FORMAT: Six-team round-robin playing 2 foursomes & 3 singles
There will be new national county champions after Kent just about held off the challenge of Surrey to win the England Golf South Region Women’s County qualifier at Burhill Golf Club yesterday.
Surrey won the national final at Denham last September but won’t get the chance to defend their trophy after Kent took the honours in a nail-biting finale by virtue of winning more individual games. Both counties finished on six points alongside Hampshire.
Going into the final round of matches the host county needed to beat Kent by at least 4-1 to make it through and and won three matches decisively to give themselves a fighting chance.
With Kent’s inspired lead-out foursomes pair of Nicole Amos (Littlestone) and Lucia Masding (Knole Park) collecting their fourth victory in a row, the outcome of the whole competition rested on the encounter between Ellena Slater (Kings Hill) and Ellen Yates (West Hill).
The Kent player, who won the Frilford Salver in April, was never headed but her opponent chipped-in on 15 to reduce her lead to just one hole.
Kent’s title-winning Squad:
• Nicole Amos (Littlestone)
• Ellie Burdis (West Kent)
• Lily Cook (Boughton)
• Olivia Heard (Chart Hills)
• Lucia Masding (Knole Park)
• Kim Morris (Sundridge Park)
• Millie Thompson (Sittingbourne & Milton Regis)
• Ellena Slater (Kings Hill)
• Nicola Smith (Sittingbourne & Milton Regis)
The 16th was halved before Slater closed things out at the par five 15. She founding the putting surface in two and her 30-foot eagle attempt finished just two feet away while Yates missed her birdie opportunity and then conceded.
For Kent’s stand-in team captain Cheryl Power there was a bit of a wait to find out her county had won their first Southern title since 2013. With captain Tita McCart sidelined with a health issue, Power took the reins but found herself to be an unlucky omen when watching the Slater/Yates match.
“Every time I went to check on Ellena she hit a bad shot,” said Power.
“So after while I just took myself off and waited by the phone. When I got the message she had won I got in a buggy and raced down at 100mph to be with them.”
Big wins against Middlesex (5-0) and Hampshire (4-1) proved key and now Kent will bid to win their first national title since 2003 at Stoneham GC in September (16th). Standing in there way will be Buckinghamshire, Nottinghamshire, Essex and Cheshire. The South West final takes place at Clevedon GC next week (July 4-6).