AN amateur golfer from Rednal is set to head off to Portugal next week after winning a place in the prestigious grand final of the HowDidiDo National Matchplay Pairs Championship.

The expenses-paid trip to play at the world-class Quinta do Lago resort on the Algarve is reward for the efforts of 18-handicapper Barrie Kirton and his golfing partner Tony Durose.

The duo battled their way through local rounds and a regional final at MacDonald Portal Hotel, Golf and Spa, in Tarporley, Cheshire, during 2013 in a competition open to any golfer who is a member of an affiliated club with an officially recognised handicap.

The pair, both of whom play their golf at Harborne Church Farm GC in Birmingham, will enjoy complimentary return flights to Faro, six nights’ accommodation at the stunning four-star Monte da Quinta Club on the Quinta do Lago estate, and five days’ golf on the renowned South and Laranjal courses, with the prestigious HowDidiDo National Matchplay title up for grabs.

Four competitions culminate in the grand final at Quinta do Lago — singles, pairs, mixed pairs and senior pairs, for those aged 50 or more — with a total of 32 golfers from across the UK fighting it out for the titles.

Each finalist will have played up to four qualifying rounds merely to reach the regional final, with the knockout rounds taking place between June and September, and the regional finals in October.

The HowDidiDo tournament runs between February 9 and 15.