Matt finish too good for top Essex rivals (From Echo)

Matt finish too good for top Essex rivals

10:16am Thursday 2nd July 2009 in Search By Dick Marshall

THORPE Hall's Matthew Southgate won the County Amateur Championship over four rounds at Colacton.

Calm cloudy weather greeted the 82 starters in the event.

The benign conditions suited Southgate who returned a score of 65 – six under par - to lead the field at lunchtime.

In joint second place St Cleres Hall and West Essex players, Daniel Vaughan and Reece Phillips were on 68 with Stock Brook’s Lewis Atkinson on the same score.

Jack Higgs of Maylands was one shot behind on 69.

Saturday afternoon brought the best out of Ross Spurgeon (West Essex) whose round of 67 projected him into second place behind Southgate who kept the lead with a 70 round and a total score of 135, Ross being on 138.

Andrew Shakespeare (Five Lakes) was in third on 141, a score shared by Vaughan and Phillips.

Thorpe Hall’s Stephen Shields was on level par 142.

Sunday morning dawned foggy and the start was delayed for half-an-hour, but Southgate, with a one over par 72, kept a four shot lead over a new second placed man, Chelmsford’s Jack Hiluta who scored a 67 for a total of 211 for his three rounds. Stoke by Nayland’s Rob Murray had a 69 round to put him in joint third place with Phillips, Vaughan and Spurgeon.

As Sunday afternoon developed it was quite clear that a two man race was on when Hiluta, who has still two years at the University of South Alabama, took up the chase to catch Southgate.

Playing two groups ahead of the leader’s group, he returned a two under par 69 giving him a clubhouse score of 280.

In the meantime with the last three holes still to play, a steady round from Southgate faltered on the 17th with a double bogey and his par on the 18th was good enough to win the championship by one shot.

Although the final difference was only a single stroke Southgate's performance in leading from the first round to the last was quite outstanding, since during the contest he had to fight off several determined challengers.

Southgate will represent Essex in September at Woodhall Spa in the Champion of Champions competition.

As well as the main event, since 1977 there has been the Jubilee Trophy which is presented to the best golfer under-21 years of age.

Southgate won this as well and the Esplen Trophy is presented to the club who has two players with the combined best scores after the first two rounds.

That honour this year went to the Thorpe Hall pair of Southgate and Stephen Shields with a joint score of 277, seven under par.

Thorpe Hall will now represent Essex at the English Champion Club tournament to be held this year at North Hants on September 12 and 13.