After having three matches cancelled due to snow, rain and fog, Norfolk Seniors finally kicked off their league season with a trip to Newmarket Links to play Cambridgeshire.

And it proved to be a tough start, with Norfolk sliding to an 11-4 defeat.

The morning foursomes were lost 3.5 to 1.5, with Tony Ralton and Neal Milton winning and Mark Skipper and Adrian Myhill managing a half.

The afternoon singles proved equally challenging against an improved Cambridgeshire side. The only win for Norfolk came from David Pattrick while Ralton and Skipper both halved and were unbeaten on the day. Alistair Pykett, making his debut, also halved his match.

Meanwhile, the semi-final line-up for the Norfolk Ladies' Diamond Knockout competition has been decided.

Royal Cromer will be playing at home against Eaton and Hunstanton will play host to Sheringham. The semi-finals have to be completed by Sunday, July 8 with the final to be played on Sunday, August 19, with a venue to be announced at a later date.

There have been some close matches throughout the qualifying rounds of the competition, with extra holes being played and matches won by just one hole, and there was even a hole-in-one thrown into the mix.

The competition for players over the age of 60 was only introduced in 2017 and this year every club in the county entered a team, which shows its popularity. It has been decided to increase the number of teams allowed from each club from two to three next season to enable more ladies to get involved.

At Middleton Hall Paul Rushbrook's Senior Captain's Day saw 44 players compete for either the Dorothy Gorton Trophy or the Seniors Silver Jubilee Shield.

In total just over £400 was raised for Nelson's Journey, a charity which supports bereaved children and young people

Ladies: Ann Mitchell 31pts (ocb), Mary Gudgeon 31pts; Men: Chris Hudson 43 pts (ocb), Barry Fox 43 pts, Terry Best 41 pts.

Thetford Golf Club's Festival of Golf starts tomorrow and continues with activities on and off the course until Sunday, June 24. The opening event is a members' team Stableford and other events include a Mixed Stableford on Sunday and a Mixed Open on Tuesday.