Sardo Takes Sheffield Plate

Ben Sardo of Moor Allerton, (above, receiving the trophy from SUGC President John Reynard) won the Sheffield Plate, sponsored by Special Steels Group, at Hallamshire with a highly impressive two round score of 138. His four under par total, on his first ever visit to Hallamshire, gave him two shot victory over Ben Firth of Leeds.

His day did not get off to the best of starts, a pulled tee shot at the opening hole resulting in a lost ball and a disappointing walk back to the tee. Thereafter, however, it was steady play augmented by excellent putting which was the key to his success. Well positioned after a morning round of 71, he accelerated to victory with an excellent afternoon 67.

“The greens are the best I’ve played on all year,” he said, echoing a sentiment shared by many players. Aside from the opening hole, Sardo, who has a degree in Sports and Exercise Physiology from Preston University, also achieved the key aim of playing from the fairways. “Hit it in the rough and it’s a case of hitting a provisional,” he said.

A remarkable tally of five twos throughout the day also kept his scorecard moving in a positive direction, on a day when comparatively calm weather permitted good scoring. A chip and putt from left of the 18^th green for a birdie four sealed his first Yorkshire Order of Merit victory since the Mackenzie Salver at Fulford four years ago, and helped to bring his handicap back down to scratch.

Best of the Sheffield players was Phoenix’s Matt Evans, who turned in a typically solid performance. His afternoon 69 included a plethora of missed chances from the 15-20 foot range and could scarcely have been higher.

Another of the day’s highlights was provided by the youngest player in the field, Josh Berry (above) of Doncaster. The 12 year old four handicapper rolled in a ten foot putt at the fifth in the afternoon for an eagle three, having reached the green in two. Having also come within a whisker of a hole-in-one at the 11^th in the morning there was plenty to admire in his scores of 82-79, for 44^th place, but no doubt in future years he will be featuring at the top end of the leaderboard.

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