Home star Abbie shines

4:50pm Friday 25th July 2008

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HOME player Abbie Moyes outshone some of the region’s top female stars to claim a hat-trick of prizes in the South-West Ladies’ Championships at Tiverton.

The teenager won the nett trophy by six shots, helped Devon take the county cup in the process and finished runner-up in the second-flight knock-out event after a sparkling run to the final ended with an agonising 18th-hole defeat to Falmouth’s Katie Rule.

While fellow Tiverton members Hannah Grant and Jess Bradley suffered disappointment in their pursuit of the main title, it was Moyes who took the home plaudits after a brave performance over the three days.

Moyes, one of the highest handicappers in the tournament, started by picking up the Fraser Evans Bowl and £50 in prizemoney for the best nett score in the 36-hole qualifier.

Despite not finding her best form with the putter she posted excellent rounds of 70 and 69 for a nine-under total of 139, which cut her handicap from 11 to 10.

Her gross scores of 81 and 80 meant she was the 17th best qualifier and therefore the number one seed in the second-flight event, all played off scratch.

Moyes beat nine-handicapper Leah Roelich, of Teignmouth, 5 and 4 in the first round before edging out Saltford's Amanda Mayne, off three, on the 19th in the quarter-finals.

She returned the following day to shock Exeter one-handicapper Julia Norman 4 and 2 in an excellent semi-final display.

Moyes, who celebrates her 16th birthdau today (Friday) had four birdies in the final – on the 4th, 6th, 10th and 15th – and held a one-hole lead over Rule with two to play.

But the Falmouth player levelled the match on the 17th and then hit a great recovery shot from the left rough on the 18th, shunning advice from her caddie to chip out as she took on a big oak tree and found the right side of the green.

Four-handicapper Rule holed a 12-footer for a par to leave Moyes needing a putt of similar length to take the match down the 19th, but her firm effort frustratingly lipped out.

The youngster's earlier heroics helped Devon secure the Taylor Young Trophy for the best three nett scores in the qualifier, with Bradley and Exeter's Gill Whitehead completing the trio.

Moyes' week was topped off when she made her Devon ladies' second-team debut in a practice match against the firsts at Yelverton.

She teamed up with Roelich to beat Bradley and England captain Sally Watkins, from Teignmouth, on the 18th and she has now been named in the squad for the match against Cornwall seconds at Yelverton on August 5.

Bradley, meanwhile, had a mixed championship week in which she just missed out on her own ladies' course record in the first qualifying round, which cut her handicap from three to two, but then went out at the first hurdle in the main knock-out for the top 16.

Two-handicapper Grant, who plays at Tiverton and works in the professional's shop, was representing her home club of Enmore Park, Somerset.

She beat Ferndown five-handicapper Georgia Hall in the first round before seeing off Tayler in the last eight.

But her dreams were ended when she lost in the semi-finals to five-handicapper Polly Clark, from Wells. The main title was won by Gloucestershire player Charlotte Ellis, of Minchinhampton, who eased past Clark 6 and 5 in the final.