Norfolk Ladies go down fighting against Lincolnshire

A damp start at Hunstanton saw the team trail after the morning foursomes despite an excellent win by Sally Benton and Juliet Fenton, 5 and 4 over Hannah Edmunds and Jayne Crooks.

As the weather improved so did Norfolk's golf. A steady breeze had blown the morning's rain away and the Hunstanton course was benefiting from the good work carried out over the winter with the greens in excellent condition.

Juliet continued her excellent form with a 2/1 win over Jayne in the afternoon singles and following an erratic morning performance Sharon Black played some steady golf to win her singles 6/5. Charlotte Presland and Eppie Zandvoort faced opponents who were on top of their game and so the match hinged on the result of Norfolk debutants Louise Patrick and Harriet Carr.

On home territory Louise made an excellent start but Lincolnshire stalwart Cindy Ireland came back strongly and birdie opportunities proved decisive before honours were shared on the 18th. Harriet, who is participating in this weekend's London Marathon, found 36 holes a good test of stamina in a different way, and the latter part of her match saw few holes halved until again honours were shared on the 18th.

The Lincolnshire match continues to be a good warm up for the Norfolk second team with strong opposition provided by the visitors. Norfolk have further matches against local opposition before taking on last year's regional winners Essex, in their first league match at Costessey Park in June.

Foursomes: Charlotte Presland & Harriet Carr lost to Helen McDougall & Cindy Ireland 5/3, Sally Benton & Juliet Fenton beat Hannah Edmunds & Jayne Crooks 5/4, Eppie Zandvoort & Sharon Black lost to Denise Parker & Jules Palmer 3/2.

Singles: Charlotte Presland lost to Helen McDougall 5/3, Louise Patrick halved with Cindy Ireland, Eppie Zandvoort lost to Hannah Edmunds 4/2, Juliet Fenton beat Jayne Crooks 2/1, Sharon Black beat Jules Palmer 6/5, Harriet Carr halved with Denise Palmer.