HEREFORDSHIRE county team gave their retiring captain John McQuillan a winning send-off when they beat Brecon and Radnor 8.5-6.5 in a very competitive final match of the season at Kington.

Both teams produced excellent golf to share the morning foursomes 2.5-2.5 on a course basking in the warm sunshine and providing a stern test of golf with the baked fairways and superb, but slick greens.

Jonathan Devereux and Matt Harrison, and Andy Lambert and Ben Synnock were the Herefordshire winners, with the captain and his partner, Kevin Gibbons, fighting back from three down with five to play to clinch a gutsy half.

Lambert, Dan Jarman and McQuillan won their matches in the top half of the afternoon singles, but Brecon and Radnor won matches six and seven to lead by a point.

However, the home tail wagged strongly with Gibbons, Matt Davies and Ed Deasey winning the final three games.

After Gibbons had beaten Mark Heath five and four, both players decided to play their way in and Gibbons produced a superb tee-shot on the 202-yard par-three 15th hole to bag his first ever ace.

n Highlight of Terry Morgan's Captain's Day, held in glorious weather at Leominster, was a hole in one by Geraldine Kelly on the sixth.

The Captain's Cup went to Vincent Fish with a stableford score of 42 points, while Ray Chambers had the best gross of 76 after a countback.

Results - Men (0-12): 1 Martin Hunt 40 pts, 2 Ray Chambers 37, 3 Rob Pugh 36; (13-19): 1 Vincent Fish 42, 2 Colin Brimfield 40, 3 Mark Pierce 38; (20-28): 1 Peter Francis 38, 2 Shaun Sturge 38, 3 Neil Bennett 37.

Ladies, nine holes: 1 Margaret Pitt 22, 2 Geraldine Kelly 19.

Juniors: 1 Ben Amos nett 31, 2 Andrew Wilson 35.

Other results - front nine: Malcolm Davies 24 pts; back nine: Doug Matthews 21; nearest the pins: Geraldine Kelly, Vincent Fish, Tom Lloyd, Martin Davies; longest drives: Simon Morgan.

Bill McGrath won the Seniors Ancient Cup with the best nett score from a senior when he carded 76-13-60 to beat Ian Smith's seven-year record. Runner-up was Terry Inskip with nett 68.

n Ross-on-Wye veteran Bob Beavis showed that he is still a force to be reckoned with when he posted a superb gross 79 to win the club's senior championship and Peter Carton-Kelly Cup.

Derek Whatmore produced a splendid nett 64 to win the Marsh Allen Trophy, played in conjunction with the senior championship.

Results, seniors championship: Bob Beavis 79, runner-up Derek Whatmore 82; Marsh Allen Trophy nett competition: 1 Derek Whatmore 82-18-64, 2 Gerald Turner 83-17-66.

Club vice-president Bill Bishop, who is well into his nineties, set a fine example when he completed his card and also carried his bag.

n Nicola and John Tanfield were clear winners of Sapey's Hermes Memorial Cup, a mixed stableford decided on the aggregate of both scores.

They posted 80 points to finish three clear of Pat and Tony Hamilton, with Chloe and John Ballard a further three adrift in third place. Pam and Derek Bird were fourth, losing third place on a countback, while Gill and Dave Price were fifth with 73.

n Graham Smith and Brian Stringer will represent Belmont in next year's Daily Mail National Foursomes Knockout after edging out Steve Hughes and Gareth Allen on a card countback.

Results: 1 Graham Smith and Brian Stringer 82-11-70, 2 Steve Hughes and Gareth Allen 85-14-70, 3 Roger Smith and Roger Woolley 84-12-72.

President's Bowl: 1 Roger Smith 81-15-66, 2 Sean Pockett 75-7-68, 3 Martin Dent 76-6-70, 4 Andy Rawcliffe 78-8-70.

Belmont beat visiting Monmouth 5-3 in the latest round of the Wye-Dean mixed league.

n Home members Dennis Mills and David Radbourne won the Kington Seniors' Open competition with 39 stableford points on a day when a stiff wind made Bradnor a good test of golf.

Builth Wells visitors Colin Bradley and Gwynfor Evans took the gross prize with a 76.

Results, nett: 1 Dennis Mills and David Radbourne (Kington) 39 pts, 2 John Williams and Reg Burgoyne (Kington) 38, 3 Rob Pritchard and Ieuan Griffiths (Kington) 38; gross: 1 Colin Bradley and Gwynfor Evans 76, 2 Ron Davies-Jones and Joe James (Kington) 76, 3 Matt Smout and Colin Williams (Newtown) 77; longest drive: John Priday (Kington); nearest the pin: Dave Haley (Kington).

