AN Ellesmere Port golfer has made history by becoming the first deaf golfer to captain a mainstream golf club.

Peter Baker, 47, who was born deaf, has been named captain of Ellesmere Port Golf Club for the 2014 season.

An accomplished golfer and member of the club for almost 15-years, Peter has represented the England Deaf Golf team on the international stage, being part of the squad which finished third in the Deaf Golf Championships in Perth, Australia, back in 2008.

“I didn’t know that I was making history and it wasn’t until the English Deaf Golf Association told me they were looking into it that I knew about it,” said Peter who works as a joiner.

“I was made up. It is fantastic to see more deaf and disabled people filling up a wider range of roles within clubs.

“It is important that our skills are recognised, not just on the course, but also off it.”

Peter has a history of sporting success and was a keen athlete in the 1980s, running for Great Britain at the European and World Deaf Championships between 1983 and 1989 before finally retiring from athletics, but it is golf that remains his first love.

“I started to learn to play golf while I was in a school for the deaf in Southport and I had lessons at Royal Birkdale,” he said.

“My passion was athletics in the 80s before I retired after the World Deaf Games in 1989. During that time I ran from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 1983 and ran the New York Marathon in 1985.

“I broke my back in a road traffic accident in 1998 and made a golf come back in 2001 to join the club and became a committee member in 2005.”

Peter’s new role will now see him take on a more active role within the club and the wider community, something which Peter, of Eastham, is relishing.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

“I’ll be involved in running the competitions, such as the Wirral League, and also trying to get more people to join the club. I also want to be selected to play for England again. That’s the aim.”

Ellesmere Port Golf Club secretary, Dave Sewell, paid tribute to Peter’s hard work and dedication to the club and expressed his delight at the news.

“It’s fantastic news for Peter and for us as a club,” said Dave.

“He is a very popular member here at the club and has been voted for the captaincy on merit.

“He faces many challenges as a golfer, not least in the communication with other club members, officials and competitors, but he has always taken it in his stride.

“He is a testament to what can be achieved by not letting a disability hold you back.”