MATTHEW CRYER BEATS PAUL SIMSON IN FINAL
OF BRITISH MID-AMATEUR AT ALWOODLEY

FROM THE R&A WEBSITE

Matthew Cryer produced the faultless golf he had played most of the week to beat American Paul Simson 5 and 4 in the final of the British men's mid-amateur chhampionship at Alwoodley, Leeds this afternon.
He was three under par when the match finished on the 14th green.The 32-year-old England international said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have won after the disappointment of two weeks ago when I lost in the final of the English amateur.
“My game’s just got better and better all week. I’ve driven it really nicely and putted really well.
“This my best win so far without a doubt,” said the Coventry and Warwickshire player, who is in the England team for the Home Internationals at Co Louth next month.
“The quality of some of the containing golf I’ve had to play against such good opposition this week has really stretched me, which is fantastic, great for my game. I just hope I can carry it through this next week,” said Cryer, who flies to Berlin on Monday morning to compete in the European men's individual amateur championship, in which he finished runner-up in Belgium two years ago.
BIRDIES AT SECOND AND THIRD
After they shared pars on the first hole Cryer went ahead on the second when he sank a six foot birdie putt and extended his lead on the long third with another birdie. Simson conceded the short seventh when he failed to get down in par with Cryer just eight feet away.
Cryer won the long eighth against the odds. He was in heather off the tee and could only hack out. Simson had hit a great drive, but then pushed his three-wood second into a bunker short and right of the green, while Cryer hit his third pin high right.
Simson splashed out just short of the green and pitched to five feet but missed. Cryer pitched stone dead to win the hole with a par and go four up.
Simson, last year's British seniors amateur champion and fifth in his defence at Nairn the week before last, hit back briefly at the short ninth when he holed a monster putt for a birdie 2 to cut the deficit to three, but after they halved the 10th he lost the short 11th to go back to four down when he took three from the front of the green.
Needing to win holes, the 56-year-old insurance executive from North Carolina was perhaps running out of steam after an arduous week and although he only had short irons into the greens of the 12th and 13th he couldn’t get them close enough for birdies.
When he took three from the front of the green on the 206-yard par-3 14th and Cryer got a regulation par, it was all over.
“He played very solidly and played some fantastic golf,” said Simson. “I just couldn’t do anything about it this afternoon. But I think I’ll be invited back next year,” said the American, who is due at Pinehurst about an hour from his home in North Carolina to defend the North-South Amateur Championship on Tuesday.

HOW THE SEMI-FINALS WENT

Scot Paul Moultrie must be wondering how he missed out on a place in the British mid-amateur final at Alwoodley. The Troon Portland player was four up at one stage and never behind in his match against 56-year-old North Carolina insurance executive Paul Simson but it was the American who clinched the match with a 15ft birdie putt at the second extra hole.
Simson was four down after six holes but made a ‘gagger’ from 45 feet on the seventh and turned only two down after winning the ninth.
Moultrie birdied the long 10th but the American replied with a critical 10ft winning putt at the next.
“We halved the next four holes," said Simson, "so I’m two down with three to play. Paul missed a two-footer on 16 that would have halved the hole and made me dormie two. On the next I chipped dead for my par and Paul made a good seven-footer for a half."
Simson had a solid par at the last where Moutrie had a chip out of the deep rough just off the green. “The ball was nestled pretty deep and I used the wrong club. It went 12 feet past and I missed it,” said Moultrie, a 42-year-old chartered surveyor.
“It was the wee putt on 16 which I missed that was the crucial point. That would have kept me two up with two to play. I thought I’d holed my chip on the 19th, then I thought I’d holed my putt on the 20th. But it was not to be. That’s the game. “It’s been a great week, great fun,” said Moultrie.
“To get through to the semi-final and lose on the 20th to a fantastic golfer like Paul, is a week I’ll never forget."
In the other semi-final Matthew Cryer continued the steady play he has displayed all week with a 4 and 3 victory over 36-year-old landscape gardener Lee Yearn from Ely City.“I was really pleased how I played,” he said.
“I dropped one shot and parred all the holes. Given the weather conditions that was pretty difficult to play against. I got the pressure on Lee early on and was three up after six and held on to that until the turn.
"Lee came back to win 10 and 11 with birdies, but then I won the next three holes with pars and halved the 15th to close out the match.
“I hit all the fairways and greens apart from the fourth where I got my only bogey and I putted really solidly. Very pleased with my morning’s work."
Yearn was disappointed but delighted to have played so well. "It's been a great week. I love this event and I'll be back at Royal St David's next year," he said.

Sunday's results:

SEMI-FINALS
Paul Simson (US) bt Paul Moultrie (Troon Portland) at 20th.
Matthew Cryer (Coventry) bt Lee Yearn (Ely City) 4 and 3.

FINAL
Cryer bt Simson 5 and 4.