Delight and despair for Thorpe Wood pairing

Suzanne Dickens (left) and Ann Curwen were pipped at the post in the Lombard Trophy Regional Final.

PGA professional Dickens and amateur Curwen played some sparkling golf and were delighted to finish joint top of the leaderboard with an eight-under-par round of 64.

But there was disappointment to follow as they discovered they’d been pipped on countback by Hampshire’s Claire Duffy and Alex Sizer from the Bramshaw Golf Club.

However, they were still happy to have made the grand final in Portugal in September.

In third place, a further shot back, came the Essex pairing of Sarah Bennett and Cherry Clarke of Three Rivers Golf & Country Club and the top three teams qualified for the £7,800 final, which is being supported by Coca Cola and Pestana Resorts.

It takes place at the Vila Sol resort in Portugal on September 21 and 22.

Dickens and her amateur partner had a scintillating front nine and reached the turn at six under after picking up birdies at six holes. They were four shots clear of Duffy and Sizer.

But roles were reversed on the back nine. While Dickens and Curwen managed just three birdies Duffy and Sizer finished with a flourish. They picked up shots on the final four holes to draw level and steal victory.

Both pairs received £275.

Gary Noye from Peterborough Milton meanwhile triumphed at the regional final of the Bridgestone’s Chase Your Dream Trophy, run in partnership with England Golf.

The five-handicapper had a winning net score of 73 at Spalding Golf Club and now goes forward to the final in England Golf Week at Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, in August. He said: “It’s the second time I’ve played Spalding and I made sure I plotted my way round carefully.”