GRAINNE Pendlebury is Bolton ladies' golf champion for the second time.

The 2007 winner beat Carol Helme on the 17th hole at Chorley Golf Club to claim the title.

Pendlebury, a member of Bolton Golf Club, got off to a flying start in the final, going two up after two holes, and three up after eight.

Bolton Old Links member Helme – a twice winner of the championship – fought back, winning the next two holes to reduce the deficit to one.

Pendlebury went 2 up again on the 12th and it was back to 1 up after 16 holes.

Helme had to win the 17th to stay in the game, but her shot to the green was short and impossible to get down in two, and Pendlebury chipped past the pin leaving her two uphill putts for the win.

On the opening day of the competition 20 players completed 36 holes in perfect conditions with Jane Blackhurst (Chorley), Jo Miller (Turton), Pendlebury, Helme, Sam Durnian (Chorley), Amelia Taylor (Harwood), Karen Sawyer (Bolton Old Links) and Helen Mosscrop (Turton) qualifying for the quarter-finals.

Blackhurst, Helme, Pendlebury and Sawyer won through the matchplay quarter-finals, with number two seed Pendlebury and top seed Helme coming through their semi-finals.

The victory completed a summer double for Pendlebury who had earlier won the Bolton club championship.

The Bolton Ladies' Championship had another good turnout as organisers repeated the format they introduced last year which was designed to make it more convenient and appealing for players to enter.

It saw the event start on Sunday with the rounds held in early evening to enable players who work to compete.

Organisers claim the changes have proved successful with entries in the main championship almost doubled and the number entering the seniors' competition enjoying an increase.

There were eight entries in the seniors' competition which was won by Milly McGinty, who beat Stephanie Patterson 2 up in an all-Chorley final.

Dunscar’s Sue Howard and Chris Gobin (Turton) were the losing semi-finalists.

There was also an additional ancillary Texas Scramble competition on the Wednesday in the middle of the championship which had a full field of 31 teams.

It was won by Turton trio Mosscrop, Miller and Chloe Cumming who narrowly beat Old Links' Kookie Morgan, Polly Bedford and Vanessa Culshaw.

The Championships will be held at Breightmet next year, starting on Sunday, June 16.