ALEC Bickerdike retired this week after 10 years as professional at Hale - a club he described as the friendliest he has worked at.

And there's been plenty including Manchester. He followed in the footsteps his father Alex who was professional at Huddersfield club Marsden and his first fully-fledged appointment was at nearby Crosland Heath where he stayed for 12 years before moving to Hopwood in 1980.

"I didn't stay there long," he recalled. "I turned out for Great Britain and Ireland in the PGA Cup in Oklahoma that year and felt I could make more progress as a player."

Bickerdike, a contemporary of Yorkshire legends Lionel Platts and Hedley Muscroft, won the Leeds Cup - professional golf's oldest trophy - at Cobble Hall the following season.

And buoyed by his success on the tournament scene he left Manchester in 1983 to chance his arm playing in Zambia and Kenya.

But in a matter of weeks he was back home and arrived at Tunshill, a Lancashire club on the Yorkshire border close to the M62 where he was not only professional but green keeper and steward.

"I had to do everything," he recalled.

Three years later he was on the road again, this time to Germany where he took a teaching job. Encouraged by his old pal Muscroft, he came back after five years to play the Seniors' Tour, which was in its infancy, but failing eyesight cut short that venture. He arrived at Hale in 1998 and it was love at first sight.

"A great club and I'm sorry to leave despite my daily 60-mile round trip from my home in Marsden," he added. At 70, he will continue to play as often as possible and has entered the region's winter pro-am series with a friend from Hale.

PRESTBURY assistant Mark Pilling shared the spoils with Darland's Mark

Sheppard and Yorkshire-based Lee Shepherd on one-under-par 71 in the Mansell Finishes Winter Pro-am Series at West Lancs.

BURY professional Sean Doherty and his brother Ciaran won the Manchester alliance fixture at Mottram Hall with 41 points.