POUNDFIELD Products were again the main sponsors of Colchester Golf Club’s 31st Pro-Am and it was the professionals from two of their four teams that gave the course a pounding.

Neil Mitchell, of Ipswich Golf Centre, and Richard Beadles, of Royal Worthington, both returned scores of six under par to be joint professional winners of this PGA (East Region) event and share the £2,500 winners' pot.

The winning amateur team, with best two scores counting, were Josh Day, Robert Reeves and Brett Ridges, with their pro being Karl Dunn (Stoke-by-Nayland).

The team returned an incredible 26 under par.

This score had topped a team of Colchester juniors headed by junior captain Cai James with Dan Nicholls and Charlie Allison and their pro Tom Wiskin (Playgolf).

The juniors had been first out and wasted no time in getting round the course as the day got hotter.

They returned 23 under par but impressive golf from The Super Stokers took first spot away from them.

The score of six under from the winning pros was just one short of the course record.

Beadles started solidly with a birdie, bogey, birdie.

He then accumulated the bulk of his scoring in the middle part of the course when, from the tenth, he went five under par for the next six holes.

Mitchell also had a positive start with three birdies - only to lose a shot on the par three fourth.

He then had his birdie blitz with a stretch of four under in five holes from the seventh.

Colchester’s pros had an up-and-down day, with Chris Cutchie being the pro nearest the pin after two shots on the 18th, although his round drifted away to four over par with Mark Baker claiming bragging rights this year with a level par round.

Nearest the pin prizes were won by Roger Wright, Charlie Allison, Barrie Cutchie and Steve Moore.

Nearest the pins after two shots at the third and 11th was Josh Day and at the 14th was Dan Nicholls.

James Angel had the longest drive at the 15th.

Bearing in mind the recent hot dry weather, the parched course was immaculately turned out for Colchester’s premier open event of the year and full credit should go to the greenkeeping staff under Keith Chinnery.

Indeed, all the staff at the club put in a fantastic performance on the day with the bar and catering staff playing a pivotal role in the running meal after each team finished.

The last teams staggered in at about 7.15pm for the prizegiving and then the rain came.