Bromborough’s Caroline Berry beat Sussex’s Paula Carver to win her second English Senior Women’s Championship at Enville GC. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

CHESHIRE’S Caroline Berry was queen of the greens as she claimed her second win in the English Senior Women’s Amateur Championship at Staffordshire’s Enville Golf Club.

After holing a 25-footer for birdie on the 15th to beat Sussex’s Paula Carver 4&3 in the final, Berry said: “To say I am thrilled is the understatement of the world.

The Bromborough GC member added: “It gets harder and harder and these youngsters are getting better and better.

“But sometimes you have the feeling that it’s your year and I felt good coming in to this, good about my game and good about my putting.”

Berry’s game was in all-round great shape in the final, but her putting was outstanding and she holed a number of clutch putts to keep or extend her lead.

In one rare aberration on the 11th, she misjudged a putt from off the green, sending it about 20ft past the pin, but she simply rolled in the return to win the hole with a par.

“My putting has been the strongest part of my game,” said Berry. “Usually it’s my driving but I struggled little bit at the start of the week.

“But I felt I hit the ball better and better as the week went on.”

She last won this championship at Littlestone in 2010, but counts the latest winning of the Wendy Taylor Salver as the sweeter victory.

Caroline Berry added: “That’s not to take anything away from the girls I played then, it was a really good win.

“But the standard this week! I had to beat three people who played for England last year to get to the final.”

There was special praise for her husband and caddy, Geoff, who is the Bromborough club professional.

“Geoff is a star,” she said. “I do think two heads are better than one.”

Berry clinched her place in the final after winning a tight match against Bishop Stortford’s senior international Jackie Foster on the 18^th.

In earlier matches, she defeated internationals Karen Jobling, from Yorkshire’s Richmond GC, and Whittington Heath’s Sue Spencer after beating Mill Ride’s Jane Sly, from Hertfordshire, in the first round.

Meanwhile Carver, from Worthing, defeated West Sussex’s Clarissa Bushell 3&2 in an all-Sussex semi-final clash.

Earlier, she beat Saltford’s Amanda Mayne, Jan Harrison, from Launceston, and Appleby’s Janette McWhirter.

This was only Carver’s second appearance in the championship and she said after the final: “I just didn’t get enough pars, but that takes nothing away from Caroline. She played very solidly.”

•For results in the Wendy Taylor Salver click here.

Carol’s just Wild after over 60s win

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE’S Carol Wild successfully defended her title winning the over 60s Ann Howard Trophy.

She beat Camberley Heath’s Sheree Dove-Wilde by one hole.

“I am ecstatic, I can’t believe it,” said Wild, who is the captain of Notts Ladies Golf Club.

“I thought it would be tough and I felt the pressure coming into this, even though I’m playing well and my handicap has come down.”

•For results in the Ann Howard Trophy click here.

The post Caroline Berry beats cream of English crop to claim second Senior Women’s title appeared first on Golf North.

LEFT TO RIGHT: England Golf Awards host Dan Walker, Young Ambassador of the Year Lou McLoughlin, England Golf’s Emma Anderson and Brendon Pyle from the Golf Foundation

CHESHIRE teenager Louise McLoughlin loves helping people enjoy golf – and her bubbly enthusiasm has won her the title of England Golf’s Young Ambassador of the Year.

The 18-year-old received the accolade, presented in association with the Golf Foundation, at last night’s England Golf Awards.

The audience of more than 400 guests at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel heard how the judges were impressed by her enthusiastic personality and by the time she volunteers to support and inspire other golfers.

“This is so exciting,” said Lou, who is a member at Bromborough Golf Club. “It means everything! You don’t realise people think so much of you and when you find out, it’s special.”

Lou is a keen golfer who plays off eight and represents her club and plays for Cheshire women’s B team.

She got into the sport when she was 11, because she wanted to join her brother and dad in their regular games with her grandfather.

Lou said: “My grandad was the reason I started.”

She loved the sport straight away and before long was involved with the Cheshire girls’ programme.

The teenager grabbed the chance to get involved as an Ambassador with Girls Golf Rocks, the recruitment campaign run by England Golf and the Golf Foundation.

Lou said: “There weren’t any other girls when I started, but now we’ve got nine girls at Bromborough and lots of girls in Cheshire.”

As well as encouraging the new girl players for the last two years, she also volunteers to support juniors and women beginners at her club and goes into local schools.

“I love golf and I like making people happy,” she explained.

Lou has also shared her views with the county men’s and women’s organisations, which have drawn up an action plan to get more young people into club membership. The secret, she believes, is keeping people excited about the game, and making it fun and flexible.

Lou is currently at college studying sports management but will soon start an apprenticeship in engineering.

Meanwhile, she’s continuing to work on her golf and would love to get down to four handicap this season – one better than her dad!

Lou was presented with hr award by Brendon Pyle, chief executive of the Golf Foundation, and Emma Anderson, a past winner of the title who now works for England Golf.

She was challenged for the Young Ambassador Award by three other impressive young volunteers who are all making a difference in golf.

The other finalists in the awards sponsored by adidas Golf were:–

• Ella Baker from Warley Woods Golf Club in the West Midlands
• Jessica Pilgrim from Stoke Park, Buckinghamshire
• Georgina Wrixon from Ashley Wood Golf Club, Dorset

The post Louise named England Golf’s Young Ambassador of Year appeared first on Golf North.