MOTHER and daughter Carol and Alice Jones, both talented golfers from Billingham Golf Club, have made it through to the National Grand Final of the American Golf Ladies Championship after a tough qualifying competition at Hexham.

The pair will now take their places at Ryder Cup venue The Belfry on September 9-10 to battle it out over the Brabazon Course for the title of best Ladies Pair in the UK.

In a closely fought contest, the pair held onto victory by just one point over Heworth golfers Susan Handley and Margaret Tindale, with home club golfers Jennifer Herrmann and Paula Forster qualifying in third place. Handley and Tindale as well as Hermann and Forster have also qualified for the Belfry final.

SEVEN golfers from the region have earned a place on the North of England team to play in the English Schools’ National Championships later this month.

Byron College’s Jack Trewhitt sealed his place at Belton Park by claiming first spot in the North of England Schools’ Championships at Ponteland, while Durham Sixth Form’s Jessica Hall won the girls event.

Dyke House College’s Will Skipp, Gateshead College’s Will Marshall, Laurence Jackson’s Michael Hay and Prudhoe’s Joe Robson will join other Yorkshire and Lancashire golfers in the boys’ team.

Hall’s Durham Sixth Form team-mate Kitana Hollins will join her in the team, which is also made up of three others including Northumberland’s Jess Baker and Yorkshire’s Georgia Holden.

Hall finished three shots clear of Tanfield School’s Alexandra Stevenson in the North of England Girls’ Championship at Ponteland after the former shot 75 and 77.

Trewhitt, a Castle Eden member, blitzed the field by winning by ten shots from Yorkshire’s Joe Allenby after hitting back to back 68s to card an eight under two round total. Eaglescliffe’s Skipp was fourth after shooting a second round 71 following a frustrating 79.

THE latest report from Sport England shows golf participation is continuing to hold strongly, despite bad winter weather and flooding.

The Active People Survey for the 12 months to March 2016 says that 738,200 people aged over 16 are currently playing golf at least once a week. This highlights a period of stability which has now extended over the last three sets of results.

The latest survey results are published just two days after Sports Minister David Evennett supported the work of the England Golf Partnership (EGP) to grow the game.

TEENAGERS Jack Ainscough, Jake Benson, Callum Farr and Arrun Singh-Brar will represent England in the Irish Boys’ Open Amateur Championship.

The 72-hole championship takes place at Castle Golf Club, Dublin, from June 28 to July 1. There will be a cut after 54 holes with the top 50 players and ties contesting the final 18 holes.

Hartlepool’s Ainscough, 16, was runner-up in the Peter McEvoy Trophy. He reached the last 32 in the British Boys’ Championship and had top tens in the McGregor Trophy and the Scottish Under-16s championship.