Vicki becomes new Ipswich Ladies captain... 50 years after her mother

Vicki Hunt, the Ipswich Ladies captain, with the Suffolk Senior Trophy which she won last year at Woodbridge. Photograph: TONY GARNETT (Image: Archant)

Vicki becomes captain 50 years after her mother, Sylvia Belle, held the same position.

Her father, Brian Belle, was Suffolk Golf Union president between 1975 and 1977 after a long spell of involvement with Suffolk County Cricket. He was headmaster of Orwell Park School.

Vicki, who has been a member at Purdis Heath for 22 years, has chosen Headway (Suffolk) as her charity for the year.

Their current aim is to build a new hub at Ravenswood to support people with a brain injury.

The best lady amateurs will be playing at Ipswich between August 20 and 22. Last year’s champion at Coventry was Austrian starlet Isabella Holpfer who ended 11 shots clear of her nearest rivals after four rounds.

Previous winners have included Suffolk’s Julie Otto (formerly Wade and Hall) and, more recently, Charlie Hull in 2011.

The field will be limited to 144 with the top 40 and ties playing the final 36 holes on the third day.

Lily-May Humphries of Stoke by Nayland, who was joint fourth last year, will be among the favourites to keep the trophy in England.

Last year Suffolk Ladies’ champion Alice Barlow (Hintlesham) missed the cut with rounds of 82 and 78.

She ended level with Ipswich member Abbie Symonds (84 76). Course knowledge and the support of spectators should boost the Suffolk girls’ challenge.

Last year Ipswich Ladies won the Weston Trophy for the seventh year in succession, a new record.

It is a scratch event for a team of five players.

There are three divisions for the Trophy, the Plate and the Bowl. There is promotion and relegation.

Weston Trophy: Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket, Aldeburgh, Felixstowe Ferry, Ipswich and Rookery Park.

Weston Plate: Newton Green, Woodbridge, Haverhill, Bungay, Thorpeness and Hintlesham.

Weston Bowl: Rushmere, Fynn Valley, Flempton, Seckford, Halesworth, Diss, The Suffolk.

SIXTEEN clubs have entered this year’s Haskell Cup in which two players from each club play a 36-hole match off scratch.

Felixstowe are the holders. They have won 12 times since Ipswich jeweller Granville Haskell presented the trophy in 1969.

This year the top half of the draw looks particularly strong.

Of the clubs in the bottom half of the draw Newton Green were winners in 2013 and 2016 when they had Alice Barlow and Eloise Aldous. Rookery Park won in 2005 with Lils James who is now representing Bungay.

The draw (first round to be played by June 16): Bury St Edmunds v Felixstowe Ferry (holders). Ipswich v Aldeburgh, Stowmarket v Woodbridge, Rushmere v Gorleston, Southwold v The Suffolk, Thorpeness v Bungay, Haverhill v Newton Green, Diss v Rookery Park.

THE Cranworth Trophy, for teams of eight with handicaps between 21 and 30, is perhaps the best supported inter-club event of all.

Ties, with morning singles and afternoon foursomes, are all played on neutral venues.

The Preliminary round will be on May 23. Newton Green v Gorleston (at Ufford Park); Rookery Park v Brett Vale (at Aldeburgh); Rushmere v Southwold (at Stowmarket); Ufford Park v Kingfishers (at Rookery Park); Seckford v Thorpeness (at Rushmere); Stowmarket v Flempton (at Newton Green), Aldeburgh v Bungay (at Seckford).

Ipswich, Diss, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Bramford, Halesworth, Fynn Valley, Woodbridge and Felixstowe Ferry all have byes into the first round to be played on June 27.

THE Stearn Trophy is an inter-club foursomes for teams of six whose handicaps are between 12 and 20.

The holders, Diss, have a bye together with Aldeburgh, Haverhill, Southwold, Woodbridge, Gorleston, Newton Green and Felixstowe Ferry.

Preliminary round (June 3): Ufford Park v Royal Worlington (at Flempton); Rushmere v Kingfishers (at Seckford); Halesworth v Hintlesham (at Bungay); Flempton v Rookery Park (at Rushmere).

ANDY Cotton, attached to Ufford Park, won the first Suffolk PGA Winter League event at Aldeburgh with a round of 70 in glorious February sunshine.

He had birdies at the fourth, 10th and 15th. He was two over at the turn but came back in level par 34 despite a double at the 16th.

Nineteen-year-old first year trainee, Luke Tyler (Bramford Golf Centre) was runner-up with 72 that included birdies at the seventh and 17th.

Third place was shared between Simon Reeve of Aldeburgh and Tim Cooper of Newton Green with rounds of 73. Reeve had a birdie at the 10th while Cooper made flying start with a birdie at the first.

Other scores included: 76: Andy Goodridge (Bury Golf Range). 77: James Markham (Aldeburgh). 78: Will Farley (Rushmere). 79: Ali Hall (Halesworth).

The next SPGA fixture will be held at Felixstowe Ferry on Tuesday, March 19 (noon tee-off).

It will be a pairs better ball event for the Joe Proudfoot Memorial Trophy which could not be played in November because of adverse weather conditions.

Entry fee will be £25 per head which will all go into the prize fund.

Entries can be made as a pair or partners can be allocated to individual entries.

PAUL Waring of Felixstowe Ferry is in the field for this week’s Portugal Pro Golf Tour event, the Amendoeira O’Connor Classic on The Algarve.

Waring is one of several amateurs in the field keen to see how their game compares to European Tour player Daniel Brooks and other regular professional tournament competitors like Dale Whitnell, Miles Collins, David Coupland and Marco Penge.

THE European Challenge Tour, the Staysure Tour and the Ladies European Tour will compete against each other in the same 123-player field in the Jordan Mixed Open. This has never been done before in professional golf.

It will be held at the Ayla Golf Club between April 4 and 6.

To prepare for this world-first, a thorough analysis has been undertaken by tournament officials in order to present the golf course in a fair, but challenging, way to all competitors.

A selection of tee positions will be made every day by representatives from all three tours taking wind and other weather conditions into consideration.

Forty players from each of the Challenge Tour, Staysure Tour and Ladies European Tour, plus three amateurs, will compete.

The Turkish Airlines Challenge is between April 25 and 28 offering order of merit points. Jamie Abbott (Ipswich) is looking forward to a season on the Challenge Tour.

After that events come thick and fast although there are none scheduled in Britain.

The nearest will be at St Omer near Calais in June.