Watch the birdie is the golfing phrase of the moment at Rochford Golf Club after Thorpe Hall's Jonathan Neal won the prestigious Essex Keating Trophy - despite having his golf ball stolen by a large black crow.

Neal was in the running, two shots off the lead, as he started his second round at Rochford's tenth hole in deteriorating weather conditions.

City pension fund specialist Jonathan took up the story. "I drove my ball down the fairway and, just as my partner was about to play, I saw this big black crow come down, pick up my ball, and fly off. I was amazed."

Jonathan, who lives at Sidwell Chase, Benfleet, admitted that he was at first confused as to his course of action.

He eventually replaced the ball where it landed under the "interference by an outside agency" rule but, in case this was wrong, also completed the hole with a provisional from the tee.

"I had the same score with both balls so it didn't matter in the end," he said." Certainly nothing like that has happened to me before."

Rochford vice-captain Howard Southwood admitted that the club had suffered trouble on a stretch of the course from the offending bird which, apparently, picks up balls mistakenly thinking they are eggs.

Neal, who has a host of Thornton Cup winners medals with Thorpe and played for the County for five years, admits that his time for golf is limited these days.

Although he's just been cut from three to two he said: "With my job and a young family I'm lucky if I can get 18 holes in over a weekend these days.

"To say that I was pleased with my second round 69 would be an understatement as the conditions were really rough for the round. The rain got worse and the wind was stronger than anything I've been used to playing in.

"Apart from a bogey on the 12th and double bogey at the fifth it was birdies and pars all the way and could hardly have gone better. I only had 24 putts in the round and was absolutely delighted."

Neal won by three shots from County captain Bradley Smith (Theydon Bois) who was entitled to feel he was in with a victory chance when adding a 74 to his opening 69 for 143 and eventual runners-up spot from a star-studded field of 48.

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