Lewys Bishop leads Vale Resort charge

The Vale Golf Club's precocious academy starlet Lewys Bishop has clinched both the Welsh Senior Division and the County Junior Championship.

16-year-old Bishop has been a member of the the Vale for six years and was one of its academy's original intake of talented youngsters.

The club, based at the Vale Resort in Hensol, near Cardiff, launched the Vale Academy three years ago, thus establishing the resort as an important nurturer of Wales' vernal flair.

Bishop overcame problematic climatic conditions at South Wales' Rhondda Golf Club to card a second-round 73, the low round of the day, which gave him a championship-winning total of 149 - one shot better than fellow Vale Academy member Alex Baker.

Ryan Thomas, another academy representative, ensured a Vale triple, finishing in third, two shots adrift of Baker, on 152.

Bishop, who recently sat his GCSEs, was unwavering in the face of the tempestuous weather: "I enjoyed the competition. The weather wasn't that bad. The course is right on top of a mountain, so you expect it to be windy up there," he commented.

"It's good to have a lot of other good players at the Vale Golf Club, who all play well away. It motivates me when I'm playing.

"I joined the Vale because of how good the junior ranks of the club are. The range there is excellent and everyone is so nice and helpful. I use the gym there and the facilities and equipment are really good."

The independent four-star Vale Resort has firmly established itself as one of the top golfing venues in the UK. Its academy hopes to mature into one of the UK's finest.

Head professional and golf operations manager, Clive Coombs said: "The development of our younger players is very important to us. We put a lot of energy into it and I believe we are reaping the rewards of that hard work."

For more information about the Vale Resort, visit vale-hotel.com.