TWELVE months after landing the Durham County Championship for a second time, reigning champion Richard Aisbitt is gearing up for a crack at defending it this weekend - regardless of the conditions.

A field of 72 golfers will be teeing up at South Shields Golf Club on Saturday all with the aim of getting their names on the 107-year-old trophy. Aisbitt’s name is on there twice, having followed up his triumph in 2003 at South Moor by winning at Eaglescliffe last year.

He would have won it three times had he not narrowly lost out to Martin McCririck in 2011 and, for a golfer who tried turning pro for a few years before reclaiming amateur status in 2001, becoming Durham County champion is one of his most memorable achievements.

“When you put it like that, I suppose both of them have given me a couple of my happiest memories in golf,” said Aisbitt. “The first one more so, I would say, because it meant more to me.

“You always want to be County champion when you start getting better and better as a golfer, so that was a really good year.

“But those were both good years, last year was too. Last year I went on to compete in the National English Finals as Durham champion at Woodhall Spa and I finished second there, so that was good as well.”

Aisbitt, who works in Shildon, edged out Whickham’s James Simpson at Eaglescliffe despite the awful wet and windy conditions. “The forecast for this weekend says it isn’t supposed to be wet, but it might be windy!” he said.

The 41-year-old, who will have long term caddie John Hutchinson on his bag again, has been plagued with back problems for years, but still manages to retain his quality around the greens and his plus three handicap.

He said: “I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I have not played a great deal this year. I have been struggling with it for the last six months. But I played on Sunday in a medal and I was happy with how I played. I have had a couple of nine holes, but that’s about it really. I’m still looking forward to the weekend though.”

At Eaglescliffe last year Aisbitt took command in the third round when he was five under through ten to clinch a 283 shot total and how he would love a repeat of that. He then has ambitions of doing well in the English Over-35s Open which is being held at Northumberland Golf Club in Newcastle in July.

Before that, however, he knows his short term attentions are focused on this weekend when the Brancepeth Castle golfer will have enough quality opposition to deal with.

And Durham County Golf Union secretary Jonathan Ward thinks it is shaping up to be a great two days’ play.

Ward said: “The first one was held in 1908 and we had the qualifier two weekends to determine the field. Richard was last year’s winner and he also won it in 2003. This year it is at my old club, I’m a South Shields lad, so it should be great.

“It will be a tough test for them all. There are 72 playing on Saturday and that will be cut to the top 36 and ties for the Sunday. There’s probably about a dozen who you would seriously fancy, although I think Martin McCririck on his own course has to be in with a great chance.

“I think I’m right in thinking that he set a new course record over at South Shields last week and he has won both of his county matches, so he is in good form and on his own course he has to be in with a great chance.”

Durham County championship draw sheet:

07:30 Daniel Hair (3) Wearside, Stephen Ridley (2) Bishop Auckland, Paul Gilmour (4) South Shields;

07:38 Rhys Thompson (-1) Boldon , Michael Shotton (2) South Shields, Aaron Scott (1) George Washington;

07:46 Nigel Ralph (3) Heworth, David Vest (1) Wearside, Jeff Willey (2) Chester-le-Street;

07:54 Andrew Bell (1) Durham City, Andrew Graham (4) Bishop Auckland, Jonathan Gray (1) South Shields

08:02 Joe Cowper (0) Darlington, Graeme Marchbank (0) Durham City, Gavin Nesbit (-0) Boldon

08:10 Robert Moon (-1) Wynyard, Imran Aziz (-1) George Washington, Chris Handy (-1) South Moor

08:18 M W Davies (2) Hartlepool, Will Marshall (3) Heworth, Michael Calvert (3) Wearside;

08:26 Jonathon Cossar (2) Houghton-le-Spring, Alexander Robertson (2) Hartlepool; Steven Dance (2) Ramside;

08:34 Stuart Brown (-2) Castle Eden, Daniel Fox (1) Brancepeth Castle, David Conway (2) Boldon;

08:42 R J Aisbitt (-3) Brancepeth Castle; Jordan Bettis (-0) Ravensworth, Lloyd Bond (0) Seaton Carew;

08:50 Ainsley Inglis (2) Darlington; Paul King (3) Bishop Auckland, Jack Trewhitt (2) Castle Eden;

08:58 Adam Bates (0) Blackwell Grange, Joe Fraser (0) Ravensworth, Ryan Dixon (2) Castle Eden;

09:06 A Motteshead (3) Beamish Park; Darren McCaig (4) Whickham, Grant Dixon (2) Seaham; 09:14 Shaun Embleton (1) Tyneside, Ben Bailey (5) Wynyard, J Kirkpatrick (1) Ramside;

09:22 M Cook (5) Castle Eden, James Rogers (1) Rockliffe Hall, Sam Robinson (-0) Tyneside;

09:30 Jack Ainscough (0) Hartlepool, John Kennedy (1) Consett, Andrew McCarrick (1) Boldon;

09:38 S Huntington (2) Wynyard, Thomas Harbord (2) Castle Eden, Bradley Hildreth (2) Billingham;

09:46 Jamie Pringle (4) South Shields; Paul Atkinson (5) Ramside, Ian Wilson (5) Houghton-le-Spring;

09:54 Conor Willey (3) South Moor, W Wilkinson (3) Hartlepool, Sam Donald (-0) Eaglescliffe;

10:02 Neil Hunter Smith (0) Eaglescliffe, Cameron Wallace (2) Hartlepool, Jack Richardson (0) Durham City;

10:10 Martin McCririck (-1) South Shields, Tom Smith (-0) Eaglescliffe, David Patterson (1) Seaham;

10:18 Anthony Black (2) George Washington, E Waller (2) Eaglescliffe, James Wilson (1) Tyneside; 10:26 David Robinson (5) Whickham, G Lee (3) Tyneside, Howard Walton (2) Wearside;

10:34 Gareth Black (3) Tyneside, Adam Peart (4) Bishop Auckland, Stephen King (2) Garesfield.