Brown takes crown at Menzies

Stuart Brown (Orton Meadows) kept up his fine run of form with a fourth success in the Beds & Cambs Championship.

Brown (above) clinched victory by two shots from fellow in-form player Nicholas Cunningham (Bedford and County) after 36 holes in a day at Menzies Cambridgeshire.

The foundation for his win was a superb five-under-par 67 in the first round that earned him a two-shot cushion ahead of the afternoon’s play.

On a day of sunshine and showers, Brown signed for a second-round 71 to finish at six-under-par.

The triumph followed a run of near-misses in PGA in England (East) pro-ams. Brown was tied-second the previous week at Wyke Green and also secured a share of third spot at both West Middlesex and Mill Green.

Brown said: “There are some big tournaments coming up and the first Order of Merit event is around the corner, so it’s encouraging.

“I’ve been playing really nicely, keeping it in play. The scoring shots are key and when I’m inside 100 yards, I think I’m going to stick it next to the hole at the moment.

“This is the fourth time I’ve won this title and that’s a nice achievement. The fields for it are getting stronger.”

The player that beat Brown at Wyke Green was Cunningham, who produced another fine performance at Menzies. He fired rounds of 69 and 71 to end up in sole possession of second spot.

Lee Scarbrow (John O’Gaunt) turns 50 this year and has aspirations of qualifying for the Senior Open Championship. Scarbrow, a renowned coach, showed his own game was in good shape by finishing in third place at level par.