PLEASINGTON will be bidding to retain their title in the ELGA/Lancashire Evening Telegraph Mixed Foursomes Final at Wilpshire on Sunday.

However, the three Pleasington pairs will face stiff competition from 21 other clubs from across East Lancashire.

Each club will be sending three pairs who battled through their own qualifying competitions to try and win the team nett trophy over 18 holes.

There will also be prizes for best team gross score and individual pairs' nett and gross awards.

DARWEN'S excellent run in the Manchester and District Golf Association Foursomes came to an end in the semi-finals at North Manchester Golf Club.

Darwen's 14-man team, which had won through five rounds to reach the last four, lost 5-2 to eventual winners Warrington, who went on to beat Swinton 6-1 in the final.

KEN Biggs enjoyed a hole-in-one at the par-three fourth hole at Accrington when he holed his six-iron tee-shot.

ACCRINGTON'S Graham Mitton played in The Express/Centrum Challenge on Monday but missed out on a place in the top 16 to qualify for the following day's final between two age-grouped teams. The competition was played over courses at Brabazon and the Belfry with Lee Westwood and Tommy Horton being the non-playing captains for the junior and senior teams that made up the final.

BLACKBURN'S John Reed was pipped to the Ingham Trophy at Rossendale by a better afternoon card from winner Steve Parry of Bolton.

Reed finished in a three-way tie for the title with a two-round total of 139.

But Parry's birdie at the 18th in his second round, earned him a 68 to the 69 carded by Reed and Mitsushiba Northern Order of Merit winner Garry Boardman, from Castle Hawk.

Rossendale's Andrew Siddle came in fourth over his home course.

Pleasington's Gareth Gillat finished third with a 36-hole total of 142 in the Old Links Trophy at Bolton the day before.

Nick Uttley was the top local player in the order of merit with a fourth-place finish.

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