Golf: Baildon's Ian Martin has capped his best ever season by clinching the T&A golfer of the year title in one of the closest ever finishes.

Ian edged out West Bradford pair Darryl Berry and Paul Thomas by two and four points respectively thanks to his success in the amateur matchplay championship.

Victory over Keighley's Phil Wood at Hawksworth clinched an extra 12 points including the eight points bonus for winning and lifted him above the West Bradford pair who had both been beaten in the quarter-finals of the same competition.

And a delighted Martin said: "That's a marvellous bonus for the season. It has definitely been my best year by a long way. I knew it was close between Darryl, Paul and myself but I didn't think I was still in a position to win it."

Martin, whose club Baildon finished the season as Division One Scratch League champions, gained 18 of his 55 points total from nine wins out of 12 in the league. The matchplay was worth 16 points and he gained seven from Bradford Union team appearances.

He is now planning to pull down the curtain on his competitive season for 1998, apart from two club events. He is in the finals of Baildon's Scratch Knockout and club handicap competitions, but opts out of the Moortown Masters on Sunday.

"It has been a very busy year and I have had to devote a lot of time to golf, so it's time for a break," he said. "I will be able to spend some time with my family at weekends now."

Berry had snatched the lead from Open champion Thomas in the closing stages of the season by posting the second best overall score at the Yorkshire district team championships at Selby, but Martin's matchplay exploits just gave him the edge.

The trophy will be awarded at the Bradford Union's annual dinner in January.

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