TOBY Burden has become the first Hayling member to become captain of Hampshire, Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands in the role’s 74-year history.
The 36-year-old, who made his first-team debut for Hampshire in 2006 – has stepped up from his vice-captaincy role after Lawrence Cherry was offered a dream job in Dubai last month.
While 10 different Hayling players have won the county championship in its 130-year history – including Toby, who lifted the Sloane-Stanley Challenge Cup at the third attempt in 2019 – Burden is the first to wear the Hampshire Golf captain’s badge, having been appointed vice-captain in 2023.
A delighted Toby, who joined Hayling when he was 12, in 1999, said: “To be county captain is the biggest honour of my golf career. I’m so very proud to hold this title being a member of Hayling GC
“To be the first Hayling member to be county captain is a proud moment. The club have been so very supportive, and hopefully I can do my best and bring a trophy back to Hayling. That will be very cool.
“I had a call from Lawrence back in April telling me he had been offered a job at The Montgomerie Resort, in Dubai, and that he would have to stand down from his role in May.
“He took the team for last month’s win against Kent when we gave him a great send off, having won the South East League title for the first time since 2012, back in October.
“My wife knew I wanted to take the job in 2025 when Lawrence was due to stand down, so I have just moved into the role six months earlier than I had hoped. Rawan is very supportive of my passion for Hampshire Golf luckily, so it was just about OK with her,” he said smiling.
Toby, who was a member of the team that qualified in 2010, but then turned pro before the September finals, added: “I want to win another final and for us to get to the English County Finals again.
He said: “There are plenty of factors out of our control that can determine the outcomes of the league and six man and English finals.
“I would love to win a trophy as captain, but my main ambition is to carry on the great work of Lawrence, our secretaries Richard Arnold and Chris Harrison and the coaches Kev Flynn and Simon Andrews.
“We have a great squad of players who truly are wonderful golfers. Their mindset is fantastic so hopefully this will lead to success both on the course and away from it for all.
“I’d love to firstly give the players great experiences and the ability to tell great stories over the coming years or looking back. As long as the team and squad give it their all in every match and training session that’s all I can ask.”
Burden has played in four county championship finals
Hayling’s Toby Burden became the first player to win the Courage Trophy, Cole Scuttle and Cullen Quaich on the same day in 2021. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES
TOBY lost his first county championship final on his home course in 2006 – he was up before dawn preparing the course as a member of the greenkeeping team, before playing in the semi-final.
Eventually, he ran out of steam, losing to Stuart Archibald, another player who has returned to the amateur ranks and played in last year’s final.
Toby won the county championship at the third attempt in 2019 and went on to become the first player to reach three Hampshire finals in a row since Richard Bland in the mid 1990s.
But in 2020, his attempt to become the first player to defend the Sloane-Stanley trophy since 1982 saw him lose to a birdie on the last – to clubmate Richard Harris when Hayling stepped in to host the COVID-hit championship.
A year later, he lost the final to another birdie on the 18th as Jo Hacker became the first Jersey player to be crowned champion in 20 years. He lost at the 21st hole, at Liphook, in 2009.
In 2019, he also became the first Hampshire player to be crowned English Champion of Champion, joining the likes of Ryder Cup winners Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrel Hatton and Lee Westwood who have won the annual tournament for all of England’s county champions.
He claimed his first Hampshire Order of Merit title in 2021 – becoming the first player to win the Courage Trophy, the Cole Scuttle and the
Burden successfully defended the Cullen Quaich in 2022 – retaining the Courage Trophy and adding his first Hampshire Mid-Amateur title. But Liphook’s Darren Walkley denied him the first hat-trick of Cullen Quaichs in the season-long competition’s 10-year history.
The 2019 Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Champion claimed the English County Champion of Champions trophy at Frilford Heath. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY