Yorkshire’s Olivia Winning (left) and Ashleigh Greenham of
Essex (right) share the lead at the halfway stage of the English girls’
championship after a wet and windy second day at Sandiway, Cheshire.
They’re both level par for 36 holes and heading a packed leaderboard with just three shots covering the first eight players.
Just behind the leaders, on one-over par, are Curtis Cup player Bronte Law, who comes from Cheshire, Irish open stroke play champion, Emily Taylor of Lancashire, and Bethan Popel of Gloucestershire.
Among the others who are firmly in the mix are overnight leader Annabel Dimmock of Surrey; girl international Meghan MacLaren of Northamptonshire, who beat par today; and fellow England team members, Shelby Smart of Gloucestershire and Amber Ratcliffe of Norfolk.
It sets the scene for a fascinating final day, when the 38 competitors who have survived the halfway cut will play the final 36 holes.
“I’m just so excited about tomorrow,” said Olivia Winning (Rotherham), who played in the first group and set an unbeatable target. “The wind was tough today and some of the holes were playing very long, but I got up and down at some crucial times.”
She was joined at the top of the board by Ashleigh Greenham of West Essex, who is getting into her golfing stride after sitting school exams. “It’s nice to be up there,” she remarked. “I played well but I couldn’t hole a putt. I got my first birdie on the 14th where I pitched in – so I still hadn’t holed a putt! I bogeyed the next and then finally got a putt on the 16th for another birdie.”
Bronte Law (Bramhall) summed up the challenge of the day: “The wind was very tricky and you really had to concentrate all the way round. No hole was going to give you a par and you had to work hard.”
She reached the turn at one-over par, but dropped two more shots with a double bogey on the 11th, where she visited the water hazard. From, there, though she showed her class with birdies on the 12th, 15th and 16th to get back to level par for the day.
“I was really pleased with that and as long as I’m in the mix I’m happy,” she said.
The low score of the day belonged to Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) who shot one-under 71. “I gave myself a lot of chances out there and I could have been a lot lower. But it’s below par and I would have taken that beforehand,” she commented.
After today’s second round the field was cut to the top 36 players and ties who will play 36 holes tomorrow. A total of 38 players qualified.
Qualifying scores
Par 72 SS 75 CSS 75
144 Ashleigh Greenham (West Essex) 72 72, Olivia Winning (Rotherham) 71 73
145 Bronte Law (Bramhall) 73 72, Bethan Popel (Long Ashton) 72 73, Emily Taylor (Hillside) 73 72
146 Annabel Dimmock (Wentworth) 69 77, Meghan MacLaren (Wellingborough) 75 71
147 Shelby Smart (Knowle) 73 74
150 Gabriella Cowley (West Essex) 75 75, Shannon Flynn (Burhill) 74 76, Abigail Laker (Frilford Heath) 75 75, Amber Ratcliffe (Royal Cromer) 75 75, Emily Slater (Woodhall Spa), 75 75
151 Cara Gainer (Frilford Heath) 73 78, Rochelle Morris (Huddersfield) 76 75, Emma Newlove (Notts Ladies’) 72 79,
152 Poppy Finlay (Vicars Cross) 74 78, Emma Harris (Peel Ladies’) 75 77, Inci Mehmet (Wentworth) 76 76
153 Nicola Haynes (Gosforth Park Ladies) 79 74, Charlotte Leathem (Styal) 76 77, Elizabeth Mallett (Sutton Coldfield Ladies’) 76 77, Hollie Vizard (Pleasington) Club 76 77
154 Samantha Meese (Enville) 75 79, Aimee Ponte (Royal Guernsey) 75 79, Eizabeth Swallow (Newbury & Crookham) 77 77, Brogan Townend (Pleasington) 78 76
155 Dulcie Sverdloff (Garon Park) 77 78
156 Emily Coleman (Trentham) 80 76, Jade Downes (The Oaks) 78 78, Sophie Keech (Lyme Regis) 79 77
157 Gemma Clews (Delamere Forest) 81 76, Emily-Mae Hall (Notts Ladies) 79 78
158 Gemma Batty (St. Annes Old Links) 85 73, Georgina Blackman (Chelmsford) 81 77, India Clyburn (Woodhall Spa) 79 79, Jemima Gregson (Knowle) 80 78, Elizabeth Stebbings (Wilpshire) 81 77
HOLLIE, 12, BEATS PAR TO LEAD CHAMPIONSHIP
Twelve-year-old Hollie Muse swept into the lead at the
English U13 girls’ championship at Delamere Forest, Cheshire, with a second
round score of one-under par 71. It knocked 14 shots off her first round effort and propelled her from sixth place to the top of the leaderboard. The West Lancashire player is three shots clear of defending champion Sammy Fuller of Surrey, with one round to play tomorrow.
