SE Schools Championships
Played at Boyce Hill GC - 1-2 June 2011

The beginning of June at Boyce Hill Golf Club, Essex was to be the venue for the South East Schools Regional Championships where six counties best schools golfers were to fight it out to qualify for the National finals.  Student golfers aged between 13 and 18 all in full time education had all qualified from their counties, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk to play in this round of 36 holes.  Essex was represented by: Lewis Adair, Ben David, Reece Francis, Jack Phillips, Henry Saunders, Jordan Slater, Josh Tobin and Jack Phillips for the boys. The girls team being Ashleigh Greenham, Dulcie Sverdloff, Paige Kemp, and Rachel Higgins.

The day dawned bright and promised good weather for the event.  The first round was a little slower then expected as the players began to get to grips with the difficult terrain of Boyce Hill as many of the young golfers had not encountered a course of its nature.   At lunch the leaders in the clubhouse were Matt Hill(Beds) last years champion, Sam Flannery (Beds) and Mark Fosker(Suffolk) on 73 with    Campbell (Herts) on 72 in 2^nd place while 2 shots clear on 70 was Reece Francis of Essex.  In the girls competition Amber Ratcliffe of Norfolk was in the lead by 4 shots with a 74 over 2^nd place Nicloa Foster of Herts.

The highlight of the 1^st round and possibly the day was when the crowded patio watched on whilst Jack Phillips of Essex holed his tee shot on the 18^th for a hole in one.  Many cheers went up especially when it was heard he had carder a 9 on the previous hole!

The second round began with the wind having got up somewhat to add to the difficulties of the course, the greens sped up just to complicate the issues.  As the boys finished Matt Hill held the lead in the clubhouse for a short while before hugh Campbell returned a second 72 to hold 1^st position for twenty minutes.  Ross Dickson(Beds)who started the round 4 shots adrift carded a 2^nd round 70 playing with Reece Francis, 75, to push Hugh into 2^nd place on count back and nudging Reece into 3^rd place.  These 3 finished 3 shots ahead of the field with few of the players having an easy time of it.

The girls hadn’t faired any better with Jennifer Hide (Norfolk) finishing her second round with 74 and she finished in 153, 3 shots behind Amber Ratcliffe of Norfolk on 150 with Dulcie Sverdloff of Essex a further 3 shots back.  This gave Norfolk the team prize with Hertfordshire 2^nd beating Essex intno third on count back.  The boys team prize was won by Hertfordshire with Bedfordshire as runner-up.

The top ten boys and five girls are now going to attend the national finals on the 27^th June at Belton Park in Lincolnshire which include form Essex Reece Francis, Jordan Slater, Tom Watkins and Dulcie Sverdloff.  Well done and good luck to you all.  Thank you to Boyce Hill for holding a successful event.