Festival dates now fixed.

THE annual three-day Huddersfield, Halifax Ladies Golf Festival will this year be held at West End, Halifax, on August 10, 11 and 12.

Times are still available for the Monday medal event which has two divisions with nett and gross prizes, and for the Greensome Stableford on the Wednesday.

Any club member with a handicap is welcome to play.

Contact Anne Taylor [phone] or Rona Button [phone].. Hebden Bridge duo Gwen Davies and Francis Tighe won the Crow Nest Park Ladies Open after their 45-point total gave them a one-point win over Bradford pair Julie Marks (Bingley St Ives) and Elaine Tordoff (Northcliffe).

Ann Stafford from the home club partnered Bradley Hall's Barbara Nellis to third spot with 43 points.

Meanwhile, Helen Pearson, also from Crow Nest, won the nearest the pin competition, while also partnering Tina Ives (Bradley Hall) into fourth place.. Latest results from the Yorkshire Ladies County Inter-Club Team Championship include: Outlane 1' Huddersfield 5': Janet Evans lost to Linda Smith 1 down; Gillian Goodlaw bt Victoria Gallagher 4 and 2; Sue Littlewood lost to Sandra Harling 3 and 2; Sandra Eastwood lost to Val Thornbarrow 8 and 7; Barbara Daniel lost to Jean Gee 4 and 2; Jan Murray halved with Pam Couttei; Pam Houes lost to Jeanette Clampett 3 and 2. Meanwhile, Huddersfield-born Simon Thornton, based at Royal County Down and a successful competitor on the Emerald Isle where he stands second in the Order of Merit with pounds 14,103 from seven events played, has taken out Irish citizenship.

Having counted a victory in a run of top-10 finishes, he threatened to give Open champion Padraig Harrrington a run for his money in the Irish PGA Championship at The European prior to Harrington heading for Turnberry to defend the Claret Jug.

Thornton went into the fourth and final round four shots back from Harrington who made it a hat-trick of Irish PGA titles.

Thornton, who shot the low score of the championship, 67 in the second round, dropped back to joint fourth place worth pounds 1,200 when he closed with a 77.