“Yesterday I was worrying about the wind and the rain was putting me off,” said Holly (Image © Leaderboard Photography). “Today I went for everything, I was going for birdies all the time.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could shoot under par and be competitive – and hopefully I’ll do it again tomorrow.”
Hollie had six birdies in her round, starting with one on the first and finishing with one on the 18th, where her eagle putt just failed to drop.
Importantly, she stayed out of the rough and she used her knowledge from her home course to deal with the wind, which was a feature of today’s play.
Meanwhile, Sammy Fuller also improved on her first round with a score of 76, seven better than her opening 83. “I played way better, everything about my game was better and I only went in the rough once,” she said.
She had three birdies in her round, including one on the 17th where she holed a 30-footer.
Now, she’s ready for tomorrow: “I’m really up for it. It’s going to be a bit of pressure but I play quite well under pressure and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Chloe Frankish of Chart Hills in Kent shot 79 to take third place, while overnight leader Ashley Croft of Stock Brook Manor in Essex is lying fourth.
After today’s second round the field was cut to the leading 18 players for tomorrow’s final round.
Qualifying scores
Par 72 SS 74 CSS 75
156 Hollie Muse (West Lancashire) 85 71
159 Samantha Fuller (Roehampton) 83 76
161 Chloe Frankish (Chart Hills) 82 79
164 Ashley Croft (Stock Brook Manor) 77 87
166 Lucy Walton (Worcestershire) 84 82
168 Chloe Howard (Boringdon Park) 90 78, Megan Clarke (Cleckheaton & District) 85 83
173 Jessica Hall (Bishop Auckland) 86 87, Ana Dawson (Peel Ladies) 87 86, Olivia Hamilton (Cleckheaton & District) 89 84
175 Megan Dennis (Woburn) 84 91
176 Martha Lewis (St. George's Hill) 89 87
177 Billie-Jo Smith (Woodhall Spa) 88 89
180 Priyanka Parmar (Pinner Hill) 89 91, Emily Brennan (Trentham) 91 89
182 Natasha Slater (Furness) 95 87, Daniella Ubasa (Pinner Hill) 89 93
183 Katie-Jane Stanley (Manchester) 94 89
Ashman shocks Stow into first round exit
James Ashman pulled off the shock of round one of the
English Amateur, supported by Abacus, with a 3 and 2 victory over international
Ben Stow in the rain at Silloth-on-Solway. The 19 year old from Bognor Regis in Sussex paid scant heed to his opponents glowing reputation as he raced into a three-hole lead through six, but then faced a backlash from the Wiltshire man, who levelled the contest after 13. However, Ashman eagled the long 14th then took the next two holes with pars to run out a comfortable winner.
“I’m delighted,” he said. “I got away early and I’m playing really well. I’d heard a lot about Ben but my coach Steve Rolley told me to do the best I could and my mum, Pat, pulled my trolley and gave me great support.
“I was happy to get into the tournament and to make the qualifying so we’ll just see how far I can go,” added the teenager from the Worthing club.
Stow’s England team-mate Neil Raymond came through unscathed with a 4 and 3 win over Sam Robertshawe.
“The scoreline flatters me to be fair,” said Raymond. “I played poorly for the first seven holes and we gave each other holes in that spell. But I birdied eight and nine to go one up and for the final 11 holes I played fantastic.
“I’m delighted to get through the first round as I’ve usually struggled in the early rounds. This is the first time I’ve gone past the first round since Woodhall Spa in 2008.”
Seb Crookall-Nixon gave local fans plenty to cheer about when he comfortably won his first round match. With a gallery following his every move, the 18 year old from Workington romped to a 5 and 3 victory over Alex Lodge from Berkshire as the rain lashed down on the testing Cumbrian course.
Showing that he has made a remarkable recovery from a serious car accident at nearby Carlisle two months ago, Crookall-Nixon birdied the second and third holes to go 2-up, added to that at the fifth and also birdied the 12th to be four ahead. When he won the 13th with a par, it was just a matter of time before the contest was wrapped up and when was at the 15th, he was four under par.
Crookall-Nixon, who is a member of Silloth and Seascale as well as Workington, said: “I’m playing good again and playing before a home crowd gives you an edge. After the accident I didn’t think I’d come out alive, let alone be back so soon.”
