In Golf, Hampshire were forced to share the South Eastern Group Colts League trophy with Essex after the final finished in a topsy-turvy draw following Shanklin & Sandown’s Jordan Sundborg’s nervy bogey at the last, at Rowlands Castle Golf Club.
The home side looked in the stronger position with just three of the eight afternoon singles left out on the course – even though Essex held a slender lead at 5-4.
Westridge’s England U16 international Josh Oddy (featured photograph) had been cruising with a three-hole lead going with seven holes to play, but Callum Hilton hit him with three birdies including a clutch putt for a three at the 15th. Oddy’s makable birdie putt on the par five 17th would not drop and he had to make a very good up-and-down on the long par four last to salvage a half point that left Essex needing just one point from the final two games to avenge last year’s defeat at the hands of Hampshire, Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands.
Immediately behind them, North Hants’ Billy Watson – last year’s English Junior Champion of Champions – who was joint top points scorer for the county at the English County Finals a fortnight ago – sank a glorious 12-footer for a birdie four on the 17th having made a hash of his first putt from the front of the green to take a precious one-hole lead down the last.
But his drive on the 18th found trees down the left and even though he smashed a two-iron on to the front green, he could only three-putt to let Brandon Meads back into the game with another half a point.
That left Islander Sundborg – who reached the last eight of the British Boys at Royal Birkdale in August, knocking out England’s No. 1 junior Bradley Moore along the way – needing to maintain his slender one-hole lead over the last to guarantee the third tie involving Hampshire and the Islands in the final over its 47-year history..
Sundborg, who was unbeaten in his two appearances for the first team in the Daily Telegraph South East League this year, had bounced back from back-to-back bogeys with a great up-and-down from right of the green on the 17th to stay one hole in front.
And when he smashed his drive a good 40 yards past his opponent, there seemed little danger of Dylan Mahmut clawing out a half that would give Essex the trophy, after they suffered defeat at Hampshire’s hands at Hendon, 12 months ago as his second missed the green to the right.
Despite having three clubs less in his hands, Sundborg, who broke the course record at Corhampton with a stunning 62 in the Courage Trophy a month ago, could only find the front edge of the large sloping green. Hampshire Colts manager Neil Dawson had his heart in his mouth as the teenager then knifed his wedge straight through the green coming to rest just off the fringe and some 40 feet from the hole.
Mahmut could only put his third to within 20 feet of the pin, leaving Jordan to lag his chip to around three feet, which was graciously conceded. And when the Essex Colt could not find the bottom of the cup for his par, they halved in bogey fives to leave the match tied at 6-6.
Hampshire IoW & CI had beaten Essex four times in the final before Sunday, and lost to the North Division champions in another three finals since the competition began back in 1969.
Earlier in the day, the two counties had been tied at 2-2 after the morning foursomes with Corhampton’s Sam Day and Shanklin’s Hampshire Junior Champion on the wrong end of a 5&4 hiding in the top match against Mitchel Sarling and Taylor Carter.
Luckily, Sundborg and Oddy, who represented the Isle of Wight at the summer’s Island Games in Jersey, clicked in the bottom game to beat Hilton and Meads 5&3.
Conor Richards had the misfortune of playing the red-hot Carter in the second singles game and despite getting the match back to all square having been two down on the front nine, courtesy of a great birdie from eight foot on the par five 12th, he could only watch as the Essex lad hit back after he had given away the 13th and his lead, by nearly holing his tee shot on the 149-yard 14th.
Richards had to shake Carter’s hand after failing to make a birdie to match his opponents that gave him victory on the penultimate hole.
