WEST ESSEX Golf Club’s juniors were crowned Home Nations champions after a series of magnificent individual displays led to an emphatic team victory in Murcia.
Representing England after winning the National Junior Team Golf Championship back in October, West Essex’s talented youngsters ruthlessly dispatched opponents from Wales, Ireland and Scotland on the stunning El Valle course – part of the Nicklaus Golf Trail – to win the Junior Team Golf Home Nations Championship.
Scotland’s representatives Liberton were the first to be conquered, albeit after a see-saw battle, before Wrexham, from Wales, were whitewashed in a one-sided contest.
Ireland were then blown away in what proved to be the tournament’s final to cap a superb weekend.
The squad of Jack Heasman, Hugh Campbell, Bobby Keeble, Chris Moore, Sophie Madden, Ashleigh Greenham, Jon Christey and Mitchell Wellington first got to grips with the challenging course – the current European Tour School Stage Two Qualifying venue – on the practice day, before taking to the tees to take on Liberton.
In the medal matchplay format – lowest nett score after 18 holes wins – the team of Heasman, Campbell, Keeble, Moore, Madden and Wellington came out on top.
Madden, in particular, produced a stunning come back from seven shots behind to win her match.
There was a similar fightback from Heasman, who kicked off the tie against Wrexham with a one shot victory, clawing his way back from another seven-shot deficit.
Keeble, just 15, delivered an incredible two-under-par 69 in vanquishing his opponent, while Campbell, Moore, Madden and Greenham all triumphed to complete the clean sweep.
Needing just a half to claim the trophy against the Irish side Athenry in the final match, Heasman halved his contest first up.
Seventeen-year-old Campbell then emulated team-mate Keeble by registering a 69 in his victory.
Remarkably, his three-round totals of 71, 72 and 69 would have seen him finish 22nd at the second stage European Tour Qualifying School recently contested at the same course and secure a place in the final stage.
Keeble duly took care of his opponent and, after another terrific West Essex comeback, Moore claimed the half that won the trophy with a two-shot swing on the 18th.
Madden and Greenham followed with two more victories as the local outfit cruised home.
Afterwards, there were individual awards for Campbell, Keeble, Moore and Greenham.
Such was the excitement of the weekend that the club’s captain Charles Stavri, there supporting the team, missed his flight home, where he was due to hand over his captaincy.
West Essex Junior co-captain Gareth Nash said of the achievement: “I am so pleased with our team’s performance. I was amazed at how well our team played over the three days, not losing a game over the weekend period.”
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