Rain hits English open stroke-play at Trevose

Brabazon Trophy reduced to 54
holes with two Sunday rounds

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Once again, the Brabazon Trophy has been plagued by bad weather. Heavy, persistent rain which arrived just after lunch at Trevose, forced officials to suspend play then cancel the second round with the championship being reduced to 54 holes.
A total of 61 players on 71 or better from round one, will contest 36 holes on Sunday, starting at 7am when the forecast is more favourable.
Following Friday’s hour-long suspension when greens flooded, the first round was completed this morning in calm if dull conditions with the remaining four groups playing the few holes that darkness prevented last night.
Just 40 of the 56 groups had teed-off when play was again suspended at 1.20pm but only 16 had completed 18 holes. However, with the downpour unrelenting, the decision to cancel the round was taken.
“It was a logistic nightmare,” said EGU Championship Chairman Ray Saunders. “All the greens were flooded, the rain was continuing and we had an additional forecast for the area that it would get worse.
“Even if we had resumed if the rain relented, we couldn’t have got the field round. So it was decided that we would have 61 qualifiers on 71 or better from the first round to play 36 holes tomorrow and have a proper champion over three rounds of golf.”
The decision pleased some and disappointed others. Particularly hard hit was Billy Hemstock from Devon who had made every cut this year. He went round in 66 this morning with eight birdies but missed out after returning 73 yesterday.
Another to miss out was Scotland’s Wallace Booth despite improving his position with 68. But his opening 75 ruled him out. But others benefited, none more so than Essex champion Jack Clarke, who was on his way home after shooting 75. But his first round 71 meant he qualified. Before the rain arrived, there was a stream of low scores from the early starters, many of whom had suffered in the rain yesterday.
International Dale Whitnell went round in a flawless 65 with seven birdies, bringing his tally to 13 in two days. It gave him the lead on 135, nine under par, and he was joined on that score by Chris Cannon, a Sussex county player, who also shot 65, and Steve Uzzell, another England cap, with 69. Cannon had eight birdies in each of his rounds, while Uzzell’s 69 contained an eagle and six birdies.
Two more players, Darren Wright and Scott Henry returned 66. Wright, the 2006 English Under 18 champion from Hampshire, holed lengthy putts from 65 feet for eagle at the fourth and from 25 feet for birdie at the 17th, while Henry, three times Scottish boys champion and Scottish men's stroke-play title-holder, had an eagle and six birdies.
Latest scores and news updates will available on the Championships Section of the EGU website, http://www.englishgolfunion.org/.

HOW THEY STAND
FIRST ROUND
64 D Antonelli (France).
66 D Walton (Woburn), B Hebert (France), M Mackman (Broome Manor), S Uzzell (Hornsea).
67 A Kaleka (France), N Chaudhuri (The Leicestershire), P Cutler (Portstewart), T Lewis (Welwyn Garden City), B Etchart (Spa).
68 J Gidney (Church Stretton), A Best (Cleveland), S Hutsby (Liphook), M Bey (France), G Dear (Murrayshall).
69 A Sagar (Keighley), B Britton (The London), T Adcock (The Nevill), M Nixon (Ashton under Lyne), A Cooley (Chobham), A Johnston (North Middlesex), D Renwick (Worthing), M Baldwin (Royal Birkdale), L Collins (Mendip Springs), A Friestad (Norway).
70 R Prophet (Sandwell Park), G Wolstenholme (Carus Green), N Kearney (Royal Dublin), Z Gould (Vale of Glamorgan), M Cryer (Coventry), C Mivis (Belgium), D Whitnell (Five Lakes), C Cannon (East Sussex National), J Blaauw (South Africa), P O'Hanlon (The Curragh).
71 J Shepherd (The Wisley), A Perrino (Italy), M Bell (Shanklin & Sandown), M Haines (Rochester & Cobham), W Bowe (Workington), M Kieffer (Germany), M Novy (Czech Rep), S Arnold (Australia), T Fleetwood (Formby Hall), C Cossins (Bath), F Colombo (Italy), M Thistleton (Hayling), S Maurits (Netherlands), T Stewart (Australia), L Goddard (Hendon), R Newman (Brookmans Park), J Clarke (Chelmsford), R Thuillier (France), D Wright (Rowlands Castle), J Stevenson (Great Torrington), J Lando-Casanova (France), S Henry (Cardross), J Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale), B Reiter (Austria), C Macaulay (Tulliallan), T Pollari (Finland).