Charlie Ashbrook holds off Matthew Cutler charge
Hill Valley golfer Charlie Ashbrook edged out the shock challenge from Matthew Cutler to win the Shropshire & Herefordshire Golf Union Youth Championship.
An overnight deluge of rain had threatened to postpone the championship, but Llanymynech Golf Course was in great condition despite the rain carrying on in various quantities all day.
The morning session threw up a big surprise when 17-year-old Cutler, a relative unknown from Lilleshall Hall, emerged with a slender lead after shooting a brilliant 74.
The chasing pack slowly came in and it was Ashbrook who looked most likely to catch him with a solid 75, a score matched by Euan Muttitt Jones.
Full of confidence, Cutler posted another magical 74 to really turn the screw on the more experienced players around him – only for Ashbrook to pinch it in the final three-ball.
Muttitt Jones managed another 75 to finish two shots back, but Ashbrook leaped to the top of the leaderboard with a fine 72 for a one-shot victory.
Shropshire & Herefordshire Under-14s scored a hard-fought 3.5-2.5 victory over their Warwickshire counterparts at The Grove in Leominster.
S&H were well and truly in control following a comprehensive 7&6 demolition job for captain Zach Banks(Shinal) and partner Ben Steventon(Telford), a 5&3 triumph from Brodie Miller (Telford) and Jack Dirkin (Wrekin) and 5&4 win by Harry Slater (Wrekin) and Seb Reynolds (Shifnal).
The sting in the tail came along soon enough with a comeback from the young Warwickshire boys.
Alfie Daniels (Wrekin) and debutant Harry Smith (Ludlow) were eventually worn down by a stubborn Warwickshire pair 3&2.
This result spurred the next Warwickshire pair to hand out their own 5&4 beating to a very inexperienced debutant pairing of Ruben Tisdale (Leominster) and George Davies (Ludlow).
But Harry Bryce (Telford) and Ross Coleman (Wrekin) made sure of S&H's victory by fighting back to grab a half on the last.
The Junior Stableford Quad League has replaced the Junior Handicap League in Shropshire this year, with The Shropshire 2, Hill Valley and Ludlow the qualifying teams from the four round robin groups after 18 holes of stableford golf.
Shropshire & Herefordshire Under-18s finished ninth out of 10 teams at the EG Boys County Championships – Midland Qualifying at Wollaton Park in Nottingham.
Carter Sayce (Arscott) scored rounds of 73 and 70 to finish one over par for the tournament in 12th overall.
The other five in the team came home with scores of 78 and 73 for Jonjo Ashbrook (Hill Valley), 77 and 78 for Harri Matthews (Oswestry), 75 and 83 for Charlie Ashbrook (Hill Valley), 82 and 77 for Toby Davies (Wrekin), and 82 and 84 for Curtis Ritchie (Telford).
Staffordshire's Jenson Forester won the tournament with a pair of 67s, while Leicestershire & Rutland took the team win.
