Powerful left-hander David Cook the player who helped propel Dorset into the national county golf finals last year will be absent from the team this summer.

He now lives and works in Leicester and Dorset captain John Smith says he will not be available to play in the South West Counties Championship at Burnham and Berrow in June.

Smith said: "David is not going to be available at for every match although we hope he may be able to play later. He is definitely out of South West Week as he is on holiday."

Parkstone member Cook, aged 29, won seven of his eight matches during county week at Broadstone and was a member of the South West team that played against the Midlands in October.

His last county outing may well have been in the English Golf Union county finals at la Moye, Jersey, in September.

Cook, who works for the Norwich Union, was posted to Leicester 18 months ago and plays mainly at his new club Birstall.

Smith feels that Tom Leech from Ferndown has shown enough form during the winter and pre-season to fill the one of the vacancies left by Cook, Mark Davies and David Norton who has turned professional.

"Tom has come on a lot in the winter and is showing far more consistency," he said.

Lee Booth (Parkstone) is another player in the frame. He spends his days building websites for people with holiday homes abroad and has travelled a lot to America.

But he is now spending more time in this country and has made himself available.

The county beat The Army 10.5-4.5 in a friendly at Isle of Purbeck.