The final of the 2011 Amateur Championship was played at Garforth Golf Club between Damien Simpson of Woolley Park Golf Club and Neil Kinghorn of Wakefield Golf Club.

After a light shower at the beginning of the match, the weather improved throughout the day and concluded in a balmy sunny evening.

The match started brightly with a birdie for Neil followed by an eagle for Damien, but the remainder of the mornings play was a little scrappy and finished with Neil leading by one hole.

The afternoon started with a flurry of birdies and after three holes the scores were level, Neil won the fourth hole and the score remained unchanged until the turn.  It was then that Neil turned up the heat to be four up by the fourteenth and eventually closed out the match by three and two.

They are golfers with contrasting styles but with one thing in common, their excellent sportsmanship etiquette and good manners.  It was a pleasure to watch two players competing in such an important match, both with smiles on their faces.

The number of spectators fluctuated throughout the day but a crowd of sixty witnessed the finale.  The spectators behaved impeccably through the day applauding good shots as

appropriate.

Neil is only the second Wakefield G.C. to be crowned Amateur Champion player and be presented with the ‘Granthem Eley Trophy’.  The previous Wakefield winner was Alan Slater who won in 1947, 1950,1953 and1954, some 57 years previous to Neil’s success.

Damien was magnanimous in defeat and admitted on the day the best man won.

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Jim Newton, who joined the Leeds & District Executive in 2004 as Junior Organiser and maintained that position for 5 successful years, was appointed President of the Leeds & District Union at the Annual General Meeting on the 30th March 2011.

Jim developed and administered an excellent coaching structure which has helped in the development of many fine young golfers from Leeds and District clubs, some of whom have progressed successfully to represent Yorkshire. Under Jim’s guidance the Leeds Junior Team won the Yorkshire Inter District Union Team Championship on two occasions.

He is a member of Wakefield Golf Club, had success with his clubs junior team previous to his appointment to the Leeds and District Union. In 2004, the Wakefield Junior Team won the Leeds & District Knock Out Trophy, The Ken Romaine Salver, The Yorkshire Inter District Club Team Championship and represented Yorkshire in the English Golf Union Team Championship. In an amazing season they also reached the final of The British Heart Foundation Championship played at The Belfry.

In his working life Jim was a police officer for over 33 years, rising to the rank of Superintendent, serving in many areas of West Yorkshire culminating in his final position as Head of Police Training. He visited India on many occasions to train senior officers in British methods of policing. He has gained many friends from the sub-continent both at home and abroad as a result of this training programme.

Jim has found his involvement with junior golfers of Leeds and District Union extremely rewarding and he frequently reminds them of the message, ‘Remember golf is a game, a game of etiquette, good manners, discipline and sportsmanship’.

He confirmed that he was proud and privileged on behalf of himself and Wakefield Golf Club to be president of the Union.

John Macmillan a Past President and member of Garforth Golf Club together John Harrison immediate Past Captain of Wakefield Golf Club were elected to the Executive for three years.

David Houlding of Moortown Golf Club was appointed Junior Team Captain with David Appleyard being re- appointed Senior Team Captain.