Golf: Ramside Hall out to defend haul of four trophies

Ramside Halls team golfers celebrate their 2016 successes

The Durham club finished up with four trophies and will go again in the North Durham Union League, which starts on May 2.

Victory in the Dixon Cup at Ponteland closed a tremendous 2016 for Ramside, delighting club captain David Heckles, who said: “We were celebrating our 20th anniversary and what a season it’s turned out to be.

“I’m so proud of all our team players. We’ve waited a long time to win major honours and we’ve scooped four in the space of three months.

“The Dixon Cup is the pinnacle of amateur team golf in our region and winning it is a brilliant way to round off a historic and record-breaking season.”

Ramside won the North Durham Union League’s First Division title for the first time to qualify for the Dixon Cup, an 18-hole team strokeplay competition contested by the winners of the five North East leagues.

Ramside got the better of City of Newcastle, Close House, Bamburgh Castle and Wynyard to claim the title with a total of 450 strokes, six shots clear.

Earlier in the season, the Ramside team won the North Durham Union Team Strokeplay Championship at George Washington, while the juniors completed the four-way haul of silverware by lifting the Durham County Junior Golf Society North East Junior League for the first time.

Defending champions Ramside Hall have been handed a home opener for the 2017 First Division season, with Durham City - champions in 2014 and 2015 - their visitors on Tuesday, May 2.

Wearside begin with a home match against Chester-le-Street , while Seaham go to Boldon and Heworth, newly promoted as Second Division champions, entertain South Shields.

In Division Two, Houghton welcome Consett in their first game, while Whitburn meet Garesfield and Washington head to Hobson in Division Three. Ramside Hall B must wait until May 9 for their opener against Whitburn, with only seven teams competing.

Each division runs through every Tuesday until the final night of the campaign on August 1.

Opening night fixtures (May 2), Division One: Boldon v Seaham, Heworth v South Shields, Ramside Hall A v Durham City, Wearside v Chester-le-Street

Division Two: Brancepeth Castle v Ravensworth, Crook v Whickham, Houghton v Consett, Southmoor v Beamish Park

Division Three: Birtley v Ryton, Hobson v Washington, Whitburn v Garesfield