Chichester Golf Club salute youngest-ev er champion

Chichester Golf Club's annual club championship has had its youngest-ever winner.

Held in challenging conditions, this 36-hole event is the most prestigious of the club’s competitions and is highly anticipated by members each year.

The title was won in 2010 and 2011 by Shaun Clarke, who was one of the favourites to take the title again – but a surprise result saw one of the club’s juniors, Declan Hood, victorious.

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He is just 16 and beat golfers with more experience who, on paper, should have beaten him. He shot 15 over par over the 36 holes, but it was enough to win.

The record for the youngest Chichester club champion was previously held by Harry Boyd, who had just turned 17 when he won in 2007. He won it again in 2009 and has since turned pro and is part of the Chichester Golf Academy’s coaching team.

Declan has been a member at the Hunston complex since he was 11 and has regularly represented the club at junior level. In 2010 he was chosen for the Sussex under-14 squad.

This year he has had less time to spend at the club as he has been concentrating on his GSCEs – so his victory is an even greater achievement.

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Club proprietor Sally Haygarth said: “We have witnessed Declan’s enthusiasm for golf for many years and it’s a fantastic achievement for him to take the title of club champion at 16.”

For the first time Chichester ladies joined the men for their club championship. They played their competition in the middle of the men’s field.

Thirty-six holes in one day is no mean feat but Emma Fields won the championship with an aggregate gross score of 160. Runner-up with 178 was Sang Porter.

Winner of the aggregate of the best two nett scores was Helen Ball with 161. Runner-up with 165 was Mary-Lou Litton.

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Some 27 grannies competed for the annual Granny Goblet. Remarkably four finished with 37 points but on countback Jean Davies was the winner with Angela Len second and Terry Payne third.

Ladies with no grandchildren played a qualifying Stableford. The winner with 38 points was Jeannie Blackman, second on countback with 32 points was Lynn Plowman and third was Lisa Jackson.

The Saturday ladies also played a Stableford and the winner with 37 points was Rachel Greenland. Second on countback with 34 points was Caroline Hawkes and third was Helen Ball.

Seventeen ladies played the first round of the senior club championship in wet conditions but this did not dampen their spirits. A sunny round two brought smiles to their faces.

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Winner with an aggregate gross score of 202 was Val Edwards.

Runner-up with 203 was Jeannie Blackman. Best nett score winner was Pam Hart with 157 and runner-up was Terry Payne with 160.

n Chichester GC’s veterans are in the semi-finals of the prestigious Sussex Cyril Blake Cup, an inter-club knockout for over-55s.

They had beaten Copthorne 3-1 away, Seaford 3-1 away and Avisford Park 3-1 at home to reach the quarter-finals, where they hosted much-fancied previous winners Dyke GC.

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Chichester won 3-1 again and will meet current holders Worthing GC in the semi-final on Monday, August 13, on a neutral course.

This is a great achievement for the veterans, who reached the final of the plate last year but have never progressed this far in the Cup.

Scores: Brendan Sharpe & Ken Jackson lost 3&2; Dave Monkton & Mike Harrington won 1up;

Norman Moore & Mike Snuggs won 5&4; Nic Hobbs & Harry Harper won 4&3.

BOGNOR

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There were 105 entrants for the annual 18-hole Medal Rubens Cup.

Despite the very windy conditions there were some excellent scores.

Winner with a nett 67 was Alan Simmonds. Bill Cronin, from division two, was second on 68, on count back from Alan Cramp of division three.

The veterans lost at Singing Hills 6½-1½.

Scores: F Hodder & C Millett lost 2&1, D Turner & J King lost 2 down, R Hedge & V Ward lost 3&2, G Steventon & J Barker lost 3&2, R Brabham & A Delves halved, T Wells & A Fitzgerald lost 5&4, B Wolstencroft & B Baylis lost 4&3, J Woodhead & H Layton won 3&1.

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A field of 28 took part in the Poston Greensomes competition. The winners were Roger Selway and Harry Layton with 43 points.

Frank Hodder and Vic Ward were second on 42, third on 41 were Doug Hamlett and Alan Delves, on countback from Alan Fitzgerald and Richard Hedge.

Twenty-nine Bognor ladies played in the Bird Cup, an irons-only Stableford. The cup winner was Michelle Auger.

Results: Silver – Michelle Auger 37pts, Teresa Byrne 36, Bridget Samuels 35. Bronze A: Sara Stoneham 34, Sandra Coulton 23. Bronze B: Jill Gill 34,

Pat Fitzgerald 26.

AVISFORD PARK

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The American Greensomes competition saw Chris Wall and Elizabeth Whitney win with a nett 69. Runners-up were Martin Gill and Graham Twine with 70. The weekend Stableford was won by Hugh Hooper with 38 points.

The senior medal was won in division one by William Billson with a nett 71 and Basil Woolven with a nett 72 in division two.

The midweek medal was won by Daniel Bernhardt with a nett 66 and the ladies’ medal went to Yvette Charman with 73.

The senior Texas scramble was won by Barrie Goble, Brian Morgan, David Farrer and Raymond Owen with a nett 60.9.

The club medal was won in division one by Russell Evershed with nett 66 and in division two by William Billson with 67.