TOP ENGLAND SENIOR SMETHURST AWARDED MICKLEM TROPHY

ROY'S THE BOY REWARDED FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO AMATEUR GOLF IN ENGLAND Roy Smethurst, arguably the most successful senior amateur from England, has been awarded the Gerald Micklem Trophy for 2013. He was presented with the award, given annually to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to further the interest of amateur golf in England, at the England Golf Annual Meeting at Woodhall Spa. “I’m amazed to get this award but also delighted,” he said. “Basically, I’m accepting it on behalf of English senior golfers. I wouldn’t have got it if it hadn’t been for the rest of my senior colleagues. “Over the last ten years we have established senior golf in England with success in the Home Internationals and in Europe and it has been a privilege to have played with the guys over the past 15 or so years.” Smethurst (image copyright Tom Ward Photography), a member of the Crewe club for over 40 years and a past member of Sherwood Forest, was the Crewe captain in 2012 and is a Vice President of the Cheshire Union of Golf Clubs. The 71-year-old retired computer consultant has a string golfing successes to his name. He was British Seniors champion in 2003, European Seniors champion in 2005, has won the English Seniors title on four occasions, and was a senior international for England from 2001 to 2011. He has also won the silver medal as leading amateur at the Senior British Open four times, reached the semi-finals of the US Senior Amateur Championship in 2003, has twice been the French Senior Over-65 champion, while his successes at county level are even more numerous. He has been Cheshire county champion four times, Cheshire Senior champion ten times, six-in-a-row from 1998, helped Cheshire to the English Senior County Championship on three occasions, not to mention four Northern Seniors titles. His appearances for Cheshire total 186, he has played over 100 times for the county’s seniors and is still counting, while he played around 25 times for Nottinghamshire before moving to Cheshire. Obviously, it has been as a senior that Roy has become so successful but he made his England debut back in 1962 for England Youth against Scotland at Pannal. “I recall winning my foursomes but I lost to Scott McDonald in the afternoon,” added Roy. Their paths crossed again four years ago in the Senior Home Internationals at Crail when Roy gained his revenge with a victory. “Amazingly, Scott produced a photograph of the teams from 1962 but he didn’t recognise me,” added Roy. “It was probably because I had hair then.” Off the course, Roy’s interest include website design, gardening – he has a large garden where he grows his own vegetables - house maintenance – his timbered cottage dates back to the 17th Century – and cooking. He is a widower with a son, David, daughter, Catherine and four grandchildren. David Hamilton Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 01526 354 500