DURHAM County Union slipped to defeat when they faced off with Northumberland.

The day got off to a negative start for the visitors when Boldon duo Gavin Nesbit and Rhys Thompson lost their opening foursome to P Ridden and C Penny by two holes.

By the end of the foursomes, John Kennedy & Stuart Brown and Martin McCririck & Imran Aziz had got Durham off the mark, but those were the only full points secured by Durham from six matches.

In the singles there were better results with Joe Fraser (Ravensworth), Graeme Marchbank (Durham City), Kennedy (Consett), McCririck (South Shields) and Sam Robinson (Tyneside) all winning their games. Durham still lost 10.5 to 7.5.

ROCKLIFFE HALL will host the William Hunt Trilby Tour for the fourth year in a row this summer.

The Hurworth course will see competitors battle it out in the Trilby Tour Matchplay in both single and pairs competitions.

Around 1,000 golfers compete in the Trilby Tour each year, taking part in regional championships across the UK. Amateurs compete under professional conditions.

Rockliffe Hall’s golf and estate director, Davy Cuthbertson, said: “We’re very much looking forward to welcoming the Trilby team back to Rockliffe Hall as it’s always a lively event. It’s also a great chance for us to showcase our outstanding facilities to a whole new group of golfers from around the country.”

THREE Geordie giants will compete in the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am next Wednesday, playing alongside an all-star line-up and some of the greatest names in golf.

Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer will be making his second appearance, but he will have to keep a close eye on double BAFTA award winners, TV presenting duo Ant & Dec, who will make their debuts at Wentworth Club, Surrey.

Guiding the celebrity trio around Wentworth’s iconic West Course will be former world number one and Close House Touring pro Lee Westwood.

Speaking about the prospect of playing with Ant, Dec and Alan, Westwood said: “The BMW PGA Pro-Am is always a lot of fun, and this year should be great with Alan, Ant and Dec as my playing partners. I know all three guys pretty well so I’m sure there will be a bit of banter flying around, and it will be a nice, relaxed day before the serious business starts on Thursday.”

Advance tickets, with a discount on the gate price, are available for the practice day on Tuesday, May 19; the Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday, May 20 and all four days of the Championship from May 21-24. To purchase tickets, please call the ticket hotline on 0800 023 2557, or visit www.bmwpga.com.