Tournament Newsroom

Internationals line up for Champion Club Tournament

A number of internationals will be in action when the English Champion Club Tournament takes place at Stoneham Golf Club near Southampton on 15th – 16th September.

But the only club fielding two internationals in its line-up will be Brokenhurst Manor representing Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands, which would probably make them pre-tournament favourites although Formby might challenge that.

The Brokenhurst Manor team includes Jordan Ainley, 18, an under 16 cap two years ago and currently the Hampshire county and boys champion, and Jack Singh Brar, 15, a boy international this year and previously at under 16 level. They will provide the youth while Martin Young adds the experience of victory in the Logan Trophy in 2006 as well as a string of top level performances since then.

Brokenhurst Manor and Formby are the only county champions competing that have won the title twice. The Hampshire club did so in 1988 at Beaconsfield and at Hesketh in 2007 when Young was a member of that winning line-up.

Formby’s successes have been in the last two years, at Woodbridge in 2010 and at Scarcroft 12 months ago, so they will be seeking a hat-trick this time.

There are two other clubs in the field that have won the title, Worksop from Nottinghamshire, winners at Rotherham in 1993, and Yorkshire winners Rotherham, whose success came in 2005 at Brancepeth Castle.

The Formby line-up includes boy international Paul Kinnear, a member of their victorious 2010 team but was absent last year, and Mark Duncalf, who has been in both their title-winning line-ups.

Several more internationals are representing other teams including Mike Reynard, representing Trevose from Cornwall, and James Crampton, a member of the Lincolnshire winners from Spalding.

Giles Legg, runner-up in the 2002 English Amateur Championship, is in the Ferndown team from Dorset, the experienced Barry Barker, a semi-finalist in the 2000 English Amateur, is in the Reddish Vale side from Cheshire, while Nigel Thompson, a past captain of Gloucestershire, is in the Brickhampton Court trio.

There are also several tournament winners in the field including Ryan Evans, the South of England Amateur champion, in the Wellingborough team from Northamptonshire and Michael Saunders, winner of the Lagonda Trophy, in the Dartford team from Kent.

Each team will field three players and all three scores will count over 36 holes.