Hampshire Golf Limited
Hampshire miss out in close finish
England Golf Men's County Finals
Andy Griffin reports from Wychwood Park (Sunday 20.00)
Hampshire, Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands had to settle for third place at the English County Championship finals at Wychwood Park, in Cheshire, as Lancashire held their nerve over the closing three holes to seal a 5-4 win.
It was Lancashire’s second title in three years and the second time they had beaten Hampshire on the final day to clinch the blue riband event in inter-county amateur golf.
Having trailed 2-1 in the morning foursomes, Hampshire captain Steve Williams gambled by sending out England A squad member Scott Gregory, who normally plays in the anchor role, in the top slot for the afternoon singles.
Gregory lost four holes in a row around the turn to go five down but Hayling’s Darren Walkley was involved in a battle to the death with England squad member Sean Towndrow.
With Hampshire up in the bottom three matches, it all came down to Walkley and Martin Young’s match with Ciaran Doherty.
Young, playing in his sixth English County Finals, came back from three down to one down with three to play while Walkley was never more than one down until his tee shot found tree trouble on the 16th.
He holed a monster putt from 25 feet at the long par three 17th over the water, but could only chip across the green on 18 when needing a birdie with Towndrow in tight to the flag.
Young lost the 17th seconds later to go three down and while there were wins for Rowlands Castle’s Tom Robson, Corhampton’s Sam Day and North Hants’ Billy Watson, the 5-4 defeat meant Somerset took second place after beating Lincolnshire.
Williams the fourth Stoneham player in a row to captain the Hampshire IoW & CI side at the English Finals without success – the only winning coming at Woodhall Spa in 1996, when Justin Rose was in the team.
ANDREW GRIFFIN
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Hampshire team: Darren Walkley, Martin Young, Sam Day, Scott Gregory, Billy Watson, Darren Henley and Tom Robson.
Team Captained by Steve Williams (Stoneham).
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Andrew Griffin reports from Wychwood Park, Timeline Sunday afternoon (15.00hrs)
Hampshire captain Steve Williams gambled on stunning Lancashire in the English County Championship showdown at Wychwood Park by sending out last year’s English Amateur Championship finalist Scott Gregory at the top of the order.
The 20-year-old Corhampton member, who was called up to the England A squad on the back of his stunning performances over the week at Saunton last summer, is normally entrusted with the anchor role for Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands in the Daily Telegaph South Eastern Group League.
But having lost the morning foursomes 2-1, and needing to win four of the six singles matches to have any chance of matching the success of the county side containing a teenage Justin Rose, that won the English County Finals in 1996, Williams promoted Gregory to go off first.
The winner of last month’s Stoneham Trophy was drawn against England international Paul Kinnear, from Formby.
Hayling’s Darren Walkley, the current Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Champion was paired with England squad member Sean Towndrow in the second game.
Brokenhurst Manor’s Martin Young, playing in his sixth Sunday singles at the finals since 2002, was out third against Ciaran Doherty, while Rowlands Castle’s Tom Robson is facing John Carroll.
Williams, who had described his decision to drop Sam Day from the morning foursomes as the “most difficult call I have had to make in two years as Hampshire captain,” drafted the Corhampton man, who works at golf club manufacturer Srixon’s UK HQ in Alton for the afternoon matches.
He replaced Stoneham’s Darren Henley, also playing in his sixth English County Finals and was out against Jonathan Hurst.
And that left Billy Watson, the teenager who is also at the member of North Hants where US Open winner Rose made his name as a teenage prodigy, to bring up the rear for his county in the match against Ian Kenwright.
Andrew Griffin reports from Wychwood Park, Timeline.......Sunday lunchtime (13.30hrs)
Hampshire’s hopes of ending their near 20-year wait to claim a second English County Championship took a severe blow as Lancashire mounted a salvage job on the back nine in the morning foursomes to take a 2-1 lead going into the showdown singles.
Brokenhurst Manor’s Martin Young teed off first with Rowlands Castle’s Tom Robson, both having played in the final day defeat against Lancashire at Minchinhampton, two years ago.
Their opponents were England international Paul Kinnear and John Carroll, who also appeared in the 2013 finals, in Gloucestershire and it was Hampshire who edged ahead on the front nine briefly, but got to the turn trailing by one hole.
The Northern Champions lost the 10th to a par to get Hampshire back to all square but Young hit a wild drive off line on the 12th but almost holed his wedge shot on the 14th.
But it lipped out and left his team-mate with a tricky 30 foot flopshot from the bunker to give Hampshire hope with a par.
Robson then holed from 30 feet on the 15th to get it back to all square again but Young’s tee shot on the 16th found a spindly lie in the rough and Robson’s approach was wet to hand Lancashire a crucial advantage with two to play.
The pair were left needing a birdie on the last to salvage a half but Lancashire were in close for three on the par five 18th and when Hampshire’s birdie attempt missed there was nothing left to do other than shake the victorious Lancashire pair’s hands as they sealed a two-hole win.
But it was in the second match that Hampshire’s sails were seriously deflated.
The last time a North Hants player was in the Hampshire Isle of Wight and Channel Islands team trying to win the English County Finals was 19 years ago at Woodhall Spa, when a 16-year-old Justin Rose, helped the South East Champions land the title for the only time in nine attempts before and after.
