Last updated 11:43, Wednesday, 30 April 2008

COUNTY golfers Martin Hand and Nicky Bell are organising the biggest amateur tournament ever staged in Cumbria.

The pair are hoping to attract Europe’s best amateur players to the International Mid-Amateur Championship on their home course of Carlisle on September 26-28.

The tournament for players over the age of 25 with handicaps of scratch or better will tie in with Carlisle Golf Club’s centenary celebrations

The three-day event will start with an 18-hole am-am event with 40 top amateur players playing in teams of three.

Then there will be a 36-hole qualifier on the Saturday with the top 40 and ties advancing to the 18-hole on the final day.

New county recruit Gary Wolstenholme, the world’s most capped international, is expected to play and will try to encourage his England team-mates to participate.

Hand said: “We thought the tournament would be a good idea to help promote the course in its centenary year.

“We would like to think it will put Carlisle on the map and we want to attract the highest standard field that we can. It will be the biggest amateur event in the county.

“We spoke to the committee about it and they were very supportive.

”We hope to raise funds for the captain’s charity.

“The British Mid-Amateur Championship, which myself and Nicky usually play in, has been rescinded this year so this tournament will make up for it.

“We are both playing in the European Mid-Amateur in Poland in June, and we will try to encourage some of those players to come over to Carlisle.”

Hand and Bell are seeking a main sponsor for the event and there will also be individual holes and teams sponsorship.