Bat & Ball Challenge at De Vere Mottram Hall

The 3rd annual ‘De Vere Bat & Ball Golfing Challenge' saw famous sporting faces from the worlds of cricket and football combine with golfing legends on the eve of the IPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship at De Vere Mottram Hall.

Former England cricketer Darren Gough was joined by compatriots Steve Harmison and Dean Hadley to complete a 5-point win against their footballing counterparts, including De Vere Golf ambassador Harry Redknapp and former Republic of Ireland manager Steve Staunton.  

They also competed with Ryder Cup legends Sam Torrance, Mark James and De Vere ambassador Colin Montgomerie. Gough, who captained the cricketers' team, scored 82 points to spearhead the 483 point total.

"We're over the moon. They may get paid more than we do, but we're better golfers!" he said.

Following his round with Harry Redknapp, Colin Montgomerie was full of praise for the resort that will host the European Senior Tour event and its stars this week.

"The course is playing fantastically well, and I'm looking forward to playing in tournaments like this when I turn 50. I have a few weeks before I'm eligible but this is a fantastic tournament and is a great chance for people to watch some top quality golf.

"It was a pleasure to play with some illustrious stars from other sports; you have really got to respect their achievements and from what I've seen today in the Pro-Am, some of them are more than handy with a golf club too!"

De Vere's Director of Golf, Daniel Hodson, added: "The Bat & Ball Challenge is a great way for us to get the tournament week underway at Mottram Hall, and the course looks fantastic.

"We've been very fortunate to attract some of the biggest names on the Senior Tour once again so we're looking forward to a really competitive week."

The IPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship begins on Friday June 7.