Young guns fire hosts to easy win

Flora Keites at the Ladies Inter-insular at the Royal Jersey Picture: JON GUEGAN. (34204323)

THE comprehensive win in the Ravenscroft women’s inter-insular shows just what a great position ladies golf in Jersey is in, according to jubilant captain Juanita Adlington.

Jersey were in complete control from the off on home turf at Royal Jersey Golf Club, going on to win 16-4 to maintain their unbeaten run against their Guernsey rivals.

And it was the junior players in the ranks that so impressed Adlington and those watching.

Going into the final day of singles matches with a comfortable 8½-1½ lead, Adlington and the team decided that the junior girls should have their day in the sun and get the job done, after Channel Islands champion Helen Lagadu led them out.

Lagadu won her match against Di Stenner with a dominant performance, 5&3. But it was Flora Keites who had really taken the eye all weekend, playing high-quality golf throughout and topping it off by beating Kay Mapley by a whopping 8&6.

‘Flora was awesome; amazing all weekend,’ said Adlington, who is also the Jersey Ladies Golf Association president.

‘I think that was the youngest team we have ever had and it’s very exciting to see these young players coming through.’

Keites, in partnership with another promising young player in Iman Hamid-Wilkinson, got Jersey off to a flyer in the opening match of the contest in the foursomes, beating Mandy Webber and Di Aitchison 7&6.

From there Jersey dropped points in just five of the next 19 matches (including the last three), of which two were halved.

Jersey were already 4-1 up after Saturday morning’s foursomes and by the end of the first day, after the fourballs, Guernsey were seven down and in need of a miracle.

The home side then won the first seven singles matches to retain the inter-insular trophy.

‘I expected it to be closer,’ admitted Adlington.

‘We had really good pairings in the foursomes and a lot of strength in depth, with youth backed up by experience.

‘The players worked really hard in the pairings and put us in a good position going into the singles. Then it just went bananas.

‘It was an excellent and fun weekend of golf, played in great spirits. It was competitive but in a really friendly atmosphere, which is just what we all want.’

Results (Jersey names first)

Foursomes

Flora Keites/Iman Hamid-Wilkinson beat Mandy Webber/Di Aitchison 7&6; Anabelle Lucas-Villar/Elaine Pushman bt Bonny Hamilton/Di Stenner 3&1; Juanita Adlington/Virginia Austin/Walker lost to Veronica Bougourd/Mary Bate 3&1; Lily Buckley/Hannah Scriven bt Kay Mapley/Chloe Gaudion 4&2; Helen Lagadu/Sheila Smith bt Sally Ingrouille/Chloe Domaille 4&3.

Fourballs

Keites/Austin-Walker bt Ingrouille/Domaille 8&6; Scriven/Hamid-Wilkinson bt Mapley/Gaudion 3&2; Lagadu/Smith halved with Bougourd/Bate; Lucas-Villar/Pushman bt Webber/Aitchison 5&4; Adlington/Buckley bt Hamilton/Stenner 2&1.

Singles

Lagadu bt Stenner 5&3; Lucas-Villar bt Ingrouille 4&2; Keites bt Mapley 8&6; Scriven bt Aitchison 3&2; Hamid-Wilkinson bt Bougourd 5&4; Buckley bt Bate 2&1; Pushman bt Webber 1Up; Smith lt Gaudion 3&2; Austin-Walker lt Domaille 6&5; Adlington halved with Hamilton.

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