Cheshire are Four Counties Junior champions again

Apr 27 2011 by Our Correspondent, Birkenhead News

CHESHIRE have won the Four Counties Junior Tournament once again.

The eight-boy team, mostly newcomers to the Four Counties, was captained by England player Oliver Carr from Heswall, and they swept aside the opposition in the annual early season event at Crewe with conviction and style.

The combined Shropshire-Herefordshire team were beaten 5-2, followed by Lancashire 4-3 and finally Nottingham 4.5-2.5.

Cheshire have now the won the tournament 15 times including four out of the last six meetings.

It must leave some of their rivals keen to find the secret of this extraordinary success story.

The tournament began in 1973 with an idea that other regions would organise similar events with the winners of each region taking part in a final.

That did not happen, but the now established Four Counties Tournament has become part of a graduation process for many top players.

The players in the first tournament included the young Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle and they were followed by others who would make their mark in the professional game including Dave Horsey of Style, Liverpool-born Nick Dougherty, Paul Waring from Bromborough and current world number one Lee Westwood.

The Cheshire success at Crewe was achieved with a team which included only two – Oliver Carr and Daniel Young of Prestbury – who had previously played in the tournament.

“I am very pleased for all the boys,” said team manager Michael Jones. “They did well. I opted for a young team and they justified their selection.”

Among many fine performances, Oliver Carr finished with two wins and one halved match, Jordan Jones of Delamere Forest, a win and two halves, and Joshua Garside of Prestbury two wins out of two.

The match between Carr and Lancashire’s Paul Kinnear from Formby was a titanic struggle, settled with a halved result on the 18th green where both had birdies and Carr holed from 25 feet.

Cheshire finished with six match points with Lancashire in second place with four. Lancashire won two matches and lost to Cheshire

“That proved the key match,” said Alan Rawlinson, chairman of the Lancashire Junior Committee. “Four of the seven matches went to the 18th green. It was that close. I am very pleased with the performance of our boys and very proud.”