday, when Martin faces Martin Bell.
The second round takes place on the same course the following week. The semi-finals and final take place at Bingley St Ives on Sunday, September 20.
MATCHPLAY DRAW (with tee-off times): I Martin v M Bell (5pm); C Watts v D Rowley (5.08pm); L O’Neill v P Thomas (5.16pm); T Brushwood v J Lampkin (5.24pm); P Fenton v D Wallis (5.32pm); D Bairstow v M Thompson (5.40pm); J Firth v M Evans (5.48pm); R Malloy v JD Hussain (5.56pm).
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