CHRISTINE Harries had to relinquish her Welsh Senior Ladies’ Open title as she could only finish fourth behind winner Ann Lewis in this year’s championship at Langland Bay.

Llanwern veteran Harries, who next Wednesday tees off in the Senior Ladies’ British Amateur Championship at Hunstanton in Norfolk, came in eight shots adrift of Lewis on 13-over-par.

Lewis, a member of Royal St David’s near Harlech, carded rounds of 77 and 74 for a 36-hole total of 151, seven strokes ahead of former champions Jane Rees and Vicki Thomas, who tied for second.

Harries managed scores of 80 and 79, which included an eagle in each round, but on the day her game wasn’t quite good enough to see her retain the trophy she won at Abergele in 2011.

Just missing out on a place in the top-five was Dewstow’s Patricia Fernon as she finished in a tie for sixth alongside Shan Lewis of Carmarthen, one shot behind Denise Richards, on 17-over-par.

Another Llanwern golfer, Ann Harrison, put in a solid display for a share of 20th while Monmouth’s Marion Workman didn’t have the best of tournaments, coming home in 43rd after two rounds of 100-plus.

After their exploits in Swansea, Harries and Fernon will represent their country in early October having been selected to play for Wales in the Senior Ladies’ Home Internationals at Elie & Earlsferry in the Scottish town of Fife.

Newport’s Andrew Willi-ams won’t have as far to travel when he makes the trip to Southerndown for the Senior Men’s Home Internationals from Sept-ember 18-20 – an event Ireland have won for the last four years.

Williams is joined in the Welsh team by Paul Bloomfield (Chippenham), Nigel Evans (St Mellons), Stephen Hopkins (Whitc-hurch), Gary Huggett (Llanymynech), Glyn Rees (Fleetwood), and Jeffrey Thomas (Royal Porthcawl).

Still on the national scene, Jessica Evans more than held her own during the Ladies’ Home Internationals in Cork as Wales came a close second behind England.

The Newport youngster sat out the 6-3 win over Scotland before halving her singles match against Ireland’s Jessica Carty as Wales beat the hosts by the same scoreline.

Then against the English, Evans and Gemma Bradbury teamed up to beat Alexandra Peters and Kelly Tidy 2&1 in the foursomes. However, Evans was beaten 3&2 by Amber Ratcliffe in the singles.

A better back-nine gave Woodlake Park’s Craig Sadler fourth place in the Welsh Individual Handicap Championship at Llandr-indod Wells after he and three others, including Gareth Davies of Pontypool, returned rounds of two-over-par 71.

The category A title, for players with handicaps up to 12, was won by Builth Wells’s Guy Walker, also on countback, from Phillip Dixon, a member of St Andrews Major.

Elsewhere, Tom Price (Monmouthshire) finished just outside the top 10 on five-over-par with Owen Lloyd (Monmouth) three shots back and Paul Way (Dewstow) on +13.

There was an even tighter finish in the battle for first prize in category B (handicaps 13-28) with four men shooting level-par rounds of 69. The quartet included Martin Kenyon of Raglan Parc, Richard Dymond of Woodlake Park and Alice Springs’s Dave Bradbury.

Unfortunately for them, it was the fourth player, Simon Sweet of Tenby, who came out on top courtesy of a better back-nine. His 34 strokes was one better than Kenyon and Dymond and two clear of Bradbury.

Connor Phillips (Monmo-uthshire), Andrew Taylor (Dewstow), Paul Jones (Monmouth) and Hugh Williams (Parc) came in further down the field.

The draw for the semi-finals of the Ping Mixed Foursomes has been made and Woodlake Park now know they will play Clays of Wrexham for the chance to meet either Carmarthen or Pennard in the final on October 8. The last four ties take place at Neath earlier on the same day when the Plate competition will also be contested. Alice Springs and St Pierre are two clubs competing for that accolade.

Dewstow’s Louise Fraser required countback over the final three holes to take the Monmouthshire Ladies’ Py-man Marsh Bowl ahead of clubmate Jenny Sayer.

Both women totalled 32 stableford points on their home course but it was Fraser who just had the edge to finish top of the silver division stakes. Raglan Parc’s Kath Weare was third just one point behind.

And the host club were celebrating a double as Diane Pollard’s 32 points gave her the Peglar Cup for winning the bronze division.

Deborah Hudson made it a Dewstow one-two with Josie Wood of Pontnewydd third and Newport’s Margaret Bowen claimed the veterans’ prize with 25 points.

A three-hole play-off was needed to determine Tredegar & Rhymney’s club champion for 2012 after Matthew Trigg, Alun Davies and Darren Sullivan couldn’t be separated at the end of 36 holes. In the end it was Trigg who prevailed to become the champion with Davies and Sullivan having to settle for second prize.