Quality field for Leveret Trophy

at Formby Ladies, Lancashire

By FIONA ANDERSON (former Scottish women's amateur champion and organiser of the Leveret Trophy tournament, pictured right)
The 36-hole ladies' open scratch event for the Leveret Trophy at Formby Ladies (Lancashire) on Saturday, March 28 has attracted a high-class, quality field.

On account of the restricted daylight hours the entry is limited to 54 players and the handicaps range from a staggering +4 to 3.

Naomi Edwards (Ganton) off +4, a Curtis Cup player, past English Ladies champion and current Yorkshire champion, is drawn to play with Emma Brown nee Duggleby, off +3. Emma, is also a Curtis Cup player & past English, British and Yorkshire champion but neither of these accomplished players has succeeded in winning the Leveret Trophy, yet!

Out to stop them, will be defending champion Rachel Connor (Manchester), +1, who feels the Leveret is a great opener to the domestic season.

Local player, Cori Lee, +1 of the West Lancashire Ladies, winner in 2006, is keen to get back to form after injury and sees this as the ideal opportunity.

Kelly Tidy +1 from Royal Birkdale is out to impress the Great Britain & Ireland selectors with a good performance over a course she knows well. Kelly, is drawn with another very promising, young player, 15-year-old, Alex Peters, +2 from Notts Ladies.

Playing in her third Leveret, Alex is keen to enjoy some stern competition before going to Paris this Easter with the England team for the French Under-21 girls' open championship. Altogether, there are 21 players with handicaps of scratch or better entered this year.
Formby Ladies are delighted to have such a strong field of English and Welsh players. It is also heartening to see the next generation of golfers competing such as Bronte Law (Bramhall), Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield Ladies) and Brogan Townend, (Pleasington) who are all members of the England team competing in the 2009 SLGA Under-16 girls' open stroke-play at Craigielaw, near Ednburgh in April. They will be keen to show that it won’t be long before they, too, are ready to ‘step up to the plate’.

Sadly, those with handicaps above 3.1 have been balloted out, showing just how highly the Leveret Trophy is rated by many of our top lady amateurs. The winner this year will certainly be a worthy champion.
Any spectators are welcome to attend – a copy of the draw is published on our website at http://www.formbyladiesgolfclub.co.uk/ - Leveret Trophy - if there is anyone you particularly want watch then please come along.