HAMPSHIRE made a solid start to their second match in their quest to land the English Boys County Championship title for the first time in 41 years – after calling up seventh man George Scott.
They 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.
Hampshire made one change from yesterday’s pairings for the three matches for lunch, moving Stoneham’s George Scott (pictured above) – 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 at Goswick Golf Club, on Northumbria’s coast – close to the Scottish border.
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.
Basingstoke’s Hampshire Boys captain Fred Gill teamed up again with Stoneham’s Alfie Batten to make it 2-1 to the South East Champions, winning by one against Somerset’s Jack Isaacs and Owen Roach.
Hampshire U18s manager Richard Beeston sent out his young charges, who qualified for the English Boys Finals for the first time in 11 years back in July at Sussex’s Ham Manor, with a five-shot win over Surrey, in the same order as they played against Nottingham 24 hours earlier.
North Hants’ England U16 international Beeston led the team off against Bignell, while Corhampton’s Blake – winner of the South of England Boys Open earlier this month – faced Pyke in the second match.
Batten was matched up against Toby Morris, who replaced Isaacs for Somerset, while Whittaker gets the chance to avenge the morning defeat in his match with Jones.
Stoneham’s Alfie Batten who has picked up two out of three points so far at the English Boys Finals. Picture by ANDREW GRIFFIN / AMG PICTURES
Scott is playing his conqueror McMeeking in the fifth match out, while Gill has been trusted again with the anchor role against Roach.
With Yorkshire making another fast start against Nottingham, taking a 3-0 lead at lunch, Hampshire know they need to complete the win against Somerset and then beat Yorkshire on Thursday, as the Northern Champions will almost certainly have more individual game points, meaning a draw will not be enough – bar a Hampshire whitewash in the afternoon singles, and a strong fightback from Notts.
Yorkshire have a record 10 wins in the English Boys County Championship, while 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.
•Follow live scoring at England Golf here.
The Hampshire team at Goswick GC. Left to right: Tiago Fernandes, Fred Gill (capt), George Scott, Albie Beeston, Michael Whittaker, Alfie Batten and Max Blake. Picture by HAMPSHIRE GOLF