AN ACE pairing from Mid Cheshire have driven their way to international glory by the shores of the Red Sea.

Gordon Livingston and Ian Brandon, of Vale Royal Abbey Golf Club in Whitegate, lifted the Men’s Matchplay Championship in Egypt after outscoring seven rival pairs.

In the grand final of the showcase three-day event at the Marriott Taba Heights Resort, in South Sinai, screened live on Sky Sports, the delighted duo took the title by a nine-point margin.

Livingston said: “To win is incredible and it’s not really sunk in yet. It’s been a fantastic week and winning the competition is the icing on the cake.

“The course is a difficult test of golf, but one that can be enjoyed by any standard of golfer. The hotel is superb and the weather fairly hot – but we knew that was going to be the case here in Egypt.

“It has been a great experience and one that we will never forget.”

Brandon added: “We’ll certainly be signing up for next year’s competition as soon as we get back home and would urge others to do the same. That’s certainly the best £20 either of us has ever spent.”

The Matchplay Championship, which costs just £20 per person to enter, is one of Europe’s biggest amateur competitions with more than 1,150 teams from the UK & Ireland competing.

In total 16 teams from across the UK & Ireland – eight men’s and eight mixed pairs – qualified for the week-long expenses paid trip to play at Taba Heights, on the Red Sea coast.

Details of how to enter next year’s championships can be found at www.matchplaychampionship.co.uk