Ashburnham aim to strike Killa blow at Bowood

Ashburnham Golf Club captain Alun Killa will be hoping to guide Martin Stimson to another final when he plays in the Golfplan Insurance PGA Pro-Captain Challenge West qualifying event.

The pair head for Bowood Golf & Country Club, in Calne, Wiltshire, to take place in the Canopius supported event on Monday, August 3.

Last year, Stimson was second in the final with his captain Martin Hale as they missed out on the title by two shots.

Now he and 72-year-old Killa will be aiming to get to the £25,000 showpiece event at the PGA Sultan Club in Antalya, Turkey, on November 25-26.

“I hope I can help Martin get back there, it’ll be good to play with him and hopefully he can offer me some tips on the way,” said 22 handicapper Killa from Trimsaran in Carmarthenshire.

“I wouldn’t say I’m the best golfer in the world but I’ve been playing recently and not done too badly.”

Killa, a retired computer operations manager with the Milk Marketing Board, says getting to the final brings added prestige to the club.

“Last year when the club made it to Turkey it was a big event for us, everyone here was geeing them on,” said Killa, a member at Ashburnham for 40 years.

“It’d be good to do it again but it’s all on the day, I’m looking forward to it.

“My grandchildren tell me I’m a young 72!”

Stimson admitted he was happy with his display in last year’s final.

“We weren’t too disappointed, I think we’d have taken second place if you’d told us that’s where we’d finish beforehand,” he said.

“It was a great venue and a good trip so we were happy. We played well and finished five under par, but we just missed out.”

Stimson would welcome a return to Turkey.

“I like this form of golf - it means you can have a go as long as your captain is chipping in too,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to trying to get to the final again if possible.”

Also set to play at Bowood are:  Paul Mitchell and Geoffrey Clements (Bristol & Clifton Golf Club);   Alex Davies and Roger Gambarini  (Celtic Manor Resort Ltd);   Gary Milne and John Fairman (Exeter Golf & Country Club);  Martyn Thompson and Chris Randle  (Parkstone Golf Club); and Simon Shanks and Ian Terry (Bowood Golf & Country Club).