Big win for one of UK's 'smallest' golf clubs

Stuart Hagger (left) said there had been some nerves watching his team compete in the final

A golf club believed to be one of the smallest in the UK has won an inter-county competition for the first time.

Beccles Golf Club in Suffolk has just 35 members, but made it to Sunday's fifth and final round of the Tolly Cobbold Cup at Thorpeness.

Club captain Stuart Hagger said the team were "underdogs" and were not favourites to triumph against Ufford Park Golf Club, based at Melton, near Woodbridge.

But he said Beccles fought hard for the win, which he described as a "great" achievement.

"We are certainly the smallest club in Suffolk without a doubt, and I'd even say maybe in the UK more than likely, I don't know any smaller clubs than ours," said Mr Hagger, who was a non-playing captain for the final.

"So to go out and win the thing, it's a great achievement and there was a lot of emotion."

After the presentation and team pictures, the Beccles team celebrated in their local pub

Mr Hagger believed it was the first time the club had ever got past the second round and once they had reached the semi-final, he said, they wanted to win the whole thing.

"Everyone was writing us off," he continued.

"Thorpeness were the favourites [in the semi-final], they'd won the competition the previous year and had a very good record in the competitions.

"So we were the massive underdogs in that, but we pulled it around.

"That was the same with Ufford Park - they had a good record and won the thing in 2017.

"They'd been semi-finalists before, so again they were hot favourite to win the match."

The tournament was decided by four team matches in the morning, covering 18 holes, and then the same in the afternoon

The final was tight and Mr Hagger said "at some points it did look a bit worrying".

However, he said there was a "big drive" from the team and they ended up winning by five holes.

"Just to win it by five holes is tremendous," Mr Hagger continued.

"We all disappeared to Wetherspoons in Beccles, which is where the guys have been going every time we won a match, just to have a celebration because it's been such a great thing just to win.

"We've got some special people at Beccles and without them we wouldn't have a golf club.

"We wanted to win it for them, that was a big motivation for us."

The Tolly Cobbold Cup is competed for by clubs affiliated to the Suffolk Golf Union.