Shield team loses momentum

9:42am Friday 9th May 2008

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Braintree Golf Club Youth Shield Team lost momentum in their second match of the season with a 3-2 home defeat to Five Lakes.

The league is now wide open, with teams dropping points to each other.

Jonathan Day, Braintree's captain, got off to a bad start playing Dan Caroll (one handicap), who proved just too strong on the day.

Although Day found form on the second nine, he could not quite clawback enough, losing 2&1.

Fourteen-year-old Murray Rose (four handicap) played good golf in a very tight match with Billy Miller (four handicap).

It needed 19 holes for the game to be decided.

Miller's errant tee shot on the first extra hole meant that Murray's par was good enough for a win to level the match.

Meanwhile, Robin Butcher (five handicap), who has shown good form of late, was not quite at his best.

That allowed his opponent Geoff Hopkins (four handicap) to take advantage.

Hopkins was in charge for most of the match, winning 3&2, giving Five Lakes a 2-1 lead.

Although last out, Josh Norfolk (six handicap) was the next to finish.

He had been in control of his match from the start, going out of bounds at the first, but a three with his second ball won the hole.

This was followed by excellent golf, birdieing the tenth for a win and then halving 12th with a birdie.

Three up after 15, Norfolk went on to birdie 16th and win his match 4&2 against Eoghan O'Connor.

He has now won all five of his games in the Youth Shield, a great record for a 15-year-old.

With the match standing at 2-2, John Bradford (six handicap) was still out on the course knowing that his game would decide the match.

It was a very close game against Ben Jones (five handicap), with neither boy dominant.

All square going down the long par five 18th, Bradford hit a superb drive and second shot close to the green.

Jones hit a reasonable drive that found rough and a second that finished in an animal scrape near the big oak tree, 150 yards from the green.

After a drop he was able to manufacture a great shot pin-high, greenside.

Bradford chipped on to the green to about eight feet.

Jones used his putter from just off the apron of the green, holed for a birdie.

Bradford needed his putt to halve the hole and take the game to extra holes and Braintree's many supporters were willing the putt into the hole.

Sadly it narrowly missed, giving Five Lakes victory in the game and the overall match, 3-2.