TWICE previous winner Ged Furey will be hoping to eclipse the field and land the top prize in the £18,000 De Vere Hotels PGA North Region Championship next week.

A 158-strong field has assembled for the 54-hole tournament, which starts at Blackpool next Wednesday - the same day as the eclipse of the sun.

Pleasington professional Furey will be one of four previous winners of the tournament in action at the De Vere Blackpool Herons Reach course.

Furey, who won the title in 1995 and 1997, will be joined by Wilpshire's Simon Townend, who prevailed in 1996, defending champion and last season's North Region Order of Merit winner Paul Carman of Huddersfield, and 1991 winner Haydn Selby-Green.

North Region Secretary Jim Croxton said: "We are taking advice from the weather centre about how the eclipse might affect us on Wednesday because we will have a course full of players at the time. If necessary we will suspend play."

Other East Lancashire competitors include: Simon Eaton (Burnley), Jeff Mathews (Blackburn Driving Range) and Paul McEvoy (Clitheroe).

Keighley's Mike Bradley is currently leading this season's Order of Merit following his triumph last month in the De Vere Hotels City of Leeds Cup at Oulton Park.

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