Bell to put brake on personal ambition
Last updated 11:38, Wednesday, 14 May 2008
CARLISLE golfer Nicky Bell is putting his hopes of personal glory to one side to focus on organising a major amateur tournament at his home club.
The 39-year-old county star will limit the number of events he plans to play in this summer, which means he will not defend his title at the French Mid-Amateur Championship.
Bell and club and county team-mate Martin Hand are organising the biggest amateur tournament ever staged in Cumbria, and hope to attract some of Europe’s best players to the International Mid-Amateur Championship to Carlisle on September 26-28.
The tournament for players over the age of 25 with handicaps of scratch or better will tie in with the club’s centenary celebrations
The three-day event will start with an 18-hole am-am event with 40 top amateur players playing in teams of three.
Then there will be a 36-hole qualifier on the Saturday with the top 40 and ties advancing to the 18-hole on the final day.
The work going on behind the scenes means Bell, who was part of the Cumbria team defeated 13.5-4.5 by Lancashire on Saturday, will have to limit the number of national events he takes part in this year.
He said: “There’s no chance of me retiring yet as I’m planning to play on as long as the desire is still there but I’m focusing on this tournament at Carlisle.
“Martin and I want to get it right and to make it a huge success. It’s going to be a very high standard and we hope to attract some top players.
“It will be at the end of the season so we want people to come along, play some great golf and enjoy themselves.
“It will help the club celebrate its centenary, and we’re also looking to get all the juniors involved on the day, caddying and scoring, which will teach them so much.
“Hopefully it will be the biggest and best tournament the club has ever seen and it will also raise some money for charity.”
