Hampshire Golf Limited
Walkley crowned County Champion
Update on Hampshire County Championships
Darren Walkley beat Tom Robson in this afternoon's Final of the Hampshire County Championships.
Full report and photos will follow.
SEMI-FINAL UPDATE (11.15hrs)
Chris Blunden v Darren Walkley, Walkley won 3&1
Jordan Ainley v Tom Robson, Robson won 1up
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Sunday 7th June, Semi-Final line-up:
10.15 Chris Blunden (Sandford Springs) v Darren Walkley (Hayling)
10.30 Jordan Ainley (BMGC) v Tom Robson (Rowlands Castle)
CLICK HERE FOR RESULTS OF FRIDAY AND SATURDAY COMPETITIONS
Prize-giving approx. 18.30hrs on Sunday 7th June.
Dateline: Saturday 6th June, 14.00hrs
Andrew Griffin reports from Brokenhurst Manor Golf Club.....
Two past champions are through to the quarter-finals of the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship at Brokenhurst Manor after a morning of high drama during the first round of the matchplay.
Brokenhurst Manor’s Jordan Ainley – the only player to have ever won the men’s and junior championship in the same season after his victory in the 2012 county championship at Shanklin and Sandown – beat defending champion Martin Young to guarantee one player from the host club in the last eight.
Ainley, who went on the attack after his first round 77 in qualifying nearly ended his weekend before it had begun, stuck with his driver off the tee policy and was rewarded as he went two up after four with a birdie a the first and eagle at the par five second.
Young, whose brother Jon was crowned champion the time Brokenhurst hosted the championships back in 2010, was looking to win his third Sloane Stanley Challenge Cup after his win at the Army in 2011 and last year at Hockley.
Young then made a couple of mistakes to find himself four down after seven but Ainley did not get things all his own way as some mistakes of his own brought the pair within touching distance again on the back nine.
A birdie for Young on the 14th reduced Ainley’s advantage to one and both players birdied the short par four 15th and then halved the par five 16 in fives.
A three putt from Ainley on the tricky 17th green which had a fiendishly difficult pin for the second day in a row saw the match go down the last all square.
Ainley hit his drive pin high to the left of the green after smaishing his drive 320 yards and then watched Young miss his birdie from 25 feet to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat after the Lander University student pitched to four feet.
But there was still one more twist as Ainley misread his putt but watched it topple in from the right to book his place in the last eight.
Ainley will face Shanklin and Sandown’s Jordan Sundborg, one of two 17 year olds in the quarter-finals, while the top seed Chris Blundell, from Sandford Springs, who beat North Hants’ Billy Watson by one hole.
Hayling Darren Walkley beat Sandford Springs’ Max Nicholls 4&3 to set up a clash with La Moye’s Jason Stokes, after he knocked out Royal Jersey’s Steven Anderson by one.
Billy McKenzie beat Hayling’s Jamie Mist 4&3 in the final match out in the morning to set up an all Rowlands Castle affair that will guarantee the club at least one player in Sunday’s semis.
Robson also made a fast birdie eagle birdie start to knockout Hampshire Junior Champion Connor Richards, from Shankilin & Sandown, despite a brave fightback from the 17-year-old who got the deficit back to one before the 2009 champion made his second eagle of the round on the par five 16th, holing a 20-footer.
And Robson holed from eight feet on the 17th with his putt containing two feet of break, to seal a 2&1 win.
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