Lancashire will hope to successfully defend the trophy when the English Boys County Finals take place at Royal Cromer Golf Club (pictured), Norfolk, on 3rd – 5th September.
Opposing the Northern Group Champions will be the other three regional winners, Somerset, Surrey and Worcestershire.
Only Somerset have never won the Boys County title, but the South West winners are justifiably confident that they have a good chance of making the breakthrough this time.
Lancashire, who won the title for the third time at Pannal a year ago, will field a strong line-up including internationals Tommy Fleetwood, the only survivor of last year’s winning team, and Matthew Nixon. Fleetwood is in top form, having won all six of his matches in England’s recent Boys Home Internationals success in Wales, while Nixon was the 2006 British Boys Champion and lost just once in Wales. Lancashire also have Jack Brooks, English under 14 Champion in 2003 and the current County Boys Champion, Andrew Palmer, third to Brooks this year, and Adam Andrews, fifth in that event.
Somerset field their Boys Champion in David Gregory, who has also won one of the county’s order of merit events this year. So has Max Brittan, while Matt Kippen is an emerging talent who shares the course record of 64 at his home club Enmore Park. Kippen also finished seventh in the Carris Trophy. Two more of their line-up have been successful in foursomes events this year. Curtis Edwards and his partner finished runners-up in the West of England Winter Foursomes while Jack Palmer was part of the team that won the County Foursomes.
Surrey, narrowly beaten by Lancashire for the title last year, field two of that same team in Andrew Cooley and Billy Fowles. The latter was a boy cap last year, is a member of the England under 18 squad who finished tied fourth in the McEvoy Trophy in April. They also include Gary King, another boy international, who reached the quarter finals of the British Boys Championship recently and who broke the course record with 64 in the South East Qualifying at Sheringham. He also finished runner-up in the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters.
Worcestershire include their Boys Champion in Rudi Hercik along with Chris Nugent, a Welsh cap who represented his country in the recent Boys Home Internationals. Their Boys Captain is Jamie Taylor, while also in their line-up is Matthew Tweddell, who comes from good golfing stock. His grandfather was Dr Bill Tweddell, Amateur champion at Hoylake in 1927, while his father is a past county captain.
Lancashire have the best record in the competition with victories in 1990, 2001, and last year; Surrey were champions in 2000; while Worcestershire claimed the title in 1986, the competition’s inaugural year.
The County Finals are contested on a round robin basis, each match consisting of three foursomes and six singles, all over 18 holes. In the first round of matches on 3rd September, Lancashire will play Worcestershire, while Somerset meet Surrey.
Teams:
Lancashire
Adam Andrews (Ashton in Makerfield)
Jack Brooks (Pleasington)
Ciaran Doherty (Bury)
Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall)
Sean Nicholls (St Anne’s Old Links)
Matthew Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne)
Andrew Palmer (Chorley)
Somerset
Max Brittan (Saltford)
Ellis Cooke (Burnham & Berrow)
Sam Day (Mendip Spring)
Curtis Edwards (Taunton Vale)
David Gregory (Burnham & Berrow)
Matt Kippen (Enmore Park)
Jack Palmer (Wells)
Surrey
Ian Anson (Chobham)
Andrew Cooley (Chobham)
Billy Fowles (Wentworth)
Lee Heaton (Tandridge)
Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale)
Gary King (Tyrrells Wood)
Jake Shepherd (The Wisley)
Worcestershire
Rudi Hercik (Gaudet Luce)
James Newman (Worcester G&CC)
Chris Nugent (Fulford Heath)
Jamie Taylor (Fulford Heath)
Lewis Thornton (King’s Norton)
Matthew Tweddell (Blackwell)
Tom Warbrick (Redditch)
Contact:
Lynne Fraser, EGU Marketing and PR Manager
Email: lfraser@englishgolfunion.org
Tel: 01526 354500
