Brokenhurst Manor’s Martin Young in seventh heaven at the Mike Smith Memorial

MARTIN Young was delighted to get one over on his county teammates after losing his place in the Hampshire line-up by regaining the Mike Smith Memorial (MSM) trophy at Brokenhurst Manor.

The boiling hot conditions made scoring tough at the New Forest heathland course, where 12 months ago, Young finished seven shots behind Liphook’s Darren Walkey after the former pro shot a superb second-round 65, having taken 10 shots more in the morning.

Young was clearly happy to upstage the defending champion, who helped Hampshire retain their South Division title last weekend.

Young was missing from that eight-man line-up who claimed a place in October’s South East League final for the 17th time in the competition’s 60-year history.

And the 54-year-old – who will be eligible to play in county and national seniors events after nearly 20 years dominating as a Mid-Amateur (over 35s ) – admitted losing his place in the team for the first time since 1999 had come as a bit of a jolt.

But Young’s almost unique longevity in Hampshire Golf owes everything to producing a timely victory.

And by winning the 36-hole open, held in memory of one of Britain’s greatest ever young golfing talents, for the seventh time in his career, the Southampton FC fan was quick to point out the trophy was back where it belonged.

But after collecting the trophy from the club’s vice-captain elect Robert Hunt, standing in for Mike’s parents, Trevor and Gladys, who were unable to attend the prizegiving, Young also paid tribute to their efforts to commemorate their son’s memory.

He said: “It’s very important that we all do our best to keep the memory of how good a golfer Mike was alive through this event.

“Winning it means a lot to me, and it’s great that there are other people who knew Mike back in the late 1980s who still attend,” said the golfer who has won a record 27 Hampshire titles since his first victory in the Pechell Salver (the county championship qualifier) in 2004.

Young added: “It feels great to get the trophy back in its rightful place. I was a bit worried about what Darren’s score might be after his morning round, but it’s good to get it back on the right side of Hampshire,” he laughed, referencing Walkey’s love of Portsmouth FC.

On top of his seven wins in the MSM, Young has also won the Stoneham Trophy five times – although he has not played it over the last couple of years.

He has also lifted the Solent Salver, awarded to the golfer with the best 72-hole score across the weekend at the MSM, seven times.

Only Ryan Henley can match Young’s record at Stoneham, while Young has four more wins than the next best in the Solent Salver – Brokenhurst’s Jon Watt claimed three wins in four years from 2006.

He added: “Playing 72 holes in a weekend in strokeplay has become too much of a grind for me.

“You can’t keep your concentration, and too many mistakes creep in – so I obviously want to play in the Mike Smith because of all of what it means to me.”

Brokenhurst Manor’s Tom Bladen, whose father played in the very first Mike Smith Memorial, took the handicap prize, finishing on one-over par after nett rounds of 71 and 70, playing off five, beating Stoneham’s three-handicapper Danny Coombs, and the hosts’ two-handicapper Pierce Speechley-Price, on countback.