COMING in as a late reserve, Dan Shevill helped Northumberland to the national final of the Big Six tournament for just the second time in 50 years.

The former national amateur champion recorded the third highest individual score in the Northern Counties event to see the team of six sail past rivals Cheshire, Cumbria, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham and the Isle of Man by a large margin of 13 shots.

And it comes during an excellent season for the 28-year-old following his recent capture of the club championships at both his home club of Prudhoe and Slaley Hall.

Shevill is taking his golf more seriously again following a car accident in October which made him re-evaluate his priorities in life.

With family and golf topping the list, he has thrown himself back into the sport and he is at the top of his game with a runners-up spot in the Northumberland County Strokeplay Championship also recorded.

Shevill, who headed Stateside for a golf scholarship at Midland College, West Texas, as a teenager, is now looking forward to representing the county at the grand final in Trevose, Cornwall, at the end of the month - even swapping his family holiday to make sure he could make the trip south!

He said: "After my accident, it made me think what was important in life, and that is my family and my golf.

"And coming back to play at Prudhoe where it is so competitive and known as the home of champions has renewed my interest because I sort of fell out of love with the game for a while. I'm enjoying the game again, and that's so important.

"It's great to be back in the winning circles again, and I feel like there is more to come.

"I'm pleased to be back involved with the county, and I feel like David Gilroy, the captain, has given the lads a new lease of life and belief that we can beat anyone. We're going down there to try to win because there's no point going if we don't think we can.

"When we got through, I had to swap the holiday from Tenerife to Majorca but the national final isn't something which is going to come around all the time!"

Shevill was originally first reserve for the Northern Big Six, but was called into the team, which also included Hexham's rising star Matty Lamb, after a drop-out.

And he certainly staked his claim for the national final after brilliant rounds of 69 and 71, seeing him finish the day with a two under total of 140.

He said: "I was reserve at the beginning but I got the phone call on the Sunday to say I was playing, and then headed down for two practice rounds before the tournament on the Wednesday.

"While you don't want anything to happen to anyone, I really wanted the chance to play and I'm pleased I took the opportunity when it came.

"I'm thankful to David Gilroy, a past captain and past club champion at Prudhoe, for showing faith in me, and I want to prove it was the right choice."

Topping a great year on the fairways, Shevill recently clinched the top prizes at Prudhoe and Slaley.