Martin Young helps Hampshire retain their South East League crown with a win over Essex
MARTIN Young is no stranger to setting records in amateur golf – at both county and England level having racked up more than 100 appearances for the county over the last 26 years.
So the Brokenhurst Manor man was delighted to help Hampshire retain their South East League crown with a win over Essex.
The 54-year-old is a veteran of eight English County Finals, the most by a Hampshire player, and been selected for the county side to play in the last 25 South East Qualifiers.
Hampshire put the newly-crowned English County Champions to the sword, although the finish was far from straightforward, despite storming into a 3-1 lead in the morning foursomes.
Young was the last man on the course after lunch and was two down with six to play in his match with Ben Humphrey as Essex looked for a third straight win over Hampshire in the final after their victories in 2014 and 2018.
But after Essex had snatched the top two singles matches on the 17th to tie the match at 3-3, Hampshire were up in three and down in two, with captain Toby Burden tied with four holes to play, so a victory for the South Division champions was not guaranteed.
Young had won the eighth with a par to bounce back from Humphrey’s birdie at the seventh, which had given him a two-hole lead, but the rain was starting to fall more steadily, and the light was beginning to fade early under the dark grey skies.
The owner of his own groundworks company has been in much tighter situations on the golf course while wearing the blue of Hampshire – hence Burden’s choice to send his most experienced player out in the anchor role.
But the match quickly turned back in Hampshire’s favour after North Hants GC’s Hampshire Open winner Rob Wheeler went three-up to win on the 17th Rowlands Castle’s Tom Robson rolled in a 50-footer on the 16th to win 3&2 to put Hampshire in front 5-3.
He was quickly followed in by Stoneham’s four-time county champion Ryan Henley, who won his match 4&3.
With 2022 county champion James Freeman from Stoneham heading up the 18th one-down, the defending champions needed just a half from him or Burden or Young.
However, the University of Birmingham PGA graduate had other ideas after county secretary Richard Arnold told him that if he could win the last hole, Hampshire would be the champions, and he duly obliged.
Burden and Young, who had got back to all-square by winning the 13th, agreed to call their matches as halves, and the celebrations quickly began as the players and their support team gathered by the 17th green.
Young teamed up with Tom Robson in the foursomes and won the bottom match against Charlie Croker and Toby Peters 5&4 to put the first point on the board for Burden’s men.