HEREFORDSHIRE golf clubs acquitted themselves well in the 25th playing of the prestigious Cognac Trophy, held this year at Shifnal Golf Club.

The event, sponsored by the renowned Hennessy company, is unique in that all the prizes are bottles of premier cognac, with the exception of junior winners who received vouchers.

Each club captain in the Shropshire & Herefordshire Union of Golf Clubs is invited to enter a team of four to include three adult and one junior member.

In a record entry of thirty-two teams, including two from Cognac Golf Club, Burghill Valley claimed third prize with 85 stableford points, a point behind the winners Telford who took the trophy from second-placed Wrekin on a card countback.

Burghill Valley's club captain Brian Lewis was assisted by Dave Tedstone, Ian Montgomery and junior Liam Williams.

Kington GC also shared in the cognac bonanza by claiming a creditable third place with 84 points. Club captain Tony House, captain-elect Marcel Viellet, Jon Watkins and junior captain Ross Baker rueing a couple of missed putts which denied them the sought-after silver ice bucket trophy.

Not to be outshone by their Herefordshire neighbours, Herefordshire GC, with club captain David Gwynne backed up by Steve Campbell, Alan Brace and junior Alex Gabrielides, claimed the front-nine prize with 43 points.

Finally Halo's John Walker produced a superb tee shot on the par three seventh hole, finishing millimetres from the cup, to win a bottle of amber nectar as one of the nearest to the pin prizes.