Hampshire Boys title dream alive after Somerset victory

Richard Beeston’s boys led the morning foursomes against Somerset 2-1 as the South West Champions came out fighting after an 8-1 thumping by favourites Yorkshire on Tuesday.

And his leading two-ranked players – Corhampton’s South of England Boys Open winner Max Blake and Basingstoke’s England U16 cap Albie Beeston – both maintained their 100 per cent records.

The Hampshire players and officials supporting the last man out on the course. (Image: Leaderboard Photography)

Hampshire made one change from yesterday’s pairings for the three matches for lunch, moving Stoneham’s George Scott – who made a gutsy comeback on his singles debut yesterday – to partner Royal Winchester’s Michael Whittaker.

But the switch, leaving Wellow’s English Under 15 Champion Tiago Fernandes to sit out a second session, did not bring any points to the board as Somerset’s Jack McMeekin and Noah Jones won the 17th to claim a 3&1 victory.

Hampshire’s top pairing of Albie Beeston and Max Blake had already put the first blue point on the leaderboard after coasting to a 5&4 win over Finley Pyke and Zane Bignall to make it two wins out of two in the alternate-shot format.

They were three-up to six as Beeston hit it to a foot on the two before Blake set up an eagle chance on the sixth by hitting his 215-yard approach to a foot.

Whittaker and Scott were trailing early to two Somerset birdies and Jones almost claimed an ace for the West Country side on the 15th only to lose the hole after three-putting, before closing out the win.

Gill and Batten also found themselves two-down after five, but rallied on the back nine.

And Somerset looked like snatching a lead, missing an eagle putt on the 15th, only for Gill to splash superbly from the sand to leave Batten with a birdie for the half.

The anchormen then parred the 18th to win one-up, and make it 2-1 to Hampshire.

If Beeston was hoping it would be an easier ride after lunch Blake gave his team a great start with a 20-footer for birdie on the second.

He and Finley Pyke halved the 10th in tremendous birdies – with Blake thumping an iron from 150 yards to four feet and Pyke rolled in a 30-footer.

Blake then hit to three feet on 14 from 160 yards to set up a 3&2 win.

Stoneham's Alfie Batten is all smiles after team-mate George Scott also picked up his point. (Image: Leaderboard Photography)

Stoneham’s Batten was two-down after two to Toby Morris, including a fine 30-foot birdie putt for Morris at the first.

But Batten battled back to win four holes on the trot, before an up-and-down from behind the green on 12 paved the way for a 5&4 win.

Clubmate Scott got up for the first time in the match against Jack McMeekin on the seventh, after knocking his tee shot to four feet.

McMeekin rolled in a 15-footer to win on 13 but Scott showed his iron play skills with another solid approach to two feet on 14 – and completed the 4&3 win after hitting a good approach on 15.

Somerset’s Owen Roach was ahead for the whole match against Gill, having holed a monster 60-footer for birdie on 12, before completing a 5&4 win.

In the last match, Whittaker was two-down to Jones early on but fought back to win three holes in a row from the seventh.

Royal Winchester's Michael Whittaker splashes out of the sand to win his match on the 18th against Somerset at Goswick. (Image: Leaderboard Photography)

He knocked in a 15-footer for birdie to win 15, to level the match, and edged ahead on the 17th with par.

On 18, both drove greenside but with Whittaker forced into an awkward stance in the bunker, with one knee out, he did brilliantly and came close to rolling in his birdie putt, as Jones’ effort slid by to finish the match one-up.

Hampshire will be looking to prevent Yorkshire from extending their record haul of 10 English Boys County Championship titles.

Hampshire lost out in 1996 – when Justin Rose was in the line-up as a 16-year-old, as well as in 2001.

Blackmoor’s John Moore, who led Hampshire to three finals in four years from 2012, passed away earlier this summer, leaving the county with no victory in five attempts.

If Gill can get his hands on that trophy tomorrow, there could not be a more fitting send-off for the former Alton Town footballer.