Beadlow Manor juniors came through two tough regional events to reach the England Final of the Junior Team Golf event for the second time in 3 years. The Tavistock Trophy winners were invited to enter the event which seeks out the best junior sections in the country, with teams of 6 playing in strokeplay format, and 1 gross and four nett scores counting towards the team aggregate. In early October Beadlow Manor travelled to East Berkshire for the first regional and the team of Ben Loveard (hcp 3), Jamie Gibbons (hcp 4), Jack Munson (hcp 10), Will Murray (hcp 10), Lewis Vereecque (hcp 11) and Hayden Black (hcp 13) overcome opposition from Drayton Park, Meon Valley, Wrag Barn and an all-girls team from Windlesham, with a very competitive total of 361 to qualify for the South West England semi-final. The semi-final was played at Teignmouth, Devon a week later and benign practice conditions gave way to a truly brutal competition day with winds gusting to over 40 mph on the exposed golf course. Harry Lake (hcp 13) and Robbie Simpson (hcp 17) came into the team for this event, and on day of very high scores Loveard underpinned the Beadlow charge with a truly remarkable 4 over par 73, and stamina and determination from all saw Beadlow Manor come through by 3 shots ahead of Broome Manor, with last year’s UK Champions, Bramshaw, a further three shots back.
The Final was played at the superb Cumberwell Park golf club at Bradford-on-Avon on Sunday 28 October. The club which boasts four very different 9 hole courses hosted the event on the orange and blue courses and teams from the North (Huddersfield and Rossendale), one from Surrey (Burhill) and local opposition In West Herts were all competing with Beadlow for the England title and the right to represent England in the UK Final in Portugal early next year. On another weekend marked by a biting northerly wind, and with Sky TV interviews and cameras rolling, all five teams battled the elements. Loveard posted a very solid five over par 76, with Gibbons returning the same gross helped by a superb ace at the par 3 9th hole. Munson, Murray and Vereecque completed the team aggregate with nett scores of 77, 74 and 76, respectively for a 376 total which saw the Bedfordshire champions finish in fourth place, just 8 shots shy of runners up Burhill who sneaked West Herts by a single shot, with Huddersfield the clear winners on the day with a superb 359.
Pictures from JTG Final at Cumberwell Park: left to right
Back row: Lewis Vereecque, Hayden Black, Will Murray, Jack Munson, Jamie Gibbons.
Front row: Ben Loveard, Robbie Simpson, Harry Lake