Boy cap Matthew Fitzpatrick from Yorkshire also survived with a 2 and 1 win over Hertfordshire’s Matt Wallace which he described as an ‘up and down round’.
“I had six birdies but he also played well,” said Fitzpatrick. “I was one down after seven, level at the next, ahead at the tenth and two-up after 11 with a birdie. Then Matt lost a ball at 14 and when I lipped out for eagle at 17 it was over.”
Reigning County Champion of Champions Jamie Rutherford admitted: “I played too many bad shots,” after going out 3 and 2 to Sussex-based Peter Tarver-Jones, while boy cap Nathan Kimsey had an easy passage when his opponent Tom Wilde from BB&O retired with an injured shoulder.
Ed Richardson, an England international six years ago but back after battling serious illness, progressed with a string of birdies against Oxfordshire’s Ben Cotton. The Kent man won the first hole with a bogey but had four front nine birdies to be three-up and two more on the homeward stretch saw the 44 year old to a 5 and 4 success
ELOISE LEADS BY ONE AT U15 CHAMPIONSHIP
Lancashire’s Eloise Healey has kept her grip on the lead at
the English U15 girls’ championship at Delamere Forest, Cheshire – but her
rivals for the title are moving closer. After today’s second round in windy conditions, the 14-year-old is four-over par for the championship and her lead has been cut from five shots to one. But Eloise (West Lancashire) is happy with her position as she approaches the last day’s 36-holes.
“I think I’ve put myself in a good position,” she said, after she added 78 to her opening score of two-under 70. “I’m happy with my score today. It was difficult to judge the wind and it was a decent score considering the conditions.”
Her playing partner, Sophie Madden (West Essex) made up ground with a score of 74, after returning 75 in the first round. “It was much harder today but I think I played quite well and holed some decent putts,” she said.
The 15-year-old is using a new putter which has already proved to be a trusty weapon, helping her to win last week’s Ian Poulter junior invitational.
Meanwhile, Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted) has also moved closer to the lead, after her second round 76 left her three shots off the pace. It was a good result after she started her round with four consecutive bogeys, but she managed to play the remaining 14 holes in level par. Alice is a past winner of the English U13 championship.
Among the others who are well in touch are Annabel Bailey (Notts Ladies’), Ainee O’Connor (Sundridge Park) and Kirsty Beckwith (Moortown), who won the Abraham Trophy for England’s most improved girl golfers earlier this week.
After today’s round the field was cut to the leading 36 players and ties, who will contest tomorrow’s final 36 holes. A total of 37 players qualified.
Qualifiers
Par 72 SS 75 CSS 75
148 Eloise Healey (West Lancashire) 70 78
149 Sophie Madden (West Essex) 75 74
151 Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted) 75 76
152 Annabel Bailey (Notts Ladies) 75 77
153 Ainee O'Connor (Sundridge Park) 75 78
154 Kirsty Beckwith (Moortown) 77 77
157 Fay Carpenter (Knighton Heath) 76 81
159 Emma Allen (Meon Valley) 82 77, Elizabeth Prior (Foxhills) 78 81, Sophie Lamb (Clitheroe) 76 83
160 Emily Lyle (Worksop) 79 81
161 Ciara Kelly (Hagley) 78 83, Olivia Jackson (Oakdale) 84 77
162 Victoria Mallett (Sutton Coldfield Ladies) 81 81
163 Alicia Stebbings (Wilpshire) 85 78
166 Erin Porter (Blackpool North Shore) 87 79
167 Charlotte West (Harewood Downs) 87 80
168 Lauren Horsford (Wimbledon Park) 87 81, Amber Chana (Foxhills) 82 86, Sophie Newlove (Beeston Fields) 79 89
169 Penelope Brown (Hill Barn) 83 86, Bethany Acey (Sandburn Hall) 87 82, Eloise Aldous (Newton Green) 83 86, Alice Barlow (Newton Green) 88 81
170 Sharna Dutrieux (Wrotham Heath) 87 83, Lily Farr (Gainsborough) 81 89
171 Louisa Brunt (Ashton Under Lyne) 83 88, Laura Morrison (Garforth) 87 84, Imogen Huxley (Rutland County), 86 85
172 Natasha Fear (La Sella) 89 83, Megan Jenkins (West Essex) 86 86, Mollie Lawrence (Rochester & Cobham Park) 83 89
173 Emma Norris (Denham) 84 89, Hannah Li (Tytherington) 83 90, Aimee Field (Hagley) 85 88, Victoria Wakeley-Jones (Minchinhampton) 87 86, Rhiannon Linacre (Coxmoor) 87 86
