HAWKSTONE PARK HAVE AN EYE ON JUNIOR CHAMPION CLUB TITLE
A new name will be etched on the trophy when the EGU Junior
Champion Club tournament takes place over the Bracken Course
at Woodhall Spa on the weekend of 16th and 17th October.
This will be the third playing of this junior event which
is growing in popularity and new champions are assured as
the previous winners, Stoke by Nayland from Suffolk and last
year’s champions, the City of Newcastle club, have not
qualified to compete this time.
Stoke-by Nayland were emphatic winners by eight strokes from
Redditch Golf Club from Worcestershire in the inaugural event
in 2002, but it was a much closer affair last October when
City of Newcastle scraped home by a shot from Cumbrian representatives
Eden.
Altogether, 33 counties will be represented at Woodhall Spa,
the EGU’s headquarters in Lincolnshire, and some teams
contain players who have already attained considerable success
despite their tender years.
Just two clubs from last year’s line-up are competing
again, Northants County from Northamptonshire, and Hawkstone
Park representing Shropshire and Herefordshire.
The latter will be fancied to be among the leading challengers
for the title as all three players in their team, Ashley Chesters,
Bills Mills and Sam Breakes, were members of the Shropshire
and Herefordshire team in the Boys County Finals at Broadstone
last month.
Chesters, 15, is the county’s under 16 champion and
Junior Merit Award winner, who has enjoyed a successful year
highlighted by his record-breaking victory in the 72-hole
Sandy Lyle Salver. At his home club, he won with 19 under
par, 12 strokes better than the previous best.
He will have solid support from Mills, who is the junior
match play champion, and Breakes, who claimed a 7 and 6 victory
in the singles at Broadstone.
The Northants County side contains two survivors from last
year in Stuart Ashwood, the county men’s and junior
champion who has also represented England Schools against
Scotland and Wales, and Matthew Bird.
Another team who will know the Bracken course well will be
the Woodhall Spa team representing Lincolnshire, who include
Rob Harris, a county player and joint winner of the EGU Midland
Group qualifying over the adjacent Hotchkin course.
One member of the England School of Excellence is in the
field, Thomas Coulson, who will be in the West Hove team representing
Sussex, while the Newcastle United team, representing Northumberland,
contains Mark Wharton, son of former Magpie’s soccer
star Kenny Wharton.
Another young man to look out for is 12 year old Chris Lloyd
from The Kendleshire, representing Gloucestershire, who has
already been capped at schoolboy level and finished eighth
in the English Boys Under 14 Championship for the Reid Trophy
at Kings Norton in August.
Although the Isle of Man are not taking part, the competition
has an island team in Shanklin and Sandown representing Hampshire,
Isle of Wight and Channel Islands.
The competition is also open to girls but only two teams,
Letchworth representing Hertfordshire, and Shaw Hill from
Lancashire, have females in their line-ups.
The format for this year’s event has been changed to
Stableford scoring over 36 holes, the best two cards on handicap
to count each day, while the champion club is decided on the
best aggregate.
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