JOHN Gaskell reckons putting in the hard yards proved decisive after claiming victory in Cleobury Mortimer’s last-minute weekend roll-up.

The event, a replacement for the team yellow ball which was cancelled due to Saturday’s flurry of snow, saw Gaskell edge out Dave Booton, who was playing off a fresh handicap, by a single point.

Extra time on the course has helped Gaskell build up some steady momentum over the past month and he defied the sub-zero temperatures to come out on top.

“I have been playing a lot more over the past few weeks, working on parts of my game that Dave (Pain, Cleobury professional) and I discussed during my lessons at the end of last year.

“Recently, I have been putting some solid games together and paid particular attention to my course management. I believe this made a difference.”

Pain added: “John is a great person to coach and takes everything on board. He has committed to more lessons for 2017 and I can only see him getting better.”