BRABAZON TROPHY RETURNS TO CELEBRATE MOORTOWN'S CENTENARY
IN 2009
The majestic course at Moortown in Leeds has hosted the
Brabazon Trophy on four occasions since the competition’s
inception in 1947. The famous Yorkshire club will make it
five when the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play
Championship, its official title, makes a welcome return in
2009, the club‘s centenary year.
The list of Brabazon Trophy winners reads like an historic
Who’s Who of golf and Moortown has played a vital role
in the creation of that list.
The Brabazon first called at Moortown in 1957 when Doug Sewell
took the title by eight strokes. Twelve years later Michael
Bonallack and Rodney Foster shared the trophy on 290, a stroke
ahead of famous South African Dale Hayes. However, a Springbok
was to triumph at Moortown in 1974 in the shape of Nevil Sundelson,
again by a shot from Nigel Burch from Essex, while the championship
didn’t return to the Leeds course for 25 years when
Surrey’s Mark Side won, again by a shot, in 1999.
Now the 61st playing of the famous championship, that has
also been won by the likes of Sandy Lyle, Peter McEvoy, Peter
Baker, and Bonallack four times, will again be fought out
over the Harrogate Road club on 15th - 17th May in its centenary
year.
Conversely, in the fixture list for 2009 just released, the
English Amateur Championship will be breaking new ground when
it is played in Sussex for the first time. The Championship
will take place at Rye Golf Club on 27th July - 1st August
with Littlestone in Kent providing the support for the qualifying
rounds over the opening two days. Rye and Littlestone are
the traditional venues of the Oxford and Cambridge Golfing
Society’s President’s Putter competition each
January and will provide a compelling test for the cream of
English golfers.
England will again host the Home Internationals in 2009 and
Hillside in Southport will play host on 26th - 28th August,
the scene of England’s triumph in the European Men’s
Team Championships in 2005.
Another impressive northern outpost, Silloth-on-Solway, which
was the venue for the County Championship Finals in 1995,
will stage the Mid-Amateur Championship for the Logan Trophy
on 10th - 12th July, while the County Finals break new ground
at Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire on 25th - 27th September.
Two of the key junior championships, the Under 16 (McGregor
Trophy) and the Under 18 (Carris Trophy) return to their tradition
homes at Radcliffe on Trent and Moor Park in June and July
respectively, while the Under 14 Championship (Reid Trophy)
will be played at another Gloucestershire club, The Kendleshire,
in mid August.
Meanwhile, Whittington Heath in Staffordshire will host the
Boys County Finals on 31st August - 2nd September.
The High Course at Moor Park and Old Fold Manor will be the
venues for the Seniors Championship on 3rd - 5th June, while
the Seniors County Finals moves to Surrey and Tandridge on
6th - 8th October.
Of the other events that year, North Hants will stage the
Champion Club Tournament, Hunley Hall in Yorkshire the annual
match between the under 16 boys and the under 18 girls, Thetford
in Norfolk the Schools Team Championship, while two Lincolnshire
clubs, Burghley Park and Forest Pines, will stage the Junior
Champion Club and the Golf Captains tournaments.
The 2009 fixture list:
9-10 May England v Spain Spain (TBA)
15-17 May Brabazon Trophy Moortown
3-5 June Seniors’ Championship Moor Park and Old Fold
Manor
30 June-2 July McGregor Trophy Radcliffe on Trent
8 July English Schools Championship Thetford
10-12 July Logan Trophy Silloth-on-Solway
21-23 July Carris Trophy Moor Park
27 July–1 Aug English Amateur Championship Rye &
Littlestone
8-9 August Junior Champion Club Burghley Park
11-13 August Reid Trophy The Kendleshire
15-16 August EGU Gold Medal Woodhall Spa
26-28 August Home Internationals Hillside
31 Aug- 2 Sept Boys County Finals Whittington Heath
5-6 September English Golf Captains Forest Pines
11-12 Sept Champion Club Tournament North Hants
18 September Presidents & Guests Tournament Woodhall Spa
(Hotchkin Course)
19 September County Champions Tournament Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin
Course)
25-27 September County Finals Chipping Sodbury
29 Sept-1 Oct Seniors Home Internationals Ireland (TBA)
4 October Under 16 England v Scotland Scotland (TBA)
6-8 October Seniors County Finals Tandridge
11 October U-16 Boys v U-18 Girls Hunley Hall
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