Cryer faces Willett in the English final
 Matthew
Cryer, from Coventry will meet Yorkshire’s Daniel Willett
(photo courtesy of Tom Ward) in tomorrow’s 36-hole final
of the English Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s,
Sandwich.
Cryer, who beat Dale Marmion in the morning quarter finals,
ended a successful day by overcoming Shane Winstone in the
semis. Having reached the quarter and semi-finals in the past
two years, 32-year-old international Cryer will be hoping
he can land the major prize this time.
“I’ve been disappointed in the past two years
but I’m looking forward to playing in the final of a
tournament I’ve always wanted to win,” said Cryer.
“From what I’ve heard, Daniel is playing good,
so I‘m expecting a tough match”
Not that Cryer looked happy over the opening holes against
Winstone, who took an early lead and was still one hole ahead
after eight. But the Midlander got to grips with the task
around the turn and from then on was never really threatened.
He won the ninth and tenth with birdies to go 1up while winning
pars at the 12th, 14th and 15th sealed his victory.
“The first six holes were atrocious,” Cryer added.
“I was around four over in that spell but three under
for the rest.”
Winstone, a Gloucestershire county player, was the surprise
of the championship, having shot a record 64 in the qualifying
at Royal Cinque Ports and booking a semi-final spot by beating
international John Parry on the final green in the morning.
But three destructive shots cost him dear against Cryer and
left him with a sour taste in his mouth.
“It’s been a great week for me but I’m
very disappointed to lose the way I did,” he said. “I
expected to go all the way after my 64 on the first day but
I hit a few very bad shots this afternoon which you can’t
afford to do.”
Willett, 19, on a golf scholarship at Jacksonville in Florida,
is the man in form. He’s won the Yorkshire Championship
and the South of England Stroke Play at Walton Heath last
week and is seeking to complete the hat-trick after requiring
just 29 holes to beat Chris Paisley and James Robinson. “I
got ahead early on against James in the semi-finals and although
he came back a bit I was never worried,” said a confident
Willett.
In fact, Willett birdied the second and third holes to take
a grip on the match and although Robinson twice pegged him
back, the Yorkshireman pulled away again on each occasion.
The beginning of the end came when Willett went 3-up on the
12th and he wrapped up another productive day on the 15th.
“I know of Matt but I’ve never played him before,”
added Willett. “But if I can repeat my form of today
it should be good enough although anything can happen over
36 holes.”
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