03 Sep Yorkshire crowned 2024 Boys’ County Finals
Yorkshire were crowned 2024 Boys’ County Finals as they won all three of their matches at Teignmouth Golf Club.
The Boys County Finals in 27-29 August, 2024
ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP
The English Boys’ County Finals is contested between four counties, who have qualified from each of the Regional Groups (North, Midlands, South East and South West).
Over the course of 3 days, the counties will play a round robin format containing 3 foursomes matches in the morning and 6 singles matches in the afternoon.
After beating Gloucestershire and Kent on the first two days, they saw off Cambridgeshire 6.5-2.5 on Thursday to complete victory.
Tai Naylor was Yorkshire’s star performer and one of only two unbeaten players at the event, as he picked up 5.5 from 6 points available, while 14-year-old Thomas Hartshorne and Alex Boyes also won 5 out 6 points in superb showings.
Elsewhere, a stunning effort from 14-year-old Jaxson Perry saw the Gloucestershire youngster win 5 points from 6 to help his side finish 2nd overall, with a 5.5-3.5 win over Kent on the final day.
Cambridgeshire finished 3rd with their standout player Sam Marshall winning 5.5 out of 6 available to him. Click here to see the final table.
Day 3 – Morning Foursomes: Cambridgeshire 1-2 Yorkshire
Sam Marshall and Oliver Toyer (Cambs) maintained their 100% winning partnership as they managed to beat Josh Stephens and Huey Cunningham 2&1 – but they didn’t have it plain-sailing. The Yorkshire pair were 3-up through 3 after birdieing the 1st and Stephens slotting a 10-footer for birdie on the 3rd. However, the Cambridge duo bounced back to win holes 7-10 with consistency being key, and a crucial up-and-down from a bunker on 13 halved it in birdies. Stephens did tremendously to get out of the gorse to help his team halve the 14th in bogeys but a par on 15 helped see Marshall and Toyer to a 2&1 win.
Benjy Saia and Tai Naylor (pictured below) remained unbeaten as a pair for the week as the Yorkshire duo stormed to a 7-up lead through 7. Naylor’s 3-iron followed by Saia’s 3-wood to the middle of the 1st set up a simple birdie, before Naylor nearly drove the 3rd to set up another birdie. Saia rolled in a 25-footer for birdie on 6 with Naylor then sticking a 4-iron to 12 feet for a simple par to win the 7th. From there they cruised in by halving the next five holes to win 7&6 against Joe Austin and Sam Arthur.
Alex Boyes and Tom Hartshorne were another unbeaten pairing over the week, winning all three of their matches, after seeing off Lewis Karim and Ellis Kerr 2&1. Hartshorne chipped close for Boyes to knock in a birdie on the 1st in a great half before the Cambridgeshire pairing edged ahead on 9 with birdie. Hartshorne rolled in a pivotal 15-footer on 10 for par to level the game and then struck his 6-iron to 16 feet on 11 to allow Boyes to birdie again as the Yorkshire duo went up for the first time. Hartshorne chipped to five feet from 60 yards on the 13th to set up another birdie for Boyes to roll in as the teams halved it in 4s, but after winning 15 with par, they saw out a 2&1 win.
Morning Foursomes: Kent 0.5-2.5 Gloucestershire
Leo Powell and Ash Millington (Gloucs) picked up a 3&2 win over Edward Greenslade and Tom Chapman in the first match of the day. Millington’s 9-iron from 170 yards paved the way for a win on 6 as they went ahead, but the Kent duo responded to edge ahead by the 11th tee. However, Powell rolled in a 35-footer for birdie to level the match and the Gloucester pair then won three on the spin from 13-15 to clinch the game, with the 13th providing a big turning point. Powell hit his side’s second shot long next to a tree but Millington chipped to 10 feet and Powell made amends by sinking it to win the hole and take the lead.
Jaxson Perry and Ambrose Eaves (Gloucs) made it three pairs wins out of three, as they saw off Jack Swift and Scott Antoun (Kent). The Gloucs duo did well to halve the 1st by getting up-and-down from a bunker and then took the lead on 2 when Eaves knocked his tee shot to 12 feet for Perry to putt for birdie. Despite Gloucestershire being 2-up through 6, Swift rolled in a nice birdie putt to win 7. Ambrose sunk a 12-footer for an important half on 8 but Kent’s Antoun rolled in a 15-footer for birdie to win 11 and level proceedings. The Gloucestershire pair birdied the par-5 13th before sealing a 2&1 victory.
Finn Ellis and Joel Warne (Gloucs) played out a thriller with Lennon Hill and Jon Kay (Kent). The teams were neck and neck after 14 holes, before a par on 15 edged the Gloucs duo ahead and a double-bogey winning the par-3 16th taking them 2-up dormy. However, the Kent pairing made a strong par to win 17 and on the last hole, a bogey was enough to tie the match.
Afternoon Singles: Kent 3-3 Gloucestershire
Jack Swift (Kent) and Ash Millington (Gloucestershire) got the afternoon of action off to a flyer as they halved the 1st in birdies before Millington landed a 25-footer for birdie on the 2nd. Swift then drove near the green on 3 for a simple birdie and rolled in a 40-footer for birdie to win the 4th. The 8th was halved in birdies with Millington driving the green and Swift making a super approach, and the Kent youngster went 3-up on the 10th with a 10-foot birdie putt. The duo then halved the next six to see Swift swoop to a 3&2 win.