Steve Dart will surely catch the eye of the handicap secretary after posting a nett 62 to win the RAF Trophy. Eleven-year-old junior member Robert Metcalfe underlined his promise with an excellent nett 67 to claim runners-up spot in division 3.

Results, overall winner: Steve Dart 78-16-62; division 1: 1 Matt Weaver 71-4-67, 2 Alan Williams 71-3-68; division 2: 1 George Smith 77-10-67, 2 Phil Jordan 83-15-68; division 3: 1 Tom Moorhouse 83-20-63, 2 Robert Metcalfe 86-19-67.

n Over 150 members supported Burghill Valley president Phillida Barnett for her President's Day competition, an individual stableford off three-quarters handicap, with sections for men, ladies, seniors and juniors.

Results, men: 1 Cliff Evans 40 pts, 2 Mark Wright 39, 3 Colin Apperley 38; ladies: 1 Rosemary Snozell 37, 2 Helen Green 33, 3 Joan Curtis 33; seniors: 1 Brian Mahon 32, 2 Bryan Blower 32, 3 Paddy Morris 31; juniors: Kris Jones 38, 2 Matthew Shaw 35, 3 Ben Scott 34; nearest the pins: Don Marcer, Cecil Wheatstone, Dave Kitson and Keith Herrington.

The top prize in the Senior Ladies' Open was won by Ross-on-Wye' s Di Godsall who posted a superb 40 stableford points.

Results, overall winner: Di Godsall (Ross) 40 pts; 55-64 years: 1 Joyce Busby (Burghill Valley) 37, 2 Ann Dixon (Burghill Valley) 35, 3 Chloe Ballard (Sapey) 35, 4 Dinah Johnston (Ross) 34, 5 Jos Douglass-Pennant (Worcestershire) 34; 65+ years: 1 Jean Turner (Hereford) 38, 2 Rosemary Polley (Ludlow) 37, 3 Phillida Barnett (Burghill Valley) 37, 4 Annie Drake (Redditch) 36, 5 Jane Salter (Burghill Valley) 36; best front nine: Mary Price (Ludlow) 21; best back nine: Kath Watkins (Burghill Valley) 19; nearest the pins: Joyce Busby (Burghill Valley), Pet Brabner (Cradoc).

Lady Captain's Ladle, modified stableford: 1 Joan Dukes 36 pts, 2 Liz Williams 28, 3 Mary Crockett 26.

Burghill Mixed Am-Am Invitation stableford: 1 Stuart and Vivienne Randall and Brian and Brenda Loose 88 pts, 2 Bernie and Helen Green and Dave Shuttleworth and Sarah Lawrence 88, 3 Bob and Ann Dixon and Harry Magee and Pat Owen 88, 4 Mike and Sandra Fletcher and Barry and Jane Spinks 84.

n Four girls were among the 18 players who took part in the third annual Summerhill Junior Club Championship.

Josh Davies won the Forest Garden medal with a superb gross 74, with Josh Powell claiming the nett prize.

The two met in the final of the Alan Powell Junior Single knockout competition with Davies edging out the younger Powell on the 20th hole after a titanic battle.

Toby Bedford won the nine-hole Tigers Cup with 18 points, one clear of runner-up Adam Finn, with Stuart Snedden taking third place with 15.

Emily Davies won the girls competition from Letitia Greenow, Amelia Ratcliffe and Abi Grenow.

Junior Liam Cleary and Ian McLeod produced an amazing 32 stableford points to win the mixed junior/senior nine-hole greensome stableford.

They finished four points clear of runners-up Stuart Sneddon and Evan Illingsworth, with father-and-son pair Martin and Rhodri Thomas a further point adrift in third place.

n Herefordshire GC, monthly medal (0-14): 1 Steve Beaven 78-11-67, 2 Bobby Barnett 79-11-68, 3 Tony Dalley 78-10-68; (15-28): 1 Neil Powell 84-20-64, 2 Len Silcox 90-24-66, 3 Philip Leach 83-16-67.

The ladies lost 4-0 to Kington in a friendly.

n Hereford Municipal ladies' section mixed three-person team stableford: 1 Margaret Hughes, Pam Williams and Kieron Helps 99 pts, 2 Averil Magee, Mark Keddie and Shaun Vivian 85.