Biennial challenge match with France falls to holders thanks to singles surge
England held on to cross-channel bragging rights as the biennial challenge match with France returned after a gap of four years, the visitors running out 13-5-10.5 at St-Nom-La-Breteche GC last night.
FORMAT: Team event (2×4 foursomes/2×8 singles)
The English ‘eight’ came from behind to win, taking yesterday’s singles 6-2 and they remain undefeated in the event since 2010.
Essex’s Arron Edwards-Hill (Chelmsford) secured the winning point, coming from one down with two to play to see off Nathan Legendre.
With the majority of his team-mates having finished their matches and waiting for the Edwards-Hill on the 18th fairway, it proved to be a “special moment” for the 2021 Burnham & Berrow Silver Salver champion.
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“I knew it was the winning point and it was great to get loads of encouragment from the lads,” he said.
“Zach (Chegwidden) was bigging me up, giving it ‘This is all you’ and it was great to get it done with lots of people watching. The French did a great job and it was also really nice to see so many spectators on the course.”
With the match all square and his opponent in the middle of the 18th fairway, the Chelmsford golfer faced a trickier second shot coming in from the rough but he found the middle of the green while Legendre short-sided himself and then chunked his chip.
In the morning, playing with county team-mate Chegwidden, Edwards-Hill had watched his partner leave a similar putt ten feet short and lagged his up to four feet.
The French player then missed his par effort from 15 feet while the Englishman held his nerve, holding out for a one hole victory.
The visitors had gone into the final round of singles one behind but the top order delivered, as they had the previous day.
English Amateur and Lytham Trophy champion John Gough (Beaconsfield) claimed his third point of the weekend (2&1) having never been behind while Brabazon Trophy champion Sam Bairstow (Hallowes) also won convincingly (4&3).
British Boys champion Jack Bigham (Harpenden), who the previous day had come from four down with six to play to beat Adam Bresnu, won at the 18th while Chegwidden (Orsett) had taken out Paul Beauvy 4&3 to leave his side on the cusp of victory.
At the bottom of the order Gloucestershire’s Joe Harvey (The Kendleshire) won 4&3 to complete a remarkable day. In the morning foursomes, partnering Jack Brooks (The Mere), he had lost the first three holes but then the English pair won eight of the next nine on their way to a stunning 5&3 success.
The England team also had to overcome a few dramas before beginning the match on Saturday morning.
Olly Huggins (Frilford Heath), who had had his passport stolen while playing in the Euro Nations Cup in Spain last month, had to be replaced at the last moment by Kent’s Ben Quinney, who collected 1.5 points on his England debut.
The day before five of the team had got stuck in a hotel lift for almost an hour ahead of the opening ceremony. Thankfully for messers Bigham, Gough, Edwards-Hill, Harvey and Quinney, the lift inpexplicably started moving again when those trapped had been expected to be couped up for another hour while hotel staff waited for the engineer to arrive.