BRAINTREE Golf Club made a triumphant start to their Thornton Cup campaign with a 9-6 victory against a strong Stock Brook Manor side in Billericay.

The foundation for the victory was laid in the morning foursomes, which the Stisted squad dominated as they headed into lunch with a 4-1 lead.

Steve Leak and Trevor Whiting lost to Stock Brook's strongest pairing, however, there were wins for Todd Clements and Martin Hawes, Callum Pipe and James Hedger, Paul Buchan and Tom McGee and Adam Crane and Jack Jordan.

The singles proved a close affair with the home team gradually mounting a comeback.

However, a stand out win from Whiting turned the tide as he fought back from three down to win on the last green against the hosts' top player.

Further wins for Clements and Pipe put Braintree in the driving seat but it was last man out, Jordan, who sealed the overall victory with a 6&5 win, while Hawes and Crane halved their games to seal the 9-6 win.

Braintree will now host Rochford Hundred, last year's losing finalists, in a tough second round match on May 7.

Meanwhile, Braintree juniors Callum Chamberlain, aged 11, and Alasdair Groves, 12, were in the Essex Under-13 side that faced Surrey at Leatherhead.

Playing together, the pair played well but just lost out in a tight match with a strong Surrey team securing a comfortable overall victory.

Easter Saturday’s closely-fought stableford at Stisted was decided by two countbacks.

After the first, Matthew Dunmore, playing off 18, was declared the winner with 38 points, edging out Michael Webster (13).

Third place was settled after a further countback on 37 points, the verdict going to Eric Roast (18) ahead of Andrew Fowler (9).

The lady captain’s Away Day saw 44 members travel to Haverhill last week with victory in the fourball betterball going to Jenny Day and Anita Marlborough.

They were closely followed by Joan Boulton and Sue Halls with Marilyn Parmenter and Bridget Couch in third place.

The other highlights of the day were a hole-in-one on the 12th by Wendy Hutton, while Chelsea Bernadine won the longest drive and the nearest the pin prize went to Shirley Jiggins.