Outlane Golf Club have been celebrating the amazing success of three of their members after their triumphs in the Examiner Overseas Golf Challenge in Turkey.

Dave Knapton, a life member at the Slack Lane club lifted the coveted Examiner trophy on his first-ever appearance on the annual holiday, while clubmates Eddie Casper came home in third place in the 54-hole tournament and David Makin shared the honours in the Betterball competition.

Popular 11-handicapper Knapton was forced to do it the hard way, after battling his way up from 8th place on the final round at the National course in Belek, coming in with a terrific 38-point tally to snatch the title from Bingley St Ives’ Bob Dearnley.

Both men finished with a three-round total of 98 points, but Knapton grabbed the honours as the Bingley man, who himself had moved up from fifth spot, could only muster 37 points on the final day.

Longley Park’s Tommy Ward was the early frontrunner after an excellent opening round of 35, with Casper and Meltham’s Jack Thewlis, sharing the same total, but with inferior back 9’s around the TAT course.

The second round at the fabulous Montgomerie course (home of the Turkish Open which followed the Examiner tournament) saw Thewlis top the leaderboard with 30 points, ahead of Bingley’s Peter Marks and the consistent Casper.

The day’s best performance came from Crosland Heath’s Michael Illingworth who knocked in 34 points – a superb score, given that the course had been set up for the arrival of the tournament professionals, while clubmate Peter Sykes was a round of applause from the watching gallery as he holed his chip shot at the 18th for an impressive nett eagle.

The other big movers on day two was Bingley’s Ruth Brown, whose 33-point tally moved her up to overall fourth spot, and virtually guaranteed her the leading lady prize.

And so to the final day at the National course, where Knapton began his charge to glory.

Despite missing out at the par three fifth, he reached the turn with 19 points, having notched four nett birdies on the front nine, and matched his score on the inward half.

Dearnley’s failure to get on the card at the 500yd part 5 12th was to cost him dearly, as he too came home in 19 – but had to settle for second place after his lower second round total.

Casper’s 31 points was enough to seal third place, with Ruth Brown securing the first ladies prize in fourth place.

“It was an unbelievable competition,” said a thrilled Knapton, who had only ever experienced one round of overseas golf before during a family holiday to Vilamoura.

A regular player in the Halifax, Huddersfield Alliance, where he often partners Outlane steward Nick Hirst, Knapton revelled in the Turkish sun.

“The courses were absolutely superb, and the greens fantastic. In fact I just enjoyed the whole week so much, I think it was the best holiday ever,” added Knapton.

Examiner Challenge: 1st Dave Knapton (Outlane, 11) 98pts, 2nd Bob Dearnley (Bingley St Ives, 14) 98pts, 3rd Eddie Casper (Outlane, 10) 94pts, 4th Ruth Brown (Bingley St Ives, 21) 93pts, 5th Peter Marks (Bingley St Ives, 11) 91pts

OUTLANE’S success however, did not end with Knapton’s victory, as David Makin from the same club, partnered Bingley St Ives’ Linda Randerson to success in the Betterball competition with a 31-pt total.

Due to the high demand for tee-times in Belek, organisers were unable to get all 32 golfers in successive tee-times, with the result that this competition had to be split into two, with Makin and Randerson winning on countback from David Law and Maureen Dore and Jack Thewlis and Lee Kee Dearnley at the Sueno Dunes course.

Meanwhile, over at Sueno’s sister course, The Pines, Tommy Ward and Peter Marks took first prize with 38pts, two ahead of Michael Illingworth and Brian Wilson.

Scores, Betterball Dunes: 1st David Makin (Outlane, 18) and Linda Randerson (Bingley St Ives, 9) 31pts, 2nd David Law (Meltham, 6) and Maureen Dore (Shipley Beckfoot, 29), 3rd Jack Thewlis (Meltham, 14) and Lee Kee Dearnley (Bingley St Ives, 20)

Betterball Pines: 1st Tommy Ward (Longley Park, 15) and Peter Marks (Bingley St Ives, 11), 2nd Michael Illingworth (Crosland Heath, 15) and Brian Wilson (Branshaw, 14), 3rd Eddie Casper (Outlane, 10) and Bob Dearnley (Bingley St Ives, 14) 34.

THE seven-day holiday traditionally opens with the Team Stableford event and Eddie Casper was again among the prizes as he and Illingworth, supported by Bingley duo Keith Sutcliffe and Linda Randerson carded 75 points to win the event on a card countback.

The final competition, the ‘Team of the Week’ is based on the results in the main competition, and this prize went to the team of Peter Marks, Jack Thewlis, Janette Sutcliffe and Lee Kee Dearnley.

The event was organised by Paul Hanson, from Hanson Travel, along with former Examiner sports writer David Lockwood.