GOLF Richard Bean staged a putting exhibition to storm into a one shot lead in the first round of the Leeds Cup, professional golf's oldest trophy, with a five-under-par 64 at Cobble Hall.

The former MEN Manchester Open champion required only 27 strokes on greens made playable after an army of ground staff and PGA officials spent half the morning mopping up water following overnight torrential rain.

Having enjoyed the best of the conditions later in the day to roll in half-a-dozen birdies, Bean admitted: "I've not putted like that for a long time and everything dropped for me."

The 27-year-old also revealed that he had only recently started playing regularly again after devoting most of the season to coaching at Cheshire club Aldersey Green.

Marriott Worsley Park's John Cheetham, winner of last week's James Brearley Lancashire Open, carded 66.