Brancepeth's Matthew Moor is hoping to catch the eye of the Durham selectors tomorrow at Woodburn against Hartlepool in the semi-finals of the Clark Cup.

Moor, 24, is desperate to add to his one Durham cap so far and believes a strong performance could force him into the reckoning for the county's EGU season finale against Cheshire at Wilmslow on August 30.

"The most important thing is for the team to win but it is also important for young players like myself to get back into the selectors' thinking," said Moor, who heads a strong team of Michael Curry, Andrew Bryce, Gareth Cooper and Kevin Booth bidding for a place in the final on September 20.

Victory in the Clark Cup would seal a fantastic year for Brancepeth, who have already won the Northumberland and Durham Inter County Foursomes.

And Moor believes his side will start as slight favourites in their last-four clash with Hartlepool.

"I think we would consider ourselves favourites over a parklands course like Woodham because it is a course that we are more familiar with," he said.

Hartlepool's bid is weakened by the unavailability of former Woodham member Robert McGhan, who is currently on holiday. But the Hart Warren club are still able to field a strong line-up of Rodney O'Donovan, Paul Newbury, Robert Walsh, Andrew Coates, and Lloyd Bond.

In the other semi-final, Whickham battle it out with Blackwell Grange.

l Fourteen-year-old Darlington golfer Ellie Givens has qualified for the final of the prestigious Golf Foundation Weetabix Age Group Championships at the Forest of Arden next week.

Ellie, who is a member of Blackwell Grange, qualified for the three-day final, which starts on Monday at the Forest of Arden, Warwickshire, after carding a round of 81 at Stressholme.

"I'm very excited about reaching the final - hopefully I'll play the round of my life," she said.

l It has been an amazing fortnight for Middlesbrough's Michael Skelton.

After receiving a shock call-up to the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team, the 19-year-old from Marske was in the England team which retained the Nations Trophy in Helsinki last Saturday.

Skelton (75-68-72) finished joint third, six shots off eventual winner Ross Fisher (Wentworth), who beat Gary Woltenholme, in a sudden death play-off after the England pair both finished four-under after 54 holes.

The England Elite squad will now turn their attention to winning their first International European Championship since 1991 at Nairn this Wednesday.

l A Palace visit awaits David Hughes and Lillian Wragg of Crook GC after they won the North-East final of the Bader Cup at Darlington.

Hughes, a seven handicapper, and Wragg, who plays off 25, are due to fly off to Morocco on October 12 to take part in the national final, hosted at Palmeraie Golf Palace, Marrakech after winning the North-East final with 39 stableford points. The Bader Cup is a national greensome stableford competition now in its 17th year.

l Teesside Golf club were left cursing their luck after the freak weather that hit the region on Sunday forced the club to abandon its invitation event. The tournament is now on Sunday, August 31.