Champions at last – Norfolk Boys triumph after 23-year quest

A slice of history. Norfolk won the Anglian League Junior Team Championship for the first time since 2003 with a brilliant performance at Swaffham Golf Club.

In a gripping final, all eight Norfolk golfers contributed to the points tally as they beat a talented and determined Leicestershire & Rutland side 7.5-4.5.

The host county qualified for the title match earlier in the month, beating both Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

That initial success earned Norfolk a shot at the same opposition who overcame them in last year’s final at Boston Golf Club. On that occasion Leicestershire & Rutland dominated the morning foursomes – but this time it was a different story.

In the lead match Norfolk duo Sully Goddard and playing partner Theo Pudney stormed to victory. Pudney holed out from 18 foot for eagle at the 15th and tapped in for birdie at the next to clinch a 3 and 2 win.

Liam Caffyn and Toby Lewin also posted a point as Norfolk edged 2.5-1.5 ahead going into the singles.

But Leicestershire & Rutland made a superb start to the afternoon action. At one stage, across a series of tight matches, only Lewin – who would power to an emphatic victory – led for the home county.

Gradually, Norfolk began to assert and recently-crowned county boys’ champion Caffyn pulled off a superb turnaround, taking the last two holes for a 1-up win.

Cam Tilly fought back bravely from 3-down to hole an eight-footer on the last and claim a half-point. Jack Johnson followed suit from a similar distance also to finish all square at the end of a see-saw match.

Jack Bennett, another to trail early on, chipped in with a half-point and it was left to Sully Goddard to take Norfolk through to outright victory.

The England Boys international came up with a contender for shot of the day at the par-5 15th where he applied the deftest of chips for an eagle with the ball falling into the cup on its final roll.   

Goddard eventually shook hands on a 2 and 1 win just before Jake Gunby halved his head-to-head on the final green.

Norfolk’s triumph had been a collective effort, right down to the encouragement of reserve Marley Workman, who had more than played his part in the early-August qualifier in which he had a 100 per cent record from four matches.

Norfolk’s county development officer Sammy Martin said: “It was a tremendous performance from a team that has worked relentlessly to improve its capabilities.

“We are delighted to win but also excited by the future. For Norfolk’s junior squads to maximise their potential, it’s important that everyone continues to strive hard going forward.”

Anglian League Junior Team Championship

Norfolk 7.5 Leicestershire and Rutland 4.5 (Played at Swaffham Golf Club)

Foursomes (Norfolk players named first)

Sully Goddard and Theo Pudney won 3&2 v George Herbert and Patrick Dempsey

Jack Bennett and Jack Johnson lost 6&4 v Tom Farley and Noah Williams

Cam Tilly and Jake Gunby a/s v Rishan Pankharna and Will Simpkin

Liam Caffyn and Toby Lewin won 1-up v Finley Gower and Freddie Mayfield

Singles

Pudney lost 1-down v Farley

Caffyn won 1-up v Herbert

Tilly a/s v Simpkin

Bennett a/s v Pankhhana

Johnson a/s v Dempsey

Lewin won 8&7 v Mayfield

Gunby a/s v Gower

Goddard won 2&1 v Williams