LINCOLNSHIRE WIN ENGLISH COUNTY TITLE FOR FIRST TIME

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Lincolnshire are England’s champion county. They won the title for the first time – amid much celebration - on the last day of County Finals at Thorndon Park, Essex.
“It is just fabulous, we are so pleased,” said county captain Julia Sales after her team beat Gloucestershire 6-3 to complete a clean sweep of five wins from five matches.
“The team came here wanting to win and they really stuck to it and looked out for each other. It’s been a great performance and they have all been wonderful.”
Meanwhile, Lancashire beat Northamptonshire 8-1 to finish runners up, pipping Gloucestershire by half a point. In the day’s other match Sussex beat Hertfordshire 6-3.
Lincolnshire teed off knowing they needed just one halved game from today’s match to secure victory. But they were made to wait until the last game of the morning foursomes before they knew they were home and dry. The first two games went to Gloucestershire and it fell to Helen Hewlett and Holly Clyburn to score the winning point on the 18th green.
Their solid par was greeted by their team-mates and supporters with whoops, cheers, hugs and party poppers. The result was an early present for Julia Sales, who celebrates her birthday on Sunday, and before long her captain’s buggy was decked out with party banners and strings of stars.
With the title secure, Lincolnshire went out in the singles determined to maintain their 100 per record. Holly Clyburn, Helen McDougall, Jess Wilcox, Emily Slater and Emilee Taylor all won – but Gloucestershire’s Bethan Popel prevented an afternoon whitewash.
This was Lincolnshire’s third consecutive appearance at County Finals and their fifth overall, following two visits in the late 1980s. On each occasion the team has included Helen Hewlett, nee Dobson, who is enjoying her second amateur career. She was a British and English champion and a Curtis Cup player before turning professional and winning on the LPGA Tour.
Lancashire’s bid for glory had been derailed earlier in the week when they halved with Gloucestershire and then lost to Lincolnshire – but they went out today determined to do all they could to lift themselves into second place.
They achieved their target in considerable style with an 8-1 win over Northamptonshire and county captain Joy Bury remarked: “The players fought back really well.
“This week has been a great experience for all of us and it’s been wonderful – apart from not winning! But, our congratulations to Lincolnshire.”
Sussex rounded off their week with their second win, beating Hertfordshire 6-3. They got off to a good start with two wins in the foursomes and followed up with four singles successes.
Final positions
1 Lincolnshire 5pts
2 Lancashire 3½pts
3 Gloucestershire 3pts
4 Sussex 2 pts
5 Hertfordshire 1½pts
6 Northamptonshire 0

Final day results
Northamptonshire 1 Lancashire 8
Foursomes
Roseann Youngman & Sarah Carter lost to Nikki Foster & Emma Harris 4/2
Alexandra Banham & Karin Poolton lost to Sarah Cousins & Catherine Roberts 3/1
Hannah Mulliner & Megan Liddington lost to Nicola Rawlinson & Emily Taylor 7/6
Singles
Carter lost to Roberts 2 down
Rachel Smith lost to Rawlinson 3/2
Liddington beat Gill Nutter 4/3
Youngman lost to Taylor 8/7
Banham lost to Cousins 5/3
Poolton lost to Foster 7/5

Gloucestershire 3 Lincolnshire 6
Foursomes
Charlotte Ellis & Hannah Barwood beat Sophie Beardsall & Emilee Taylor 3/2
Lucy Padley & Jemima Gregson beat Jess Wilcox & Emma Tipping 3/2
Shelby Smart & Bethan Popel lost to Helen Hewlett & Holly Clyburn 1 down
Singles
Alison Kelly lost to Clyburn 2 down
Gregson lost to Helen McDougall 2/1
Alexandra Saunders lost to Wilcox 5/3
Padley lost to Emily Slater 2/1
Popel beat Emma Tipping 6/4
Smart lost to Taylor 2/1

Hertfordshire 3 Sussex 6
Foursomes
Lucy Williams & Charlotte Field lost to Paula Carver & Stacey Rodger 1 down
Harriet Key & Jackie Foster beat Katherine Russell & Alice Barnes 1 up
Alice Hewson & Nicola Callander lost to Aileen Greenfield & Karen Sykes 2 down
Singles
Williams lost to Rodger 1 down
Lucy Glyn beat Russell 3/1
Field beat Heather Tidy 8/7
Foster lost to Barnes 2/1
Ella Ofstedahl lost to Greenfield 3/2
Hewson lost to Carver 3/1







Lyndsey Hewison
Press & PR Officer