Mike Smith scraped in to lift the Thomas Salver prize at Woodford Golf Club on Saturday.

The 11-handicapper garnered 37 stableford points to just head off the challenge of Mark Deeming on the same mark.

Smith won on a count-back and to add to Deeming’s woes he had his handicap chopped by a stroke to five.

Third was Michael Cutter, who plays off 19. He was two points adrift.

In the first round of the Leslie Wood county competition, Woodford beat Royal Epping by 8.5 matches to 6.5 over 36 holes at Woodford on Sunday.

Woodford were knocked out of the Essex Over-55s competition on Thursday, losing by seven matches to four away to Maldon GC in the first round.