Injury denies Anna gold

Sep 11 2008 by Tim Taylor, The Journal

THE North East’s No 1 woman golfer, Anna Scott, and the Durham county captain, James Handy, have both been having their problems lately.

But, while Scott deserves everybody’s sympathy, Handy, a former Journal Champion of Champions, is having to endure some leg-pulling.

Scott, the England international from the Consett club, was representing Britain in the World Student Games in Sun City, South Africa, when she hit the front for the first time in the tournament in the fourth and last round.

She was in line for the gold medal, but she injured her left elbow severely enough to force her to withdraw from the tournament with seven holes to play. The 22-year-old former Journal Trophy champion, majoring in journalism at Georgia State, went two under for the round after 10 holes but jarred her left elbow trying to get out of woodland rough at the 11th.

She completed the hole but was in such pain, the course doctor examined the injury by the green and ordered her to call it a day.

Handy was beaten by a 15-year-old, James Simpson, an England Schoolboys cap, as the North Durham Union season reached its climax. Simpson was in the Whickham team who went into the last fixture leading by 10 points from their nearest rivals, South Moor.

At home to Moor, Whickham took the title with a 7-7 draw, Simpson beating Handy 4&3. “Yes, there have been some comments,” said a smiling Handy, who added magnanimously: “James is not a big lad and he does not hit it very far, but he makes up for that with his accuracy and his chipping and putting.

“He handles himself well and he’s a good golfer, who, I can say from first-hand experience, is a possible county player of the future.”

The father and son team of Tony and Gary McClure were part of Whickham’s team effort over the season, but, having become an assistant professional at the club where his dad is a greenkeeper, Gary had to miss out on the title decider.