Win for Maxwell at Farrington

Welshman James Maxwell celebrated his move to become head teaching professional at Teign Valley by winning the Farrington Park pro-am for the second successive year.

He improved his previous winning score by two shots to four-under-par 68 with birdies at the first, fourth, ninth, 12^th and 17^th and one bogey on the tough par-four sixth into the wind.

He won by one shot from two late entrants Daryl Kelley (Filton) and Richard O'Hanlon (St Kew) who made the long trip from Cornwall for his first visit to the club to complete the field. After dropping shots at the fourth and sixth Kelley played the final 12 holes in five-under-par.

O’Hanlon, preparing for the British Par3 Championship where he will partner football legend Peter Schmeichel, dropped a shot on the first but birdied the fourth, fifth, seventh and 14^th.

Dorset duo Paul Jones (Canford Magna) and last year’s joint winner Michael Watson (Wessex Golf Centre) shared third on 70.

Alex Todd, a 21-year-old first-year trainee at the host club, was the only other player to break par on a warm, sultry day with 71.

Maxwell, aged 23, first introduced three pals from his original club Trefloyne Golf Club, near Tenby in West Wales, to the North Somerset course and they returned again last year just after he had moved to become an assistant at Thornbury Golf Centre.

This time the team of Neil McMann, Rob Collins and new member Jake Barton from Thornbury lost on countback to the team of Lee Francis, Scott Gulliford and Barry Youngs led by first year Wells assistant and former Farrington player Tom Maggs.

Both returned 17-under-par 127, beating Kelley’s group of Dave Allardy, Ali Shanks and Chris Shanks by one shot.