CHALLENGE-SEEKING Steve Robinson has bagged a new coaching mission.

The Malton and Norton Golf Club professional for the past 11 years has been appointed coach for the north-east region of the English Ladies Golf Association.

The appointment was confirmed this week with Robinson to take charge of the top women's golfers across the north-east from October.

From then on through the winter he will devise a series of coaching sessions to be held by him across the region to further hone the skills of the area's leading women players.

Robinson's new role springs from his increasingly impressive portfolio of coaching work.

He has been spearheading the development of the Yorkshire elite squad of ladies players, including Malton and Norton's Emma Duggleby and Rebecca Hudson - currently representing Britain and Ireland in the Curtis Cup challenge against America at the Fox Chapel GC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this weekend.

He also coaches the Yorkshire boys' team, which recently won the Northern Counties crown by eight shots from Lancashire and Cheshire at Abbeydale.

Robinson, who this week posted a worthy seventh spot in the Yorkshire PGA championship at Fulford GC with the same scores of 70 and 71 that landed him the title five years earlier, was delighted by his new role.

"It's another challenge and one that I am eagerly looking forward to meeting," he said.

"It's always rewarding to work with good players and I am just hoping I can do a good job."

Robinson praised the progressive attitude at Malton and Norton which has encouraged his increasing sphere of influence in coaching.

"Malton and Norton have been very good for me and hopefully I have been good for Malton and Norton. Long may that continue."

Meanwhile, Robinson is among an eight-strong North Yorkshire contingent which will be vying for honours in the De Vere Hotels' PGA north region championship next week.

The event at the Heron's Reach course in Blackpool is over three rounds from Wednesday to Friday.

Robinson will be seeking to improve his placing on the current PGA north region Order of Merit, which is led by former Heworth GC professional Neil Cheetham, who now plays out of Barlborough Links.

Cheetham will miss the De Vere event through European Tour commitments and that could enable North Yorkshire's highest-placed contender, Knaresborough GC's Gary Vickers, to whittle down the lead.

Vickers is presently in 14th place in the rankings, trailed by club colleague Andrew Turner, who is joint 24th.

Both are competing at Heron's Reach as are Christopher Smith (The Bridlington Links), Daniel Grieve (Selby), Ian Tailby (Pike Hills), Dave Padgett (Pannal) and Gary Brown (Ganton).

YORK Union have been forced into two changes as they seek their first Yorkshire inter-district league win this season against Leeds at Pike Hills tomorrow.

Ex-England international Jonathan Plaxton is out injured and also missing is York GC's Chris Brownlee. Wayne Strutt (Boothferry Park) and Ben Field (The Oaks) come in.

The York Union team: Jim Batt (Heworth); Martin Brown, Matthew Dowdall, Adrian Lount (all Pike Hills); Wayne Strutt, James Duckett (both Boothferry Park); Steve Dunn, Matthew Lord, James Mason (all Fulford); Ben Field (The Oaks); Sean Ramsdale, Neil Thompson (both Scarthingwell).

KILNWICK Percy GC's representatives in the Humber Alliance Am-Am final to be played at Laceby GC will be Norman Turton, Ken George, Eric Sologub and Tony Hutchinson.

They notched a score of 126 in the strokeplay event with the best two net scores counting on each hole to pip Mark Gatenby, Graham Martin, Philip Curtis and Peter Williamson on 128, and Mick, Mark and Jason Adinall on 130.

The men's inter-club clash against Driffield went the way of Kilnwick Percy's rivals by 3-2.

ONE-SHOT wonders were notched on the same day in separate competitions by two members of Pike Hills GC.

Jeremy Hornby bagged his first hole-in-one during a rabbits match against Masham at the 138-yard seventh hole using a seven iron.

The next ace went to Bill Mutch - his third in 40 years of playing the game - using a driver at the 156-yard 15th in the Institute Council mixed greensomes competition.

FULFORD GC's match-play championship title was notched by Matthew Kelly, though not in a manner he would have quite liked.

After beating Kevin Miller five and four in the semi-final he maintained his vibrant form against Jonathan Plaxton, conqueror of David Potter by one hole in the semi-final.

Plaxton was only one over par, but such was Kelly's run he was four up by the 12th hole.

But then the clash came to a premature halt as Plaxton had to retire with a wrist injury first suffered six holes earlier.

TOES back in the water yielded a fine feat for one-time Heworth cricket club star Bob Toes.

Now retired and living in Thailand, Toes returned to England on holiday during which the Fulford GC member won the club's annual Dr J Acomb Trophy after a superb eight-under-par 62 for a victory margin of four shots.

Davena Burn won the Forest Park ladies' Forest Gold trophy with 41 points.

Updated: 10:34 Saturday, August 03, 2002