Another title for Richards

MARION RICHARDS has successfully defended her La Grande Mare women's strokeplay championship. This year Richards enjoyed the luxury of finishing six shots clear of her nearest challenger, Nicola Wallbridge, with a 36-holes scratch tally of 159.

Richards got off to a nervy start, finding back-to-back treble bogeys at the difficult eighth and ninth holes on the way to a front -nine 44.

But she soon got back on track and a par at four of the five back-nine par-threes steadied the ship.

A first day's 16-over-par round may not have fairly represented Richards' 12- handicap status, but an opening 81 in the gross standings left her only one shot adrift of playing partner Ruby Osborne.

Sunday's play brought a tale of woe for overnight leader Osborne, whose grip on the championship and any place in the prizes faded into many of the watery hazards.

Where others lost their way, Richards remained consistent and avoided the dramas of the previous day for a second-round gross 78.

For Wallbridge, an ever-improving 19-handicapper, her reward for being the only woman under par net was victory in the handicap standings with a three-under-par 127.

Wallbridge can also take consolation from being one of very few players to make a birdie during the tournament, hers being the pick of the bunch at the challenging 14th hole.

The result was a fine final-round net 59, beaten on the day only by Jean Mills (32-handicap) with a 57.

Linda Budge (32) was runner-up in the handicap stakes.

She, too, found her best form on the final day when she carded a three-under net 62 for a one-over-par total of 131.