FIVE former county captains who have led Hampshire over the last 50 years are taking part in the anniversary fixture against Alresford GC, on Sunday.
While David Harrison, a former Hampshire captain and president, will be on the home side’s team, Brokenhurst’s Martin Young, who has overtaken him as the winner of most Hampshire Golf titles, playing at the highest level over the past 25 years is the most decorated player in the county side.
Young has claimed the Sloane-Stanley three times between 2011 and 2016, and has also won the Courage five times and the Hampshire Mid-Amateur (over 35s) crown on 10 occasions.
Young was also just the second player to lead Hampshire to the English County Championship title, back in 2017,
That was 21 years after a team containing a teenage Justin Rose, broke the county‘s duck. He was county captain in 2016 and 2017.
Another three-time county champion in the team is Stoneham‘s Ryan Henley, who returned to the county set-up a year ago – having taken time out to raise a family.
Hayling’s Toby Burden, who picked up the double at last week’s Havant Borough Sports Awards, taking the Sports Personality of the Year Trophy, as well as the men’s title, will also turn out for Hampshire.
The 2019 county champion, who also reached the final in 2020 and 2021, will be joined by Test Valley‘s Stuart Archibald, who won the trophy in 2006 – before a spell in the pro ranks, winning three times on the EuroPro circuit, and a successul period on the MENA Tour, in the Middle East.
Archibald regained his amateur status early in 2020, four years after Burden quit the amateur ranks, and last summer won the Logan Trophy a the English Mid-Amateur Championship, beating Young in a play-off at Liphook.
Playing in the match in front of Archibald will be Hockley’s Luke Hodgetts, who claimed the Selborne Salver, at Blackmoor, in April – just the third Hampshire winner in the 21st Century.
Harrison Pake is the fifth Stoneham player wearing the Hampshire blue this weekend, having reached the semi-finals of last year’s county championship, on his home course.
Two recent Hampshire Junior Champions are in the team – Royal Guernsey’s Ollie Chedhomme, who claimed the U18s title at Lee-on-the-Solent in August, will makes his debut in the fixture after flying over for the weekend.
Lee-on-the-Solent’s Aman Uddin (right) was the 2019 Hampshire Junior Champion. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES
Lee-on-the-Solent’s Amman Uddin, who added the Hampshire Colts title to his CV in 2020 – a year after winning the Hampshire Junior Championship – will be looking to impress after a lean spell in his last year at Dixie University in the USA.
From the old guard, Stoneham’s past county captain Richard Elmes, who led the last Hampshire team to win the South East League Final, in 2012, will be joined by clubmate Andy Bow, who took Hampshire to the English County Finals two years running in 2007 and 2008.
Another Stoneham player – Lawrence Cherry, who led Hampshire Colts to the 2022 South East U26 title – will lead the team out playing with Alresford’s Simon Freemantle, who will fight battle Harrison and Greg Richardson for club honour.
Full line-up: Alresford v Hampshire Golf
February 12, 2023
11am – David Harrison & Greg Richardson v **Lawrence Cherry & Simon Freemantle
11am* – Will Pakenham-Walsh & Ben Ludham v **Darren Wright & Mark Tiplady
11.09 – Ashley Wilmott & Sean Yates v **Martin Young & Graham Marshallsay
11.09• – Josh Evans & Grant Thorne v **Luke Hodgetts & George Cleland
11.18 – Simon Tillson & Steve Maxwell v **Stuart Archibald & Andy Sibbald
11.18* – James White & Malcolm Scott v **Ollie Chedhomme & Richard West
11.27 – Rob Gwillam & Trevor Pearce v **Ryan Henley & Steve Johnson
11.27* – Dave Seager & Simon Wills v **Aman Uddin & Brian Wright
11.36 – Graham Arkley & Karl Evans v **Harrison Pake & Andrew Axton
11.36* – Les Thorne & Steve Brown v **Neil Dawson & Ian Jones
11.45 – Richard Prescott & Gary Mugford v **Andy Bow & Joe Carrow
11.45* Brian Overton & Ian Sheath v & **Richard Elmes & Richard Lan
*denotes 10th tee start
**Hampshire player
The Hampshire, IoW & CI team that won the South East League Final in 2012 under county captain Richard Elmes