Norfolk’s first team golfers began the new season in impressive form as they claimed the curtain-raising Clymer Bowl staged at Great Yarmouth and Caister Golf Club.

The annual foursomes event was contested by four 10-man teams representing the county’s firsts, seconds, juniors and a side selected by the current Norfolk County Golf Union president Stuart Goodman.

During the morning’s play the firsts were forced to dig deep to beat the seconds 3-2. The match went down to the concluding game in which first-team duo Sully Goddard and Johnny Spinks triumphed 3&1.

In the other semi-final the juniors took on a president’s side that included several stalwarts of Norfolk golf, including Simon Clark and Carl Green.  The evergreen duo, who have this year taken on joint management of the men’s county teams, led the way with a comfortable win and set the tone for an outright 3.5-1.5 success for the president’s side.

Clark and Green again showed class is permanent when they delivered a thumping victory in the opening clash in the final. They beat George Morris and Ben Rawsthorne 7&6, but the first team took command in the other four ties to record a comfortable win.

The juniors underlined their promise with a 3-2 victory in the third-place match.

NCGU joint manager Carl Green said: “The Clymer Bowl is always an important marker for the season, and this year’s matches showed the depth that we have across the county squad. In tough, windy conditions every team competed with real commitment, and it was especially encouraging to see the quality coming through our juniors.

“The first team handled the challenge superbly in the afternoon to secure the trophy, and it sets a positive tone for the year ahead. Our thanks go to Great Yarmouth & Caister for presenting the course so well and providing an excellent test to start the season.”

Norfolk first team: George Morris, Ben Rawsthorne, Tom Beasley, Ed Dimambro, Matt Strudwick, Sean Rafferty, Sully Goddard, Jonathan Spinks, Callum Rana, Tom Rutherford.

Norfolk second team: Peter Murphy, Warwick Calasse, Liam Caffyn, Scott Sealy, Josh Chamberlain, Theo Pudney, Harry Bradfield, Darren Abbs, Jake Gunby, Robert Wilson.

Norfolk under-18s: Toby Lewin, Jake Hurren, Tibet Demirsoy, Shea Baker-Smith, Luis King, Jack Bennett, Luke Gilding, Henry Saddleton, Anthony Coppola, Louis Smith.

President’s team:  Simon Clark, Carl Green, Chris Lamb, Peter Allott, Robert Barnard, Chris Taylor, Stuart Goodman, Nick Franks, Nic Cains, Andrew Gooch