Twelve-year-old Ashley Croft swept to a five-shot lead in the English U13 girls’ championship at Delamere Forest, Cheshire, thanks to a great back nine. Ashley, from Stock Brook Manor in Essex, came home in one-under par to sign for a five-over 77. Her closest challenger is Chloe Frankish of Kent on 82 while defending champion Sammy Fuller of Surrey is a shot further back.
Ashley’s score was impressive on a course where the recent wet weather has made the rough punishingly thick. It was also a fine result after a slow start: the eight-handicapper was six over after five, but played the remaining holes in one-under par.
“It was tough at the beginning, but then I got used to it,” she said. “I had a triple bogey on the second but I took a deep breath, told myself to keep calm and tried to play safe.”
It was an attitude which served her well. She had a run of pars, before dropping a shot on the 10th, but immediately bounced back with a chip-and-putt birdie on the long 11th. She finished with a flourish on the 18th, another par five, where she was through the green in two, almost chipped in for an eagle, but secured a safe birdie. “I am extremely pleased,” said Ashley.
Chloe Frankish of Chart Hills also had a steady finish as she parred the last four holes for a total of 82.
Defending champion Sammy Fuller (Roehampton) was battling a cold as well as the tough conditions when she set off in a downpour among the early starters. “The course is really nice – but don’t go in the rough! If you miss a fairway you’re looking at eight and nines,” she said.
Sammy, who is also the Scottish U14 girls’ stroke play champion, said: “I’m not too happy with today, so I’m going to go home, think about what I’ve done and hopefully do better tomorrow.”
However, she did finish on a good note, holing a 12-footer on the last for a birdie four.
Among the other leading players is Lucy Walton who won the Worcestershire county championship earlier this year at the age of 12. She’s thought to be the youngest-ever county champion.
Leading first round scores
Par 72 SSS 74 CSS 74
77 Ashley Croft (Stock Brook Manor)
82 Chloe Frankish (Chart Hills)
83 Samantha Fuller (Roehampton)
84 Lucy Walton (Worcestershire), Megan Dennis (Woburn)
85 Hollie Muse (West Lancashire), Megan Clarke (Cleckheaton & District)
86 Jessica Hall (Bishop Auckland)
87 Jessica Bailey (Notts Ladies), Ana Dawson (Peel Ladies’)
ELOISE SETS PACE IN ENGLISH U15 CHAMPIONSHIP
Lancashire’s Eloise Healey shot two-under par 70 to take the first round lead in the English girls’ U15 championship at Delamere Forest, Cheshire.
It was a superb score in tough, wet conditions and the 14-year-old from West Lancashire is five shots clear of the field.
A group of four players share second place and they promise strong competition. They include Alice Hewson of Hertfordshire who is a past winner of the U13 title, and Sophie Madden of Essex who recently won the Ian Poulter junior invitational, beating a mixed field. Annabel Bailey of Nottinghamshire and Ainee O’Connor of Kent complete the chasing group.
After play, Eloise revealed that she was surprised by her score after double bogeys on the second and third. “When you lose four shots in two holes you don’t expect that sort of score. But after a few hiccups, I just tried to play steady and to stay out of the rough.”
She had made a good start to her round, with a birdie four on the first. But then came her two double bogeys – although they were to be the only blemishes on the card. She soon repaired the damage with three birdies before the turn, to reach the halfway stage at level par.
A pair of birdie threes on the 13th and 14th helped her complete her lowest gross score to date.
Eloise, who set off in the rain, made the most of a good short game. She got up and down for birdies on two par fives, holed a 20-footer for another on the 10th –and on the 14th, she knocked her gap wedge to about 2ft to set up yet another birdie.
She also frequently left her driver in the bag to make sure she kept out of the rough, notably taking a five-iron on the par five 18th - and was rewarded with a par.
Eloise is in good form this season with a high finish in the Fairhaven Trophies and a top 30 in the English women’s amateur at Royal Birkdale.
Leading first round scores
Par 72 SS 75 CSS 75
70 Eloise Healey (West Lancashire)
75 Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted), Annabel Bailey (Notts Ladies’), Sophie Madden (West Essex), Ainee O'Connor (Sundridge Park)
76 Fay Carpenter (Knighton Heath), Sophie Lamb (Clitheroe)
77 Kirsty Beckwith (Moortown)
78 Elizabeth Prior (Foxhills), Ciara Kelly (Hagley)
79 Emily Lyle (Worksop), Sophie Newlove (Beeston Fields)
A group of four players share second place and they promise strong competition. They include Alice Hewson of Hertfordshire who is a past winner of the U13 title, and Sophie Madden of Essex who recently won the Ian Poulter junior invitational, beating a mixed field. Annabel Bailey of Nottinghamshire and Ainee O’Connor of Kent complete the chasing group.
