Stoneham's Freddie Gill suffers Hampshire Boys agony again

Last year, Gill, who started his junior days at Bishopswood GC, in Farnborough, lost a play-off to North Hants’ Albie Beeston, after Royal Guernsey’s Conor McKenna suffered in the searing heat at Weybrook Park, losing a four-shot lead.

This time, the hooter sounded as the first claps of thunder were heard – just as the last of the 50-strong field were finishing their first round.

The players were held in the clubhouse while the storm passed over the Hockley course.

Hampshire Golf’s organisers cut the championship to 27 holes with enough light to get them all out safely, but Gill clearly suffered from sitting on a two-shot lead for several hours.

Stoneham’s Freddie Gill on the first tee in the second round of the South East Boys Qualifier at Clandon Regis GC. (Image: Andrew Griffin) Gill, who was in the Hampshire Boys team for the South East Qualifier at Clandon Regis earlier in the month, recovered from a slow start to light up the course as the gloom gathered in before the weather delay.

After bogeys at the second and third, he fired an eagle two after driving the short sixth to get back to level-par.

Birdies at the 11th and 14th strengthened his grip on the championship, and an eagle at the last removed any bitter taste in his lunch after a dropped shot at the 17th.

Certainly, from four shots behind Gill at lunch, Channel Islander McKenna had little to lose by going for broke as the roles were reversed from a year ago.

Gill – having made a birdie at the first to get to four-under – then dropped six shots over the next six holes to finish on two-over.

McKenna, playing alongside the leader, picked up a shot at the second, and then watched Gill come back to the field with a double-bogey at the third, with more shots going at the fourth and fifth.

The Stoneham teenager was back at level-par when McKenna made a birdie-three at the sixth to hit the front for the first time.

Bogeys at the seventh and eighth by Gill meant it was now McKenna’s to lose again with the Royal Guernsey teenager three ahead.

Playing four groups behind McKenna, Beeston was the only player with a realistic chance of catching the clubhouse leader.

The North Hants teenager let a shot go at the fourth to drop back into a share of the lead, but that only lasted a hole as a bogey-four at the short fifth moved him back to level-par just as Connor posted his total.

Beeston, a former Hampshire U12 champion, made amends with an excellent two at the short eighth but then watched his 40-foot birdie effort shave the hole on his 27th hole to give McKenna the title.

Stoneham’s Sebastian Wells took third place after coming home in 33 thanks to three birdies and two bogeys, having shot 74 before the break in play.