Canterbury Golf Club's Dan Cooke wins the Kent Amateur Championship at North Foreland Golf Club

By Steve Acteson

Canterbury Golf Club’s Dan Cooke won the Kent Amateur Championship, fighting back from two down after 10 holes in Sunday’s final to beat Luke Spooner of Sundridge Park 3&1 at North Foreland Golf Club.

Cooke fought back tears of joy when Spooner conceded on the 17th green to crown the big-hitting Welshman, 27, as Canterbury’s first Kent Amateur champion since Paul Hoad won it three years running from 1976.

As well as lifting the Invicta Challenge Cup, Cooke will now represent Kent in the “Champion of Champions” national finals at Woodhall Spa on September 10-11 and he will be able to defend his county title at Open Championship venue Royal St George’s, Sandwich, next year.

Cooke controlled his emotions and his occasionally erratic putting superbly on the final day, which began with a fine 1 up semi-final win against Chislehurst's four-time champion Liam Burns.

When news of that win filtered back to the Canterbury clubhouse after the morning competition, the place erupted.

Canterbury captain Scott Lindsay said: “When I told the members that Dan had just won his semi-final, a great cheer and applause went up around the clubhouse.

“To then win the final is a fantastic personal achievement for Dan and a great honour for CGC.

“The members are very proud of what Dan has achieved today. Full credit to Dan, [it was] an absolutely brilliant performance.”

Spooner beat Matthew Gibson of Sundridge Park 6&4 in his semi-final and, after Cooke handed him the opening hole of the final with a double bogey, Spooner went two up for the second time with a brilliant 18-foot birdie putt across the green at the par 4 eighth hole.

Abergavenny-born Cooke, however, came up with the goods on the major turning point of the day at