Three’s company at Cleeve Hill

A pair of Lukes in the form of Messrs Collins and Gaskins plus James Jakes ensured the Gloucestershire and Somerset PGA winter medal at Cleeve Hill ended with the trio squeezed into the winner’s enclosure.

All three posted four-under par scores of 68 to finish a shot clear of the 26-strong field.

For Gaskins, who is attached to Brickhampton Court, and Knowle Golf Club’s Jakes, the win was their first as professionals. By contrast, Collins, who represents Tall Pines Golf Club, tasted victory in September when he tied for first place in the Knowle Medal.

Jakes looked an unlikely winner after opening up with successive bogeys but recovered to tee-up at the par 18^th on five-under and leading the competition. However, he ended his round in the manner in which he had begun with a bogey that ruined his hopes of outright victory.

Collins, meanwhile, strengthened his position inside the Total Triumph Order of Merit’s top 10 but still trails Chipping Sodbury’s Giuseppe Licata who extended his lead slightly over Russ Berry thanks to sharing fourth place Ross Langdon and Martin Dewhurst.