English Schools' Golf Association
Girls ensure England sneak home in tense match
The annual clash between the best school aged golfers in England and Wales saw one of the tightest matches in years, as the Welsh team put up a spirited performance, but eventually the English sneaked home to win by 11.5 to 9.5.
The format of the match is foursomes and singles matchplay, with teams of 14 meaning 11 points is the target.
The Welsh team in Match 1 were off to a flying start, birdieing the first 3 holes to be 3up. Inspired Welsh boys went on to win 3 of the 4 foursomes matches before the English girls retaliated with 2 out of 3 wins to leave the Welsh 4-3 ahead after the foursomes.
And so it went on….despite wins for Captain Justin Chenu, Jaxson Perry and Oliver O’Dell, the Welsh still managed to win the boys singles by 4.5 to 3.5, the half from Louis McDiarmid with some great holing out on 17 and 18.
So with the girls still to finish, England were 2 points down, Wales needing just 2 and a half points from the remaining matches. But the girls rose to the task. Girls Captain Mariella Buchanan led the way in Match 1, storming to a comprehensive victory, closely followed by Daisy Lee and Evie Brown. This put England ahead for the first time, with 3 matches still out on the course. Next in was Amy Burton, emotional after her 2 and 1 win. Lilia Copeman then secured the match with a great up and down from a greenside bunker on 15 to win 4 and 3.
Though the match was over, the last 2 girls didn’t know this, and put on a great show, with Rebecca Del Sol Gonzalez holing a 12 foot putt on the last for birdie sneak home by 1 hole against Summer Carash, who had also birdied the last.
The match was played in a tremendous spirit and proved an appropriate end to for the retiring Welsh Schools’ Team Manager, James Savastano, after 25 years at the helm.
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