STOKE by Nayland carried off the Tolly Cobbold Cup for the fifth time when they beat Cretingham, playing in their first Suffolk Golf Union final, by 21 holes at Felixstowe Ferry on Sunday.

STOKE by Nayland carried off the Tolly Cobbold Cup for the fifth time when they beat Cretingham, playing in their first Suffolk Golf Union final, by 21 holes at Felixstowe Ferry on Sunday.

Stoke took a firm hold on the match after establishing a 19-hole lead at lunch. Cretingham, to their credit, raised their game in the afternoon but had left themselves with far too much to do.

Heavy rain early in the morning caused the postponement of the Hambro Cup final between Ipswich and Thorpeness at Rushmere where the greens were flooded.

It soon dried out at Felixstowe and the afternoon was sunny with a brisk breeze.

The Tolly final was played in an excellent spirit. Gary Borthwick, a former Felixstowe member, and Duncan Hyams proved to be Stoke's most dangerous pair.

They were four over gross in the morning as they went eight holes ahead of Mel Harradine and young Ben Packard, who played far better than the score might suggest.

Cretingham's top pair of Nick Wade and young Jake Taylor were three down at lunch but won their afternoon encounter with Roger Toone and Simon Larking by two.

Richard Lawson and Martin Grayling, with headgear he might well have purchased from a French onion seller, were also three down at lunch but were four up in the second round against Billy Thompson and the left-handed Geoff Rich.

Stoke club secretary Mike Verhelst and George Shelmerdine always had the edge over Jeff Squirrell and Simon Sheppard, although it needed a tremendous curling putt by Shelmerdine for a birdie at the par three 16th hole to ensure that they stayed ahead in the afternoon.

Cretingham did ever so well to reach this final in which there are hard-fought battles from round one. They will be able to build on this experience.

Jack Goldswain, who played for Felixstowe Ferry when they won the Tolly Cobbold Cup in its inaugural year of 1969, celebrated his 90th birthday at the club this month and recalled the occasion.

Tolly scores

STOKE BY NAYLAND 21 CRETINGHAM 0

At Felixstowe Ferry. Stoke by Nayland names first (morning score in brackets).

Roger Toone and Simon Larking (3) 1 Nick Wade and Jake Taylor (0) 0.

Mike Verhelst and George Shelmerdine (5) 7 Jeff Squirrell and Simon Sheppard (0) 0.

Gary Borthwick and Duncan Hyams (8) 14 Mel Harradine and Ben Packard (0) 0.

Billy Thompson and Geoff Rich (3) 0 Richard Lawson and Martin Grayling (0) 1.