CHRIS HANSON chased winner Adrian Ambler to the wire for the Yorkshire PGA Order of Merit title last season and, as well as aiming to go one better this year, he also has his sights on the Mizuno-Yorkshire Trainee Professionals' Order of Merit.

Hanson, in his first full year as a trainee with John Eyre at Woodsome Hall, is in a field of 28 for the opening Mizuno event at Moortown on Monday

Moortown also hosts the second of the series on February 22. Eight other events are scheduled prior to the late season finale.

Ambler shot a winning 68 in a PGA Midlands Region winter series event over the PGA National course at The Belfry this week to join Cameron Clark (Moor Hall) at the head of the Order of Merit.

Meanwhile, the Fixby quartet of Paul Carman, David Hughes, Rob Turner and Aaron Schnacke finished nine shots off the pace in the West Yorkshire Alliance event at Ilkley, where former Leeds Open winner Paul O'Donnell led the winning Cookridge Hall team on 15 under par.

Bradford (Hawksworth) is the venue for the next scheduled West Yorkshire event, another four-man team competition, on March 4.

Leading scores: 129 - Cookridge Hall: P O'Donnell (scr), T Pilling (1), N Dickinson (17), G Hobbs (21). 130 - Ghyll Beck DR: N Reeves (scr), S Appleyard (4), J Sydney (5), M Garrod (8); Rudding Park: G Harris (scr), P Kitchin (1), L Whardall (4), D Fletcher (11).

Others included: 135 - Willow Valley: K O'Brien (scr), R Thornton (7), N Hartley (10), W Squire (17). 138 - Huddersfield: P Carman (scr), D Hughes (11), R Turner (9), A Schnacke (2). 147 - Willow Valley: J Howarth (scr), R Asher (12), R Garthwaite (18), C Swaby (19).

GOLF clubs are being asked by the English Golf Union and English Women’s Golf Association to complete their biennial club membership questionnaire.

This helps the governing bodies monitor significant membership trends.

This year there are 1,954 golf clubs affiliated to the EGU and 1,782 clubs affiliated to the EWGA who have been invited to take part.

Four previous surveys have picked up a steady improvement to the junior golf scene, the need to encourage more women and girls into golf clubs, and how clubs are responding positively to filling membership vacancies.