A TALENTED young golfer from Middleham was in sparkling form recently while representing the English schools in a competition at the home of golf.

Jodi Ewart (right), who is just 13, finished in the top five in her age group in the under 16s open strokeplay championship at St Andrew's in Scotland last week.

She was in the 11-member English schools squad, with the top three making up the team which beat Scotland during the championship.

Jodi's objective is to reduce her handicap from 19 to four or five to be one of those top team members in two to three years time. She practices three times a week as she is aiming for a professional career in golf.

Her regular companion is her grandfather, Mr Desmond Warren, who introduced her to golf when she was six years old. But now her mother, Mrs Zoe Ewart, has become interested and, like her daughter, certainly enjoyed the championships in Scotland, where they were provided with free accommodation at St Leonard's school.

Jodi now plays with the women at Catterick Golf Club and at the weekend came second in their weekly tournament. She has been a member of the Yorkshire schools squad for two years.

One thing is a certainty - Jodi does not intend to follow in the footsteps of her parents. Her mother is head lass for trainer Mark Johnston at Middleham and her father, Harvey, is head lad with Chris Thornton