Hampshire finish runners-up in English County Finals

Well 30 years ago Hampshire had their first attempt at winning the English Boys Finals with a certain Justin Rose in the team… but the Challenge Cup eluded their grasp.

Fast forward to 2026 and Hampshire Boys have had five more goes at being crowned English County Champions at U18 level, without success – but at least this time they finished second, their best result so far in the competition.

And it was agonisingly close as Yorkshire got over the line by a point after a final down showdown when it was winner takes all – having won the morning foursomes 2-1 as Albie Beeston and Max Blake were beaten for the first time by Yorkshire’s two England stars.

Corhampton’s Max Blake playing against Yorkshire in the singles of the English Boys Finals, at Goswick Golf Club. (Image: Andrew Griffin/AMG Pictures)

A draw was no good to Hampshire because Yorkshire had picked up a couple of game points more in their first two big wins over Somerset and Nottinghamshire.

At one point, the two oldest counties in English golf’s history were briefly tied at 4½-4½, with four matches still out on the course.

But crucially North Hants’ England U16 cap lost out to fellow England international George Cooper, losing the 16th as the Yorkshire lad rounded out a 3&2 win to take the lead.

Then the youngest player on the Hampshire side – Wellow’s Tiago Fernandes, recently crowned England U15 champion – quickly lost two holes on the back nine, playing in the penultimate match.

In the foursomes, Fernandes – last year’s Hampshire U14s champion – rolled in putts of 15, 20, 25 and 40 feet to turn a two-hole deficit into a 2&1 win for teammate Michael Whittaker against Yorkshire’s Harry Phillips and Zac Ayre when the 2024 winners were threatening to whitewash Hampshire.

Wellow’s England U15 champion Tiago Fernandes playing against Yorkshire in the singles of the English Boys Finals, at Goswick Golf Club. (Image: Andrew Griffin/AMG Pictures)

But he could not get the putts to drop against Seth Topham, who holed a 25-footer of his own on the 14th to turn his match around.

While Stoneham’s Alfie Batten was holding off the threat of Yorkshire’s No. 1 Tom Hartshorne – a full England Junior international – in match number three, Hampshire still had hope if Michael Whittaker, from Royal Winchester, could hold on to his lead in the anchor match against the Northern Champions’ Archie Palmer.

But any chance of Hampshire getting their hands on the silverware for the first time required the stuff from Beeston that Justin Rose has been renowned for delivering since first impressing England’s golf selectors as a 14-year-old, winning the Hampshire Hog, McGregor Trophy and Carris Trophy in the space of four months back in 1995.

Beeston, who won the Hampshire U13s championship as a 12-year-old just five years ago, is well versed in Rose’s record in junior, let alone amateur golf, studying all the Olympic champion’s trophies on display at the North Hants club, where they are both members.

He came close to striking back with a brilliant approach into the 14th, matched by Cooper, before holing a clutch six-footer for par on the sloping green at the short 15th, only to lose the 16th, and with it Hampshire’s hopes for a historic win had realistically gone with Yorkshire dormie with Fernandes two down, with two to play.

Batten showed his potential, taking down Yorkshire’s No. 1 with two birdies over the last two holes, driving the last green with a hybrid to seal the one-hole victory – having watched his opponent hole a brilliant bunker shot on the 13th to make birdie.

Batten then failed to get up-and-down having rolled off the green on the tricky downhill par-three with a treacherous slope running through it as Hartshorne went in front with three to play, having been two-down through 12 to the Stoneham ace.

Clubmate George Scott – brought in to replace Basingstoke’s Henry Dutton who was refused leave to return from North Carolina, where he has just started a four-year golf scholarship – was on the wrong end of a 6&5 win by Phillips in the fourth game.

Stoneham’s George Scott playing against Yorkshire in the singles of the English Boys Finals, at Goswick Golf Club. (Image: Andrew Griffin/AMG Pictures)

Whittaker converted his point, winning the par-five 17th with a birdie to go three ahead, with the rest of the team watching on dejectedly.

But like the Three Lions’ hopes as far as the Jules Rimet Trophy goes, the hog on Hampshire’s chest should not have been left feeling flat after that 5-4 defeat – however harsh it seemed – having dispatched Somerset 7-2 and Nottinghamshire 6½-2½ over the first two days.