Ipswich, holders of the Stenson Shield, survived a first round scare against battling Bury St Edmunds at Purdis Heath.After trailing 3-1 after the foursomes, Ipswich hit back to draw the match 6-6 on Saturday.

Tony Garnett

Golf:

By Tony Garnett

Ipswich, holders of the Stenson Shield, survived a first round scare against battling Bury St Edmunds at Purdis Heath.

After trailing 3-1 after the foursomes, Ipswich hit back to draw the match 6-6 on Saturday. Kristian Day then faced Dean Fairweather in a sudden death play-off. Both players had birdie putts. Day sunk his. Fairweather did not.

Now Ipswich face Woodbridge in the county's scratch inter-club knock-out. Woodbridge beat an under strength Aldeburgh in a match in which the underdogs were well served by David Cargill who partnered Roger Taylor to a foursomes win over James Keely and Steve Mann. Then Cargill halved with Mann in the singles. Chris Bye was five under par by the time he had beaten John Wybar 7 and 6.

John Howard of Thorpeness found the fairway with a non-conforming driver on the first tee at Rushmere. The players, not sure of the ruling, decided on loss of hole. They were wrong. It should have been loss of match.

As it turned out Howard and Ron Armstrong lost to Kevin Eagle and Peter Robinson anyway. This was partly because Howard was left to compete with Eagle off the tee with a three-wood.

The rule is that if a non-conforming club is in the bag but not used it is the same as having 15 clubs, loss of hole to a maximum of two holes. Once the non-conforming club is used it means automatic disqualification.

In the Hambro Cup or Tolly Cobbold Cup next Sunday it would mean losing 18 holes. Players have been warned.

Felixstowe Ferry did not play well in defeat at Rookery Park even though Rhodri Harston ended with an eagle at the last to beat Simon Goldsmith two up.

Diss had a painless victory over Waldringfield and now visit Southwold in the second round on May 3 with a score to settle from last year.

The second round draw is: Bungay and Waveney Valley v Hintlesham, Newton Green v Rookery Park, Haverhill v Stoke by Nayland, The Suffolk v Fynn Valley, Southwold v Diss, Rushmere v Gorleston, Ipswich v Woodbridge, Halesworth v Stowmarket.

Stenson Shield first round

RUSHMERE 6.5 THORPENESS 5.5

Foursomes: (Rushmere names first):

Peter Robinson and Kevin Eagle beat John Howard and Ron Armstrong 5 and 4.

James Wright and Justin Winn beat Peter Cooney and Richard Baker 5 and 3.

Shaun Masterson and Joe Simpson lost to Ivan Fryer and Ray Foreman 5 and 3.

Ricky Ling and Gary Simpson lost to Jamie Philpot and Jason Grimble one down.

Singles: J Wright beat Heston Hood 8 and 7, Winn beat Cooney 2 and 1, Glen Goldsmith lost to Howard 3 and 2, Robinson lost to Foreman two down, Eagle beat Fryer 4 and 3, Masterson halved with Philpot, Ross Howard beat Grimble 4 and 2, G Simpson lost to Henderson 6 and 5.

ROOKERY PARK 8 FELIXSTOWE FERRY 4

Foursomes: (Rookery Park names first):

Simon Goldsmith and Chris Soanes beat Rhodri Harston and Mel Pipe 5 and 4.

Callum Monk and Ben Wallis beat Chris Schwer and Kenny Stewart two up.

Richard Doddington and Graham Shillings beat Matt Stockdale and Alan Backhouse 4 and 2.

Graeme Brown and Jason Hipperson halved with Nigel Fosker and Stuart Green.

Singles: Goldsmith lost to Harston two down, Soanes beat Backhouse 3 and 2, Wallis lost to Pipe 2 and 1, Monk beat Stockdale one up, Shillings beat Schwer 7 and 6, Doddington beat Stewart 2 and 1, Hipperson lost to Green 3 and 2, Andy Coleman halved with Fosker.

IPSWICH 6 BURY ST EDMUNDS 6

Ipswich won at first extra hole.

Foursomes: Kristian Day and Neil Meadows beat Chris Whyatt and Roger Nicholson 3 and 1.

Paul Barnard and Jack Jowers lost to Tom Stephenson and Dean Fairweather one down.

Graham Wardley and Andy Thomson lost to Matt Fordham and Nick Brewster one down.

Daniel Bryett and Chris Gooding lost to Andy Collett and Chris Wright 2 and 1.

Singles: Meadows beat Graham Sykes 4 and 2, Day beat Stephenson 4 and 3, Barnard beat Brewster 3 and 1, Gooding lost to Fordham one down, Jowers halved with Wright, Wardley halved with Fairweather, Tony Green lost to Collett two down, Bryett beat Nicholson 5 and 4.

WOODBRIDGE 9.5 ALDEBURGH 2.5

Foursomes: (Woodbridge names first).

James Keely and Steve Mann lost to Roger Taylor and David Cargill one down.

Chris Bye and Ian Kitson beat Freddie Edmunds and David Wybar 6 and 4.

Andy Whittaker and Chris Springle beat Nigel Robson and Martin Youngs 3 and 2.

Jason Finch and Joe Fairbrother beat Craig Driver and Peter Savage 5 and 4.

Singles: Bye beat John Wybar 7 and 6, Keely beat Edmunds 5 and 4, Finch beat Taylor 2 and 1, Whittaker halved with Geoff Henney, Springle beat Robson 6 and 5, Kitson halved with David Wybar, Fairbrother beat Youngs 4 and 3, Mann halved with Cargill.

DISS 11.5 WALDRINGFIELD 0.5

Foursomes: Diss names first.

Jason Sewell and Doug Trudgill beat Warren Goddard and Mark Etheridge.

Darren Maskell and Chris Bartrum beat Martin Allen and Josh Cottrell.

Brian Smy and Archie Moore beat Mike Virley and Roy Ross.

Tom Bailey and Guy Griffiths beat Keith Keeble and Russell Rayner.

Singles: Sewell beat Goddard, Maskell beat Etheridge, Trudgill beat Keeble, Smy beat Steve Shepherd, Bartrum halved with Allen, Moore beat Rayner, Griffiths beat Cottrell, Bailey beat Virley.