Berwick stages English boys' county

finals this week

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION
A seismic shift has occurred within English boys' county golf this year which will be reflected in the English boys' county finals at Goswick Golf Club, Berwick-on-Tweed, from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
Northern Counties winners Cumbria and Midland Champions Derbyshire are making their first appearance in the finals, Gloucestershire, the South West qualifiers, have never won the title, while Hertfordshire, the South East winners, are the only finalists to have lifted the trophy which they did at Sherwood Forest in 1993.

So it will be a new look line-up for the three-day round robin tournament with each match consisting of three foursomes and six singles over 18 holes.

Cumbria’s team includes Seb Crookall-Nixon from Workington, English Under 16 Champion in 2008 and 2009 and an England Boy Cap, and Carlisle’s Chris Thursby, who was the individual winner in the Northern Boys Qualifying at Furness when he equalled the course record of 65.
Carl Johnstone, also from Carlisle, was the Cumbrian Under 16 Champion in 2009, while Dan Park from Kirkby Lonsdale, is currently on the Abu Dhabi Daily Telegraph Junior Golf Championship leaderboard and will be going to college in the United States next year.
Derbyshire, who qualified as Midland Region Champions at Horsley Lodge, include boy international Nick Newbold, who reached the last 16 of the English Amateur, Craig Young, who won the County’s Men’s Championship, and Jack Cope, the Derbyshire Match Play Champion.
Gloucestershire, runners-up to Surrey last year at Whittington Heath, have lost the services of Adam Carson and Chris Lloyd but can be relied upon to make another strong challenge this time, especially with the likes of Tyler Hogarty and Oscar Sharpe in their team.
Hogarty, whose family has moved from South Africa, is the Gloucestershire Junior Champion and was runner-up in the Men’s County Championship. Sharpe was a sensation in boys golf in 2006 when he became England Under 14, 15 and 16 Champion. He became an Under 16 Cap and moved up to a boy international and now approaching his 18th birthday, he finished tied fourth in this year’s South West Boys Championship.
The Hertfordshire line-up includes Nick Ward, their County Champion, who finished fifth in the RandA’s Junior Open at Lundin Golf Club, Fife a few weeks ago, and Callum Shinkwin, the English Under 18 Champion following his impressive victory in the Carris Trophy at Woodhall Spa which led to his England debut in the boys' home internationals.
In Tuesday's first round of matches, Cumbria will play Derbyshire while Gloucestershire meet Hertfordshire.

TEAMS
Cumbria
Ollie Carr (Ulverston)
Seb Crookall-Nixon (Workington)
Carl Johnstone (Carlisle)
Dan Park (Kirkby Lonsdale)
Ryan Pearson (Workington)
Chris Thursby (Carlisle)
Keiran Waters (Carlisle)


Derbyshire
Joe Biggs (Chevin)
Jamie Boler (Chesterfield)
Jack Cope (Matlock)
Nick Newbold (Kedleston Park)
Josh Thorley (Broughton Heath)
Alex Weare (Derbyshire College)
Craig Young (Ashbourne)


Gloucestershire
Tyler Hogarty (Rodway Hill)
Sam McPherson (Broadway)
Louis O’Regan (Knowle)
Alex Palomeque (The Kendleshire)
Oscar Sharpe (Minchinhampton)
Sam Sullivan (Woodspring)
Jordan Williams (Henbury)


Hertfordshire
Tomasz Anderson (Mill Green)
Will Chambers (Mid Herts)
Luke Colegate (Berkhamsted)
Sam Cutting (Berkhamsted)
Callum Shinkwin (Moor Park)
Ben Smith (Sandy Lodge)
Nick Ward (Redbourn)