RINGWAY Golf Club’s new junior captain Bronte Ward is only the second girl to take on the role and she has set a new record by becoming the youngest-ever at the age of 14.

Bronte said: “I began learning the game when I was nine but only got into it seriously in 2015 with great support from the junior organisers led by Isobel Parry, who put great effort and support into the thriving junior section.

“My aims in my role are to encourage new junior members, to support existing members and to represent the club both at Ringway and other clubs and encourage people to enjoy golf.”

Isobel Parry added: “The junior section has a real buzz about it at the moment and Bronte, with her engaging personality, sense of fun and commitment is at the heart of it.

“She is a student at Wellington High School in Timperley and as well as golf she enjoys playing tennis and football.

“She achieved her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award last year with golf as her chosen sport and since she began taking it seriously two years ago she has reduced her handicap from 36 to 23 playing regularly in our weekly competitions and after school.

“Coached by the Ringway professionals she has worked hard at her game and also attended the girls’ coaching organised by Cheshire County at Adlington and she was selected to take part in the Northern Girls Jamboree at Upton last August.

“Bronte won her first board competition – the Junior Summer KO – and absolutely stole the show with her winner’s speech on club finals day.

“Following on the success of our Girls Golf Rocks campaign, which saw us attract more girls to our sessions than any other club in the country, we’re really delighted to have Bronte as junior captain and we are all looking forward to a happy, exciting and successful year ahead for her and the junior section.”

The draws have been made for the Inter Club Knockout competitions organised by the Manchester and District Golf Alliance which are the biggest competitions of their kind in the country.

The premier competition is the Dunham Forest Trophy which features the club professional and the six top amateurs in a singles match-play format with over 90 clubs in the mix looking to make finals day at Dunham Forest Golf Club in September.

In 2016 Leigh Golf Club set a new record of five wins in the long-running competition and two in a row.

They will be looking to make it a hat-trick in 2017 and have been drawn in the preliminary round at home against Wilpshire looking to make the last 64.

Matches involving our local teams are: Dunham Forest v Heyrose, Ringway v Bury, Rochdale v Davyhulme Park, Sale v Ellesmere, Withington v Darwen.

Through with byes into round one are: Ashton-on-Mersey, Chorlton, Altrincham, Northenden and Didsbury.