Ladies clinch East Region title at West Herts

HERTS LADIES were in commanding form as they won the East Region title for the third year in succession, beating five neighbouring counties last week with some outstanding individual performances, to qualify again for the English County Championship finals at Kedleston Park, Derbyshire, in September.

With a home venue for the first time at the West Herts club, the Herts team first accounted for Norfolk 7-2 on Monday, then next day beat Bedfordshire by the same margin; on Wednesday they faced their toughest match against Essex, winning 6-3, followed by a 7-2 win against Suffolk, and completed the week on Friday with a whitewash 9-0 win over Cambridgeshire/Huntingdonshire.

“This was a superb performance by the team – they were absolutely wonderful,” said Herts President Ann Green.

With a three foursomes, six singles format, Herts had a shock start to the foursomes against Norfolk, Alison Franklin and Harriet Key losing by one hole, but Lucy Williams and Charlie Field, 4&2, and Hannah Burke and Lucy Glyn, 4&3, won through to make it 2-1, and singles wins came from Franklin 6&4, Burke 7&5.Williams 5&4, Field 3&1, and Key 5&3, with Lucinda Mileham going down 5&4 for 5-1 and 7-2 total.

In the foursomes against Bedfordshire Franklin and Key won 2&1 and Steph McEvoy and Glyn 3&2, with Williams and Field going down 2&1, making it 2-1, while in singles Franklin won 3&2, Burke 5&4, McEvoy one hole, Glyn 3&2. Key 5&3, with Field losing 3&2 for 5-1 and a repeat 7-2 total.

Charlie Douglass joined with Hannah Burke for a 3&1 foursomes win against Essex, Key and McEvoy following with 4&3, Williams and Field losing by one hole to make it 2-1, and in singles Herts wins came from Burke 4&3, Douglass one hole, Williams 6&5 and Key 6&5, with defeats for McEvoy one hole and Franklin two holes, to make it 4-2 and 6-3 total.

Against Suffolk, Franklin and Key 6&5 and McEvoy and Glyn 5&3 Field were foursomes winners, with Field and Mileham losing 2&1, to make it 2-1, and singles wins came from Franklin 4&3, Glyn 6&5, Field 4&3, and Key 5&3, with halved matches for McEvoy and, on her first county week appearance, Nicola Callender, making it 5-1, and 7-2 total.

Finally on Friday Cambridgeshire/Huntingdonshire were overwhelmed, Herts winning the foursomes 3-0 – Franklin /Key 3&2, Field/Mileham one hole, Glyn/McEvoy 5&4 – and six singles – Burke 8&7, Franklin 5&4, Douglass 6&5, Mileham 2&1, Field 5&4, Key 4&3 = total 9-0.

For the third year Harriett Key, with eight points, won the Mary Oliver Brooch for the most matches won. After the contest, Lucy Glyn was awarded county colours.

Essex and Bedfordshire finished joint second, each with three points, followed by Norfolk 2�, Cambs/Hunts 1� and Suffolk nil..

After her victory in the Irish Stroke Play, Hannah Burke (Mid Herts) won the Astor Salver at The Berkshire club, with rounds of 67 69 over the two courses, finishing nine under par for the 36 holes to equal the record for the event, held by former Herts Ladies champion Joanne Oliver. Hannah reduced her handicap to plus 4

From a field of 288, Tom Lewis reached the last 16 in the British Amateur Championship at the Open Championship course at Muirfield.

After qualifying with rounds of 66 at nearby North Berwick and 71 at Muirfield to go into matchplay, he beat American Alex Ching 3&2, Jonathan Hurst (Shaw Hill) 2&1, but lost by one hole to South Korea’s Jim Jeong, who went on to become the first Asian winner of the championship.