NikkI Foster wins Royal Birkdale Scratch

Trophy

Blackburn's Nikki Foster (Pleasington) returned to her early-season form to win the Royal Birkdale Golf Club's Ladies Scratch Trophy tournament over 36 holes.

Against a ladies' par of 75, Nikki, 18, had very good scores of 72 and 70 for 142.

Even so, Nikki, playing in her home county of Lancashire, won only by one shot from Emma Goddard (Vale Royal Millenium). Emma was the first-round leader with a six-under-par 69, the lowest round of the tournament. Her second round was a 74.

British stroke-play champion Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) and two English-based players, young Charley Hull (Kettering) and Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) were joint third on 144.

Pretswell played without a practice round but had eight birdies in her first-round, four-under-par 72. The Scot followed that up with four more birdies in a 73 for 144.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS
Par 150 (2x75). SSS 75 CSS 75 75
142 Nikki Foster (Pleasington) 72 70.
143 Emma Goddard (Vale Royal Millenium) 69 74.
144 Charley Hull (Kettering) 71 73, Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle) 71 73, Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) 71 73.
145 Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield) 71 74.
147 Nicola Rawlinson (Royal Birkdale) 72 75.
148 Amy Boulden (Maesdu) 72 76.
149 Sara Garbutt (Ganton) 71 78.
151 Helen Butterfield (Sleaford) 74 77.
152 Laura Collin (John O'Gaunt) 77 75, Alison Knowles (Hickelton) 76 76, Jessica Bradley (Tiverton) 75 77, Dana Greenslade (Wentworth) 74 78, Samantha Birks (Wolstanton) 74 78
153 Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) 81 72, Hermione Fitzgerald (Newmarket Links) 79 74, Lucinda Milecham 76 77.
154 Charlote Wild (Mere) 78 76, Daisy Dywer (Chigwell) 73 81.
155 Charlotte Field 79 76, Laura Thomas 79 76.
156 Becky Harries 80 76 Jenna Birch 79 77.
157 Danielle Anderson 83 74, Catherine Rawthore 72 85.
158 Bronwyn Davies 80 78, Steph Hall 80 78, Elizabeth Stebbings 79 79, Jo Nicolson 79 79, Stephanie Farrar 77 81.
159 Caroline Marron 81 78, Lucinda Burdett 80 79, Lianna Bailey 78 81.
160 Emma Tipping 77 83, Sara Cousins 76 84.
161 Holly Vizard 82 79, Becky Gee 82 79, Sophie Powell 78 83.
164 Rebecca Rowlands 79 85.
165 Susan Dye 81 84, Charlotte Austwick 79 86, Ann Lowe 77 88.
166 Gillian Kapka 84 82, Fiona Thompson 81 85.
167 Naomi Edwards 82 85.
169 Claire Fry 87 82, Lucie Walker 85 84, Chris Appleby 85 84, Gillan Mellor 83 86.
170 Sharon Hewer 87 83, Helen Barugh 86 84, Pip Settle 84 85, Hanna Davies 84 86, Alison Gee 82 88, Julie Brook 77 93.
Disqualified: Charley Douglass (Brocket Hall) 73 74.