(Image: UGC)
Martin Foster did Clayton proud on the international stage on this day in 1976.
The Bradford golfer had served notice of his immense talent by winning the 1969 Boys Amateur Championship as a teenager.
But he really began to find his feet among the best in the mid-seventies.
Having finished T23 at the 1975 Open Championship, he came runner-up twice on the European Tour the following year.
But it was his teamwork in 1976 that really caught the eye.
On this day 50 years ago, he helped England squeeze out the Rest of the World team in the Double Diamond International event.
This came after the Clayton ace had played a starring role in his country thrashing Europe in the semis, where he stormed to a 3&2 win over experienced Spaniard Antonio Garrido.
Europe’s only half-point against England came courtesy of teenager Seve Ballesterios tying his match with opposition captain Tony Jacklin.
Less than a month later, Foster played a pivotal role in the Great Britain and Ireland side which saw off the Continent of Europe to win the Hennessy Cognac Cup 20-10.
Ballesteros and another future great, Germany’s Bernhard Langer, were both in that European side.
But Spain’s Ballesteros got some revenge over his Clayton rival that December.
At just 19, he and Manuel Pinero secured Spain the World Cup title in California.
Foster linked up with his regular international team-mate Tommy Horton, with the pair coming ninth in the 47-team field.
Foster was a European Tour runner-up five times in his career, but sadly never won on it, while he joined the European Seniors Tour after turning 50 in 2002.