Knowle are Junior Champions for second time

Posted on 11/08/08. By EGU

Knowle from Bristol became the first club to win the English Junior Champion Club Tournament twice when they came out on top after testing two days at Harewood Downs in Buckinghamshire.

Winners in 2006 at Woodhall Spa, Knowle topped the leaderboard again with 145 Stableford points, three ahead of East Sussex National, who were second on countback, and Stoneham from Hampshire.

The Knowle team of two girls, Courtney Stone and Jemmima Gregson plus Louis O'Regan with a combined age of 39 and a combined handicap of 59, might have been regarded as outsiders. But they came up trumps and were all smiles at the end.

"I am delighted and immensely proud," said Dave Owen, Knowle's Junior Organiser and the man who was also at the helm in 2006.

"We originally had an all-girl team but one had to withdraw to play in a South West Junior tournament, while young Louis broke a leg on holiday in Ireland eight weeks ago. It was touch and go whether he could play 18 holes two days running but he did splendidly."

Knowle began a windy second day on 73 points, two behind early leaders Stoke by Nayland but when the Suffolk side faltered, coming up with 65 for 140, Knowle seized their chance. Courtney Stone, aged 13, returned 37 points off 29 handicap, while 11-year-old Jemmima Gregson produced 35 off 19 which proved good enough.

They had to wait to see if they could be overtaken but East Sussex and Stoneham both came up short.

East Sussex were indebted to 14-year-old Alex Bland who scored 39 points off 16, and Dan Ellis with 33, while Alex Hickson and George Kendall were the Stoneham scorers with 37 and 36 respectively.

Stoke by Nayland, inaugural winners in 2002, finished fourth, while defending champions King's Lynn, who battled it out with their Suffolk rivals for the title at Spalding a year ago, finished down the order on 129.

More information and all results scores can be found on the Championships section of the EGU website www.englishgolfunion.org