RETIRED dentist Ruth Carey, from the Close House club, won the Northumberland final of The Journal Ladies Trophy yesterday.
It was a grand occasion fit for the six heroines who qualified for the Grand Final at Rockliffe Hall on August 25.
At first light, head greenkeeper Phil Armstrong and his staff arrived at Stocksfield to launch a frantic mopping-up operation.
On Wednesday, torrential rain had been so heavy one club member described part of the course as “like a field of lava.”
The county competitions secretary, Christine Meikle, said: “Phil and his team are our heroes, it was incredible they got the course fit to play.
“They got cracking at 6am on the morning of the tournament. The putting green had been under water and most of the bunkers had looked more like little ponds.
“!t looked like it was going to be postponed but Phil had his whole team out with the squeegies and by 7.45am they were able to tell us we could go ahead.
“It was a magnificent effort. Stocksfield should be very proud indeed of their greenkeeping staff.”
Stocksfield’s course, always enjoyable with its tight challenging front nine and a back nine opening out into awesome views of the Tyne Valley, held up well.
Winner Carey, the Close House lady captain, won on a back nine countdown from Rothbury’s Diane Cairns, had another Close House member Mary Oldfield pulling her trolley.
“Mary was a member of Stocksfield and she was an enormous help with her course knowledge,” said Carey, who used to run the Lipman dentistry practice in Heaton.
“Stocksfield’s greens are normally fast but the weather slowed them down a bit and that suited me. I am looking forward to playing Rockliffe, a friend of mine has played the course and he says it’s absolutely fabulous.
“We shall have to see if it as good as Close House.”
The Durham County final is being played a week today, at Darlington, and the six qualifiers there will complete the field for the Grand Final.
NORTHUMBERLAND QUALIFIERS: Ruth Carey (Close House) 97-20=77, Diane Cairns (Rothbury) 94-17=77; Ashlyn Provost (Alnwick) 100-21=79, Arlene Bell (Gosforth) 97-18=79 Jane Bainbridge (Arcot Hall) 84-5=79; Gillian Alizadem (Westerhope) 107-25= 82.