Lancashire Juniors Claim Four Counties Title Again
Lancashire – Four Counties winners again (left to right, back row) Louis Tarlaczyk (Royal Lytham & St Annes), Jamie Van Wyk (Royal Lytham & St Annes), Greg Holmes (Royal Birkdale), Neil Dalton (Junior Chairman), Luke Bartram (Rossendale), John Wilding (Heysham) and James Andrews (Pleasington).
(Front) Josh Fallows (Royal Birkdale) and Grady Rogerson (Royal Lytham & St Annes)
LANCASHIRE’S young golfers are enjoying that winning feeling again!
The best of the up and coming young players in the county retained their Four Counties crown at Sherwood Forest.
The annual competition pits the boys team from the Red Rose county against their counterparts from Cheshire, Nottinghamshire, and Shropshire and Herefordshire. Nottinghamshire were the hosts this year.
The team of eight included five players that had not appeared in the event before while two who play off scratch were unavailable as they were competing in the Midland U16 Boys Open.
But the squad rose to the challenge superbly, with three wins out of three.
On the first day in the morning Lancashire beat S&H 5-2 and followed that by seeing off Nottinghamshire 4.5-2.5 in the afternoon. A 6-1 success over Cheshire on the final secured a third successive title for the defending champions.
Josh Fallows (Royal Birkdale) won all his three matches, leaving it very late in two of them. Against Nottinghamshire he was two down with three to play, only to win on the last hole.
In his final match against Cheshire he was two down with four to play and again he won on the last.
Louis Talaczyk (Royal Lytham & St Annes) was unbeaten with two wins and a half.
Lancashire Junior Chairman Neil Dalton said: “The boys came together as a team and played some outstanding golf, especially at a time when it was required in the matches against Cheshire and Nottinghamshire.
“A special mention must go to the Josh Fallows, ‘the comeback kid’ winning all of his matches, while Greg Holmes (Royal Birkdale), our Boys Champion, set the example at the front of the field.
“I am immensely proud of the way boys conducted themselves throughout and their achievement in retaining the title against strong opposition.”
The course was actually covered in snow the day before the practice round while a late downpour at the end of the second day fortunately only affected a few matches.