But Billy Watson, who had played well with Stoneham veteran Ryan Henley in their previous two foursomes matches were beaten for the first time.
And having been three up at the turn, they contrived to lose five holes in a row to England squad member Sean Towndrow and Lancashire team-mate Jonathan Hurst, before losing the 17th to go three down.
The only glimmer of hope for Hampshire came in the bottom match where Corhampton’s England A squad member Scott Gregory showed the kind of form that gave him fourth place in last month’s European Amateur Championship, in Slovakia, as he hit his tee shot over water on the 216-yard par three 17th to inside three feet.
Playing partner Darren Walkley, from Hayling, the current Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Champion, holed the putt to close out a 2&1 victory over ex-England junior Cieran Doherty, who was also in the Lancashire squad two years ago, and Ian Kenwright.
The point means Williams’ men must win at least four of the six singles after lunch to have any hope of landing the English crown.
In the other match Lincolnshire – who were tied with Lancashire and Hampshire on two points, and with all three having won 91/2 points – lost the foursomes 3-0 to Somerset,
But Sam Walker, who won the Hampshire Hog at Justin Rose’s home course in April, and his team-mates, including two current England juniors in Ashton Turner and Billy Spooner, have not given up hope of a whitewash in the singles which could still yet seem them come out on top by the end of the afternoon.
Follow live scoring at http://www.englandgolf.org/golfboxdetails.aspx#/competition/188441/teammatch/20603
Timeline...Saturday evening (21.00hrs)
By ANDREW GRIFFIN at Wychwood Park
Hampshire captain Steve Williams admitted that leaving Corhampton’s Sam Day out of his line-up for the morning foursomes showdown against Lancashire with the English County Championship on the line was the hardest decision he has had to make in his two years in charge.
Having watched his team go from being 2-1 up against Lincolnshire at lunchtime, his team were swept away in the singles as the Midlands champions won the afternoon session 5-1 to win 6-3.
That result threw the title race wide open as the two teams and favourites Lancashire – who were surprisingly beaten 5-4 by Somerset, were left tied going into the final day.
Williams had to quickly gather his team for a meeting with Corhampton’s Scott Gregory barely having had time to change after finishing the final game.
The Stoneham man, trying to end the county’s record of four fruitless visits to the finals between 2007 and 2013 – and become only the second golfer to lead Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands to the English County Championship in some 90 years - had just 30 minutes after the close of play to hand in his team-sheet for Sunday morning’s three foursomes games.
Steve said: “I said before the finals that I was going to make the full use of my seven strong squad because the past experience of my three predecessors – Andy Bow, Alan Mew and Richard Elmes – was that keeping the players as fresh as possible for the last day was vital.
“I rested Darren Walkley on the first morning, and Martin Young sat out his first session in five previous visits to the finals on Saturday against Lincolnshire and I rested Ryan Henley in the afternoon singles.
“So having to pick someone to miss the foursomes against Lancashire was incredibly tough as all of them are desperate to play obviously.
“I have been Sam’s biggest supporter over the past couple of years. I made him my playing captain when I was in charge of the Colts and I have played him in all our Daily Telegraph League matches this season.
“And he has never let me down and had the best matchplay record of anyone in the league matches – even though in the end we lost out on a place in the South East League Final at Broadstone, next month.
“Sam won his last four of those matches so even though he was not in the squad that won the South East Qualifier at Hendon in July, when I could not pick Harry Ellis and Billy McKenzie because of their US college commitments, Sam fully deserved his place in the team, in my eyes.
“Obviously there two or three others I could have picked for the finals – Mark Burgess was in the team in 2013, and Jordan Sundborg reached the quarter-finals of the British Boys in August, and was unbeaten in his two league appearances.
“Not picking them was a difficult enough choice and having to tell them they were not selected, but having to stand up in front of the team and announce Sam was not playing in the morning, was very, very hard as he has been playing well so far, and overall has enjoyed his best year so far, also qualifying and making the cut in the Brabazon.”
Williams has to hand in his teamsheet for the afternoon singles, which will almost certainly decide the destination of the English County Championship, 30 minutes after the last stroke is played in the final of the three foursomes matches.
And his team will be more than fired up to avenge the last day defeat Elmes’ suffered at Lancashire’s hands at Minchinhampton two years ago.
Then, as in 2015, three teams went into the final matches with a chance of stealing the glory, but Lancashire turned the match on its head on the back nine to deny Hampshire IoW and CI.
Williams will be hoping it really is his day – even if he had to leave Sam out for at least one session.
Follow the match's progress at http://www.englandgolf.org/golfboxdetails.aspx#/competition/188441/teammatch/20603
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The Hampshire team for foursomes against Somerset at Wychwood Park Golf Club.
From left to right: Rob Watts (Swingfit), Ryan Henley (Stoneham), Scott Gregory (Corhampton), Sam Day (Corhampton), Steve Williams (Captain, Stoneham), Barry Morgan (Hampshire Golf President), Billy Watson (North Hants), Tom Robson (Rowlands Castle) and Martin Young (Brokenhurst Manor).
Tom Robson and Billy Watson tee-off in Friday mornings foursomes against Somerset
Scott Gregory tees off in Friday mornings foursomes match against Somerset
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