GOSFIELD Lake Golf Club progressed to the next round of the Thornton Challenge Cup after a narrow victory against Ilford.

Ilford came with a strong team of low-handicap players and, on paper, were favourites to win.

However, home advantage redressed the balance.

In the morning foursomes, Gosfield took a 3-2 lead, with Christopher Gliddon and Mitchell Edey being the stand-out pair for the home club, with a 5&4 win.

Andrew Gowers and Ryan Hill beat the strong Pinner brothers from Ilford and the other foursomes winners were Dale Argent and Steve Metson.

With ten singles games to be played in the afternoon, the morning lead was no guarantee that the hosts would reach the eight points necessary to win.

However, a half in the first game by Edey was followed by comfortable wins by Hill, Argent, Gowers and Joe Maynard.

This gave Gosfield the seven and a half points required to ensure a draw, but the last two games still out on the course were very much in Ilford’s favour.

However, Matt Payne, a serious golfer for only two years, began to fight back.

He battled throughout and, in the end, managed to halve his match to give Gosfield the eight points necessary to win.

George Castle, in the final game, was also making a comeback and turned his game around to earn a half to ensure an apparent comfortable win, 8½-6½.

Colin Goudie, the Gosfield Thornton Cup team manager, was recuperating from a knee operation that kept him out of the team but celebrated at the 18th green with on-course captain David Gaught.