Jonathan Bryan was off 14 when the year began. He took the Warwickshire Schools Nett trophy, did well in the Boys Trials and has since halved his handicap to 7 - two rounds of 77 (nett 70) were consistent form and gave Jonathan a Top 10.

Another player who has taken seven shots (so far) off his handicap this year is Adam Ferraro. Adam showed exactly why this has happened (why he is now off 3 instead of 10!) with an opening round of 71, level par on the newly lengthened Nuneaton course.

Ferraro started his second 18 with two pars then 'attacked' the course -

'What didn't go wrong!', said Adam ha he left early from the prize giving to catch a flight for his Summer holiday, after handing in an 82.

Last week Jamie Carney was Runner-up in the U14s. Jamie had three bogies and one birdie in his opening 73. That would be four shots back from the halfway lead so with a level par outward nine in his second round, Jamie knew he wasn't to far off the lead - he was playing with the first round leader - so three bogies in a row from the third to the fifth seemed to have ruined his chances.

On the other nine, in the midst of his second round, Robert Bardsley was also in trouble. Robert had opened with a 74 (five back at halfway), having been two under par after his first seven in r1 only to make a mess of three holes on his back nine.

Robert was two over with four to play. He did not know how well Phil Wastell was playing. Wastell has dropped his handicap from 9 to possibly three this year and his 69 in R1 included an eagle and three birdies For most of the second round, the title seemed destined to go back to the Forest of Arden as Phil was playing very steadily. That was until the 7th, Phil's 34th hole of the day.

Wastell bogied that with a blocked approach. It meant a two shot swing to Carney after Jamie had birdied the 6th. Across the course Bardsley was make a birdie with a superb pitch to the 15th.

The 8th was worse for Wastell when he found the pond next to the green from 130 yards with a wedge, producing a resultant double bogey, and Wastell had to watch as Carney made another birdie to be just one back.

Bardsley was playing the par five 16th and off a good drive, hit a three wood pin high and duly made another birdie. Wastell and Carney were now in trouble and the woes continued for Wastell when he found a greenside bunker with this third to the 9th. The resultant bogey and Wastell and Carney were tied on 147. That was two shots back from Bardsley who despite finding the greens hard to read (as he has always done), was more than happy to take the first Warwickshire title back to his parents, and to show his older brother Daniel, who came close to the Warwickshire Open title last year.

A big 'thank you' went to the Society of Warwickshire Golf Captains for the new U16s trophy, and to Nuneaton GC (in their Centenary year) for hosting this first U16s.