- picture © Tom Ward
Streetly, Sutton Coldfield, England (July 28,
2010) -- Reputations counted for little when
the English Amateur match play stages got
underway at a often overcast Little Aston and
among the casualties were two of England’s
European Team Championship-winning squad.
One of the chief executioners was Adam
Hedges who went all the way to beat Laurie
Canter having also taken 18 holes to get
through is preliminary round tie against his
Kent colleague Michael Saunders.
“That is quite a scalp,” said Hedges after his 1
hole victory over Canter. “Laurie is a very
good player and I knew it would be tough. But
I putted really well and I’m looking to go even
further.”
After Canter birdied the first, a Hedges eagle
at the third leveled matters but Canter birdied
the ninth to edge in front again. He lost the
next then, at the long 12th, Hedges escaped
from the trees and holed across the width of
the green for eagle to lead again then held on
with halves to clinch victory.
Having played 36 holes in the day to reach the
last 32, Hedges’ victory came in the wake of
three missed cuts in previous events. But
having consulted his coach, Stuart Dowsett,
at Sundridge Park and altered his grip, it all
came right.
The other England man to bite the dust was
Eddie Pepperell but it was at the hands of his
international colleague Chris Paisley. Although
the Northumberland man lost the opening hole,
a run of four birdies from the third put him 2up.
He went further in front at the 11th while
further birdies at 12 and 13 saw Paisley five
ahead. Pepperell then went birdie-eagle at 14
and 15, but a half at 16 eased Paisley, beaten
finalist in 2008, through.
Tommy Fleetwood admitted he struggled early
on in his first round match with Cornwall’s Tom
Murtagh but managed to be all square through
six holes.
“I could have won a few holes in a row but
Tom kept getting up-and-down,” said the
England man. “But I managed to win the 12th
and 13th and although I lost 14, halves at 15
and 16 get me home.”
Darren Wright, looking to add the English
Amateur to the Brabazon Trophy he won at
Hoylake last month, came out on top in a
birdie-laden tussle with Hugo Dobson, winner
of the inaugural South East of England Links
Championship back in May.
Dobson, from Suffolk, went 2up through five
holes but back-to-back birdies at six and
seven saw Wright square the match by the
turn. There was nothing to separate them
after 15 holes but a 12-foot birdie at the 16th
followed by a Dobson bogey at 17 sent Wright
safely through to round two.
“I was very scrappy on the front nine,
particularly off the tee, but my short game
was very good,” said Wright. “Hugo is a good
player and he was very steady. I had seven
birdies and I think he had at least five so it
was a good match.”
The converse was the case when Nuneaton’s
Andy Sullivan cantered to a 5 and 4 win over
Alasdair Dalgliesh from Sussex, who needed 20
holes to get through his preliminary round tie
with Max Brittan.
“It was pretty boring for the spectators,” said
Sullivan. “I just played steadily with a couple
of birdies and the rest were pars. I know this
course well and enjoy playing here. I’m just
happy to get through,” he added.
The all-Lancashire clash between England cap
Matthew Nixon and Jack Senior went Senior’s
way on the final green by one hole.
“It is always difficult when you play someone
you know well,” said the man from Heysham,
who also had to battle through a preliminary
round tie. “It wasn’t superb golf and it was
tight all the way.”
Senior won the first with a birdie, lost the
second and Nixon edged ahead at the third.
However, Senior built a two-hole lead after
seven and had chances to increase his lead.
But he was pegged back again when he
bogeyed 11 only to win the 12th with a par.
Senior then got his nose in front again at 15
and the remaining holes were halved to see
him home.
Suffolk’s Jamie Abbott secured a comfortable
win over Dominic Barnes from Cheshire. The
England man made a fast start by winning the
first two holes and also won three holes from
the seventh to be 5up. He lost the 11th but
stayed in control to run out a 4 and 3 winner.
Also in full control was boy cap Chris Lloyd, the
leading qualifier, who accounted for
Lancashire’s Ciaran Doherty, one-hole winner
over Richard Prophet in his preliminary round by
5 and 3. Another fast start saw Lloyd claim
five winning birdies in the first seven holes and
he reached the turn 6up. Doherty cut the
deficit with a couple of birdies of his own but
Lloyd birdied 14 to go dormie four, then he
fired his second at the long 15th to eight feet
and was conceded the match.
ABOUT THE English Amateur
The English Amateur was played in its inaugural
year of 1925 at Hoylake when local golfer T
Froes Ellison captured the title. He successfully
defended the following year at Walton
Heath, a feat achieved by only six others: Frank
Pennink, Alan Thirlwell, Michael Bonallack, Harry
Ashby, Mark Foster, and Paul Casey. Sir Nick
Faldo is the most famous to have won the event
as the six-time major champion won the 1975
tournament at Royal Lytham & St. Annes.
The tournament consists of two stroke
play rounds, after which the top 64 players
will advance to the match
play rounds, culminating in a 36-hole final
between two finalists.
View Complete Tournament Information