TOP SEED TUMBLES AT ENGLISH SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION The sun blazed, the scores were low and the top seed tumbled during an eventful first day of match-play at the English senior women's amateur championship at York Golf Club today. The survivors were Barbara Laird and Sue Dye of Cheshire, Janet Melville of Nottinghamshire and Roz Adams of Surrey who will play in tomorrow’s semi-finals. The upset of the day was provided in the first round by Pat West of Lincolnshire who secured her place in the championship match-play only after taking part in a five-way sudden death play-off.  She promptly toppled the top seed and three-time champion,  Chris Quinn of Hampshire.  Other first-round losers included defending champion Caroline Marron of Cheshire, who went out to British senior champion Bev New in a low scoring match in which both players were below par.  Norfolk’s Jo Ashmore was defeated by fellow senior international Sue Dye in a match in which both players dropped just one shot. Sue Dye went on to play level par golf in the afternoon  quarter-finals to beat another England team member, Felicity Christine of Surrey. “ I haven’t played all winter and had only one-and –a-half rounds before coming here! “ said Sue. “But I have been having lessons on my long game and it is all coming together.”Barbara Laird, who used to play in Durham, defeated her old friend Ruth Lindley in the first round before ending Pat West’s run in the quarter finals. Barbara, who had a host of birdies through the day, said: “I had two good matches.” Janet Melville won her first round match by a comfortable margin before dismissing  the challenge of Beverley New. “That was a big win,” said Janet, who was two-under par, using a new set of graphite-shafted irons and taking advantage of the extra length they give her.  The two players used to be fellow members of the English ladies’ team in earlier amateur careers.  Meanwhile senior strokeplay champion Roz Adams knocked out the only Yorkshire player in the championship matchplay when she defeated Jackie Barraclough in the first round.  Roz went on to beat Elaine Elliott of Northumberland in the quarter-finals. Roz was out of golf for about three months over the winter with a foot problem and remarked at the end of the day’s play: “I am delighted , I’m very pleased to be getting my game back on track.” The winner of the new consolation Stableford for players, who failed to qualify for the match-play stages, was won by Jackie Roper of Portal who went round in gross 74 and amassed 43 points. The semi-finals are:  Barbara Laird (Sandiway) v Janet Melville (Sherwood Forest) Sue Dye (Delamere Forest)  v Roz Adams ( Addington Court Ladies). Two Yorkshire players are in the semi-finals of the second flight match-play: Irene Brien (Wentworth) v Carolyn Kirk (Ganton) Fiona Anderson (Formby Ladies) v Pat Wrightson (Huddersfield). Click here for the EGWA Match-play Scoreboard Lyndsey Hewison EGWA Press and PR Officer