After play, Eloise revealed that she was surprised by her score after double bogeys on the second and third. “When you lose four shots in two holes you don’t expect that sort of score. But after a few hiccups, I just tried to play steady and to stay out of the rough.”
She had made a good start to her round, with a birdie four on the first. But then came her two double bogeys – although they were to be the only blemishes on the card. She soon repaired the damage with three birdies before the turn, to reach the halfway stage at level par.
A pair of birdie threes on the 13th and 14th helped her complete her lowest gross score to date.
Eloise, who set off in the rain, made the most of a good short game. She got up and down for birdies on two par fives, holed a 20-footer for another on the 10th –and on the 14th, she knocked her gap wedge to about 2ft to set up yet another birdie.
She also frequently left her driver in the bag to make sure she kept out of the rough, notably taking a five-iron on the par five 18th - and was rewarded with a par.
Eloise is in good form this season with a high finish in the Fairhaven Trophies and a top 30 in the English women’s amateur at Royal Birkdale.
Leading first round scores
Par 72 SS 75 CSS 75
70 Eloise Healey (West Lancashire)
75 Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted), Annabel Bailey (Notts Ladies’), Sophie Madden (West Essex), Ainee O'Connor (Sundridge Park)
76 Fay Carpenter (Knighton Heath), Sophie Lamb (Clitheroe)
77 Kirsty Beckwith (Moortown)
78 Elizabeth Prior (Foxhills), Ciara Kelly (Hagley)
79 Emily Lyle (Worksop), Sophie Newlove (Beeston Fields)
Surrey’s Annabel Dimmock made her debut in the English girls’ championship in style – taking the first round lead at Sandiway, Cheshire, with a three-under par 69. The Wentworth player has just graduated from U15 ranks and she made the transition look easy, with six birdies in her round. “I am really pleased, it’s my first round in my first year in this championship and I’m nicely surprised,” said Annabel.
She’s two shots ahead of Yorkshire’s Olivia Winning, who also beat par with 71, while Bethan Popel of Gloucestershire, Ashleigh Greenham of Essex and Emma Newlove of Nottinghamshire all returned level par scores.
Annabel, who was runner-up in last year’s U15 championship, came up with a clear game plan in practice – and stuck to it during the first round.
“I used my three-wood off the tee quite a lot and left myself with a lot of 100-yard shots in to the greens. That’s a yardage that suits me,” said the 15-year-old, who went on to hit a lot of shots close. “I sank a few putts once the putter got hot.”
Despite wet weather and the challenging rough, the players impressed with good scores. Olivia Winning fashioned a fine finish to her round with two birdies in the last three holes. The Rotherham player – who will represent England in the Girls’ Home Internationals next week – is in good form and recently won the Pleasington Putter.
Chasing the leaders are Bethan Popel, Ashleigh Greenham and Emma Newlove. “It was very tough, it was playing long and the greens were firm,” said Bethan, 17. “But I hit it straight and stayed out of the rough and the trees.”
She also got the measure of the greens and sank a rewarding number of good scores, including a 25-footer on the short 13th.
Oxfordshire’s Cara Gainer was among the early starters and set a fine target with her one-over score. At the end of the day she’d been passed by only five players, while she was joined on 73 by Curtis Cup player Bronte Law of Cheshire and girl internationals Shelby Smart of Gloucestershire and Lancashire’s Emily Taylor.
Another Cheshire player, Poppy Finlay, shares 10th place with Surrey’s Shannon Flynn after they both scored 74.
Behind them are a group of ten players on 75 which includes three more girl internationals: Amber Ratcliffe of Norfolk, Gabriella Cowley of Essex and Meghan MacLaren of Northamptonshire.
Leading first round scores
Par 72 SS 75 CSS 75
69 Annabel Dimmock (Wentworth)
71 Olivia Winning (Rotherham)
72 Bethan Popel (Long Ashton), Ashleigh Greenham (West Essex) Emma Newlove (Notts Ladies’)
73 Cara Gainer (Frilford Heath) Shelby Smart (Knowle), Emily Taylor (Hillside), Bronte Law (Bramhall)
74 Shannon Flynn (Burhill), Poppy Finlay (Vicars Cross)
75 Lucy Evans (Wrekin), Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer), Gabriella Cowley (West Essex), Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough), Aimee Ponte ( Royal Guernsey), Emily Slater (Woodhall Spa), Abigail Laker (Frilford Heath), Samantha Meese (Enville), Emma Harris (Peel Ladies), Rebecca Horner (Woodham)
