Robinson reaches last four in English Amateur

Aug 7 2007 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

JAMES ROBINSON enjoyed a stunning run to the semi-finals of the English Amateur Championship.

The Southport and Ainsdale player’s hopes of a dramatic success were ended by eventual champion Daniel Willett, 19, who is on a golf scholarship at Jacksonville in Florida.

The Yorkshire champion, and winner of the South of England Stroke Play at Walton Heath in the run-up to the English Amateur in Kent, birdied the second and third holes to take a grip on the match and although Robinson twice pegged him back, the Yorkshireman pulled away.

The beginning of the end came when Willett went 3-up on the 12th and he wrapped up a 4&3 victory on the 15th. He went on to beat Matthew Cryer 3&2 in the 36-hole final.

Robinson came through the qualifying stages with a score of 75,73-148 to finish 51st. He launched his march to the last four with a 4&3 win over Moortown’s Stephen East before beating Cheshire champion Jamie Howarth (Stockport) 3&2. Ben Evans (Rye) was beaten 3&2 with Ross Wilson (Channels) following the same way, by 2&1, in the quarter finals.

Wilson won the fourth hole but that was the only time he was ahead as Robinson hit back at the fifth, securing his victory with birdies at the 16th and 17th.

Cheshire’s Dale Marmion (Delemere Forest) reached the last eight stage. He qualified in 37th after returning 75,71 and picked up a notable scalp in the first round, beating Walker Cup candidate Jamie Moul (Stoke by Nayland) 5&3.

Marmion was fast out of the blocks against Moul. He won two of the first three holes while a second birdie at the seventh put him three up. Although Moul won the eighth, Marmion took the ninth, 10th and 12th to go five up, several with pars. Moul took the 14th with a birdie, but the end came with a Marmion par at 15.

Marmion then overcame Steve McAnally (Orsett) 4&3 and Adam Wainwright (Gainsborough) 5&4 before losing in the quarter-finals to Cryer 2&1. Cryer was playing catch-up from the first hole before getting back on terms at the 12th. The Coventry man won the 15th with a par to go ahead for the first time then birdied the short 16th to double his advantage. Cryer’s par at the 17th ended Marmion’s hopes.

Cheshire county player David Horsey qualified in second place for the matchplay with a pair of 68s but lost in the first round by just one hole to Steven Brown (Wentworth). Lancashire champion Matthew Baldwin (Royal Birkdale) got through in 11th with rounds of 73,69. He beat Carl Corbin (Wokehead Park) 3&2 and Lloyd Campbell (Rochester and Cobham) 3&2 before losing to England international John Parry (Harrogate) 3&2. Three birdies in a row from the tenth put Parry through.

Other qualifiers were Steven Capper, the beaten finalist in 2005 (Caldy, 67th, 76,73) and Tom Boys (Royal Liverpool, 73rd, 78,71).

Capper caused an upset in the preliminary round when he ousted Boys international Oscar Sharpe (Minchinhampton) by one hole on the last green but Boys bowed out 5&4 to Ashley Lucas (Chelmsford). Capper than lost 6&5 to Ben Rickett (Surbiton) in the first round.

However there was disappointment for former champion Paul Waring, whose exertions at The Open caught up with him.

The Bromborough golfer, winner of the event in 2005, surprisingly failed to qualify for the matchplay stage.

But the England international admitted he had needed a break after being catapulted onto the international stage. Waring played two rounds at Carnoustie before missing the cut, but the 23-year-old found himself drained by the experience. Qualifying for the English Amateur was held at two courses with Waring opening with a disastrous 82 at Royal Cinque Ports before a best of the day 69 at St George’s saw him miss out by just two shots on 151.

“This championship has come a week too soon for me,” he said. “I needed a week off after playing in the Open Championship and although I came back in 32 on the second day I never expected a lot this week.”