THE GS Lancashire Mixed competition, organised by the Balfour and Houldsworth Committee, made a welcome return at Stand Golf Club and two Sale members ended up as part of the winning team.

After last year's event at Flixton GC had to be cancelled for the first time since the Second World War due to a lack of entries, things got back on track with 78 entries from 21 clubs.

The largest number of players, 16, were members of Worsley and the second largest group of 13 were members of home club Stand.

The change of format from mixed pairs to a mixed team competition will have helped, however the marketing work, carried out by the committee's first lady member in 122 years, Pat Jackson, can be seen as one of the major factors in bringing in a good field of players.

There was also good promotional work by Stand GC.

Two of the winning team, David and Lynda Knapper of Sale GC, had won the GS Lancs as a pair in 2013 at Northenden GC.

They were joined at Stand this year by Alan Wain and Helen Partington, of Leigh GC, and posted a score of 85 points – just one better than the two teams who came home with 84 points for second and third places on a card play-off.

The runners-up were Mel Clegg (Manchester GC), Phil Mottram (Stand), Chris Harding (Stand) and Claire Harding (Prestwich) who won the card play-off from Paul Cuthbert (Pike Fold), John Hardman (Stand), Pat Cuthbert (Bury) and Paula McRoberts (Stand).