Burghley Park Golf Club are beaten in the Lincolnshire Ladies Handicap League final against Cleethorpes

Burghley Park Ladies were beaten in sudden death on the fifth extra hole of their Lincolnshire Handicap League final against Cleethorpes at Grimsby.

Having won the south division for the first time ever, Burghley were pitched against the north division winners.

It was a hard fought battle, with all four matches going to the last putt on the 18th. Familiarity with the course was very much in Cleethorpes' favour as it was only few miles down the road from them.

The first pair of Alex Nisbet and Sue Churchill were three up by the 16th when their opponents, with handicaps of one and seven, found their form to claim the next two holes resulting in a tense finish on the 18th where a half gave the Burghley pair the win by one up.

Gail Hunt and Sandy Bushby went out as match two.

Sandy birdied the first (a long par five) and a tight match then ensued before Cleethorpes won the 18th to claim the spoils.

Match three found Kay Hircock and Michelle Powell up against a strong Cleethorpes pair, going three down after five holes, but through determined play got back to level after 14. They won 16 to go one up and were unlucky to lose the 18th to halve the match.

Mel Griffiths and Jo Bell were the final match out.

They managed to go three up at one stage but their opponents made good use of their local knowledge to claw back the lead so that the match was all square going down the 18th.

The Burghley girls hung on determinedly to bring in another halve, so that the overall match finished all square on 2-2.

Under LWGA League Handicap rules, the first pairs then went back out in a sudden death play off, followed by a gallery of more than 50 spectators.

Burghley’s lead pair, Sue Churchill and Alex Nisbet, played some magnificent golf in a contest which ebbed and flowed for the first four holes, during which the light was fading, before Cleethorpes won the fifth hole with a nett eagle to claim the title.

Never before in the history of this final has a match had to go this far to secure a result.

Burghley Ladies can be very proud of themselves since the A team has only been in the top division for two years.

To put up such a magnificent fight against Cleethorpes, regular winners of the Lincs Handicap League, was a great achievement.

Team captain Gail Hunt said: "All the matches were played in great spirit and Grimsby Golf Club were most welcoming and presented the course in very good condition."