England send Gidney, Hemstock and Hinton

to Finnish Open Amateur Championship

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH GOLF UNION
Jonathan Gidney (Church Stretton, Shropshire & Herefordshire), a Midland Youth Champion for a record three successive years, is among a three-man squad to represent the EGU in the Finnish Open Amateur Championship at Helsinki Golf Club on 13th – 15th August.
He will be accompanied by fellow England A Squad members Billy Hemstock (Teignmouth, Devon) and Craig Hinton (The Oxfordshire, BB&O), in the 54-hole stroke play event.
The trio will seek to extend England’s successes in the Championship which has seen the title held by Gary Wolstenholme in 1996, Ross Fisher in 2003, after a playoff with Wolstenholme, and Luke Collins two years ago.
Gidney, 22, from Shropshire, was Midland Youth Champion for the third successive year in 2008, Welsh Youth Champion also last year and runner-up in the recent Midland Open Amateur.
Hemstock, 25, is the current Devon County Champion. Last year he finished runner-up in the Duncan Putter and Irish Open Amateur Championship and fourth in the Tillman Trophy. This year he was seventh in the Brabazon Trophy.
Hinton, 20, has represented his county as a junior in sports such as hockey, athletics, cricket and football. Golfwise, he finished eighth in the Bucks Scratch Open and 17th in the Tillman Trophy in 2008.
Apart from the individual Championship, England have also been successful in the Nations Cup which is decided over the opening 36 holes, the best two cards to count in each round.