Leo Powell (Gloucs) won holes 4-7 against Tom Paterson, chipping close on 4 and rolling in a 35-footer on 7 to go 4-up. The pair made brilliant birdies to halve the 8th as Paterson holed from the bunker and Powell drove just shy of the green and then holed a 15-foot putt. Paterson won 9 with birdie but that was as good as it got for him, as the duo halved the next seven holes to give Powell a 3&2 win.
Jaxson Perry (Gloucs, pictured below) went into an early 2-up lead over Jon Kay after hitting 130 yards from a bunker and holing the ball from 12 feet for birdie on the 5th. On the 11th the 14-year-old hit his tee shot to two feet for another birdie before Kay hit back with a 20-yard pitch to within a couple inches for birdie on 12 and found himself all square with three to play. The pair halved the 16th in pars before Perry drove the 17th green for a birdie and parred the last to win 2-up.
Finn Ellis (Gloucs) managed to see off Scott Antoun 4&2, having led from the 1st hole. His highlights came in the form of some superb up-and-downs on 4, 6 and 11 to keep him ahead, while he made a fantastic par with his second ball on 13 for a half, after having lost his tee shot.
Two more matches went right to the death, with Lennon Hill (Kent) recovering from being 2-down early on against Ambrose Eaves. Eaves birdied the 1st and 3rd before Hill rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on 4. Hill turned the game around to be 1-up standing on the 16th tee and despite coming close to eagling the 17th with a chip, pars meant it went to 18 with Hill securing a 2-up win thanks to another par.
Tom Chapman (Kent) rolled in some confidence boosters early on from six and 12 feet respectively for a 2-up lead through 2. He then made a 10-footer to win the 6th with par before opponent Joel Warne made a great birdie with a downhill put on 8. 3-up through 13, Chapman was flying but Warne rallied to win 14-16 with tidy pars. It seemed like the momentum was with him but he lost his tee shot left on 17, with Chapman’s drive almost finding trouble, but he was able to birdie to regain his lead and after Warne found trouble on the 18th, he eventually conceded to give Chapman the win, 2-up.
Afternoon Singles: Cambridgeshire 1.5-4.5 Yorkshire
Yorkshire knew they needed just 2.5 points from their six singles matches to win the event, and things went as planned with Luke Thornton securing a 3&1 win over Sam Hewson in the first outing. Thornton rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on 2 before Hewson hit a wedge from 70 yards to five feet for a birdie on 9. But Thornton was never down in his match after leading from the 1st, and made a crucial 18-footer for par to halve 16 before sealing victory on 17.
Alex Boyes made it five wins from six matches over the course of the tournament as he went bogey-free to beat Lewis Karim. He almost aced the 5th to win with birdie, then halved 8 with a 15-footer after Karim had landed a 20-footer, both for birdies. On 14 Boyes struck his approach to three feet to seal the win 5&4.
Joe Austin gave Cambridgeshire hope as he managed to beat 14-year-old Thomas Hartshorne, who had won all five of his matches heading into the final game. Austin birdied the 1st and drove the green for another birdie on 3, and was given the birdie putt on 4 to be 3-up. Hartshorne made a 20-footer on 9 as they halved in birdies and despite Hartshorne clawing one back, Austin was able to see out a 3&2 win.
Tai Naylor sealed the title for Yorkshire as he enjoyed a 4&3 win over Ellis Kerr. A birdie on 1 and a chip-in for eagle on the 3rd from 20 yards set him on the way, but Kerr clawed it back with an approach to six feet on 8 for birdie and a par on 9. With just one hole in it, Naylor won holes 12, 13 and 14, including a great up-and-down from a bunker on the par-5 13th, completing the match on 15 as the duo halved in bogeys.
Yorkshire captain Josh Stephens tied the first five holes with Cambridgeshire’s Oliver Toyer, as the 1st was halved in birdies, before Stephens won the 5th. Toyer stuck one to 15 feet on 6 for birdie but couldn’t get up-and-down to save the 7th. Toyer made a good up-and-down to win 9 and then took the lead for the first time on the 10th, but Stephens hit to 12 feet for birdie to win 11 and then stuck his approach to three feet on 13 for another birdie. The Yorkshireman was in the ascendancy and holed a 15-footer downhill for par on 13 for a half, before holding on for a 2&1 win.
Sam Marshall (Cambs pictured below) was looking to finish as the only player to win all six of his matches at the tournament as he took on Benjy Saia. The pair halved the 1st in birdies before the lead went both ways on the front nine. Saia got up-and-down for a birdie on 8 to go 3-up before Marshall pegged a hole back with birdie on the par-5 9th. Saia stuck his approach to 15 foot on 10 for another birdie but Marshall was back to all-square after winning 12 and 13 – the latter thanks to a brilliant eagle as he holed a 10-footer.bAfter winning the 15th Marshall was all-square and the pair parred the remaining holes to finish tied, meaning that Marshall finished the event unbeaten – the only player to do so alongside Tai Naylor.
Read Letter of Thanks from The England Golf Union Here
Read Letter of Thanks from Cambridgeshire Golf Union Here
