Young guns in Salver glory

There was no answer to youth as Jonathan Gidney and Pete James became Shropshire & Herefordshire foursomes champions.

The two 20-year-olds took their partnership into the Jeffrey Clee Salver for the first time - and the remainder of the 66-pair strong field found the Church Stretton-Belmont axis too hot to handle.

Rounds of 71 and 72 gave the two 20-year-olds a three-over-par total in windy conditions at Ludlow.

And that left them two strokes clear of the chasing pack who were headed by in-form Jamie Brittain and Mitch Smith - who play out of Shifnal and Wrekin respectively - as they followed up a morning 71 with a 74 after lunch.

"We were really chuffed," said Gidney, who is playing in the West of England Amateur Championships at Royal North Devon this weekend.

"We have played together a bit in the county team and thought we would give it a go in the Clee.

"We quietly fancied our chances before the start and knew if we played well, we could be up there. We played some solid golf and didn't make too many mistakes.

"There's a chance I will turn professional at the end of the year so it's nice to win the competition in what could be the last time I play in it."

Arguably the secret of the success for the winning pair - who had a combined handicap of +4 - was their ability to bounce back from the disappointments which struck every pair on a difficult day of scoring.

Having dropped just one shot in the morning round, James and Gidney gave the field hope when they four-putted the 11th green for a triple bogey seven.

The response, however, was emphatic as the duo birdied three of the next five holes to once again climb back to the top of the leaderboard.

And it was a similar story in the afternoon round. Gidney and James appeared to be cruising to the title before a double bogey at the 15th put the outcome back in the melting pot.

But after birdies at 16th and 18th, the issue was again beyond doubt.

Brittain and Smith found themselves tied at the top after the morning round, before seeing their hopes of success slip away.

But arguably the most frustrating story of the day, belonged to defending champions Duncan Harris and Andrew Stephenson.

Their chances of a fourth victory in five years - and a third in succession - at the traditional early-season event passed in the morning, when the pair struggled badly to an 11-over-par 81.

It looked like being a similar story for Harris, from Shrewsbury, and Wrekin's Stephenson in the afternoon as they doubled bogeyed the first.

But they suddenly clicked into top gear and found an astonishing eight birdies in the final 17 rounds en route to a second round 66 as they stormed up the field and into third place.

Their score of 147 was matched by three other pairings - Olly Farr and Darren Richards, Declan McDonnell and Alex Morton and Darren Lewis and Paul McGarry.

By James Garrison