Judy McCairns improved every day to win Division B of English senior women’s strokeplay championship at Royal Ashdown Forest in Sussex.

The Oxford Ladies member's third round score of 80 secured her the title by one shot from Sue Timberlake (Edgbaston) in the 54-hole contest.

She, Timberlake, Luci Foster (Bramhall) and Eppie Zandvoort (Eaton, Norwich) were all tied on 169 after two rounds.

But McCairns took the honours in the final round with scores of 86, 83 and 80 giving her a total of 249.

McCairns adds her title to a host of previous Division B wins, in both strokeplay and matchplay championships.

She only took up golf in her mid-40s having been a county tennis and badminton player.

McCairns said: “It’s nice to be able to win again when you feel that age is not helping any more – and when all those young 50-year-olds are coming in!”

Although her scores improved every day as she got used to the challenging course, McCairns thought she had blown her chances in the final round when she double-bogeyed the 13th hole.

She said: “It was all very tight and I’m chuffed to bits to win – and I think I’ll get my handicap down too!”

McCairns saw her handicap cut from eight to seven as a result.

She also won the handicap prize for good measure.

Oxfordshire’s Tilly Holder had to be content with a ten-over-par score of 234 in the Irish Women’s Strokeplay Championship at Douglas.

Holder, who plays for Woburn, carded rounds of 78, 79 and 77 after coming through qualfying.

Malcolm Bate’s Hartjay team, from The Oxfordshire, won Five Star Events’ Phil Garner Trophy at Burford.

They finished on 128 points, ahead of David Oakley’s team on 121. Barry Yates’s team were third on 118.

The next event in this year’s series, which is supporting Bridewell Gardens, is the Barry Yates Cup at Studley Wood on July 15.