ANDREW Westwell is the new Bury and District Golf Association men's champion.

He clinched a dramatic matchplay victory over fellow Rossendale member and club captain Andrew Nicholls on Wednesday night, finally winning on the 20th hole.

The final was staged at the players' home club, so they knew the course like the back of their hand.

And it proved to be a nail-biter all the way round before Westwell finished off the match on the par four 2nd - the 20th hole of the clash.

Westwell had made the best possible start winning the first three holes and when Nicholls drove into water on the fourth it looked like being an easy night's work, but Nicholls recovered to make a half.

This signalled a comeback as he won three of the next four holes to level the scores.

The match remained neck-and-neck right down to the wire with Westwell snatching a win on the 17th to pile the pressure on his opponent.

Never-say-die Nicholls hit back on the 18th to force an extra hole, which was halved, before Westwell made par on the 20th to take the title.

"It was a great game with some super golf played. Well done to Andy," said Nicholls after the game.

The duo set up an all Rossendale final after Tuesday's semis in which Westwell beat Lee Irvine of Harwood Golf Club 4&3 and Nicholls knocked out Greenmount's Andrew Dunn at the 19th hole.

No fewer than five members of the valley club made it into the matchplay quarter-finals. Mark Whittaker, Ralph Postlethwaite and Gareth Gillatt all failed, however, to progress any further after outstanding performances in the qualifying rounds.

Phil Hambleton, of Greenmount Golf Club, was the other losing quarter-finalist.

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