Neil Reilly reaches The Altar of Success

The first day at The Vale was at long last rain free and we all enjoyed a free flowing day's play with no hold-ups, for a change.

Former Coventry City professional footballer, Liam Robinson, was an early starter and took full advantage of the benign conditions and set the clubhouse target at 5 under par.

Robinson, who has progressively grown in confidence since joining the tour and has worked hard at his trade, held onto the lead on his own for most of the day until he was joined by Greg Peters, who is at long last starting to realise his potential and put some good scores together.

They held onto the joint lead for the rest of the day but hot on their heels came, The Vale of Glamorgan winner, Adam Runcie who, along with Dave Thomas, was tucked in behind the leading pair on 4 under par.

A posse of players that was made up of Tom Whitehouse, Dan Waite, Jack Clark, Luke Murray, Lloyd Evans and Craig Smith, formed the bulk of the pack on 3 under par.

An interesting second day beckoned with joint leaders Robinson and Peters looking for their first win being chased by some very experienced former winners. As long as the pair of them didn't get involved in a match-play scenario we could have a new winner tomorrow.

Well, heavens above, a clear sky and a brilliant sun welcomed the players on day 2 and with temperatures predicted to be nudging 25 degrees Celsius; the whiff of sunscreen could be detected in the air for the first time this year, instead of the usual WD40!

Joe Ferguson was the first to post a possible winning total adding an impressive 6 under par 68 to his first round 73 for a final tally of 7 under the tournament.

Fergusons lead was short-lived however, as "round 2 specialist", Neil Reilly, swept majestically around the International Course in a remarkable error free 8 under par 66 to snatch the lead.

Dan Waite joined Ferguson on 7 under par with consistent rounds of 71 and 70 that included a holed second shot on the 15th for a spectacular Eagle, and they each won £1,750 for their efforts

Of the first round leaders Liam Robinson was making a charge to try and catch Reilly by getting to 8 under after 6 holes, but an aberration saw him hit one out of bounds on the ninth. Robinson replied with a birdie on ten but then fell away with 3 bogeys on the home stretch.

Neil Reilly, so often the Jamega Tour Bridesmaid, never The Bride, played almost perfect golf with 8 birdies and no bogeys to deservedly pick up the winners cheque for £3,000 for his first win with us that we are sure it wont be his last.

Praise was heaped upon the condition of The International Course by the players and this was due, in no small part, to the skill and determination of the Deputy Head Green keeper, Kevin Spiers, who had to step up to the challenge of taking charge with his "boss" laid up due to a recent fall on the golf course, he coped superbly infact excelled in producing the best of greens this year, many thanks. The course, was a picture!

The Vale of Pershore provide two courses for you to enjoy, the Championship standard "International Course" and the easier 9 hole "Lenches", both of which are a joy to play, with stunning views and a clubhouse serving delicious, reasonably priced food it is a must visit for golfers of all standards.