Carroll misses second chance

Aug 14 2007 by Trevor Peake, Liverpool Daily Post

LAST year when the British Mid Amateur Championship was held at Southport & Ainsdale, Huyton painter and decorator John Carroll won his way through to the final only to lose at the first extra hole to Simon Young, a hospital porter from Workington.

This year the event is being staged at Alwoodley, near Leeds, but unfortunately Carroll isn’t in the starting line-up.

“I can’t make it this time because I’ve used all my holidays up,” explained Carroll. “It’s a pity because I enjoyed it last year and it would have been nice to have another crack.”

There is, however, a Merseyside presence in the 144-strong starting line-up, who play two rounds of stroke play with the top 64 and ties going through to the matchplay stages.

Royal Birkdale’s Matthew Cox and Richard Reed are in the event, which is open to low handicap players over 25 years of age.

Allan Harrison from S&A and Paul Williams from Hillside, who both reached the matchplay stages last year, are playing, along with Ian Kearney from West Lancs, Robert Hearty from Bromborough, Barry Giblin from Haydock Park and Chris Harrison from Sandiway.

Last year’s winner Young is defending his title and three-times former winner John Kemp, from the John O’Gaunt club in Bedfordshire, who won in 1999, 2002 and 2003 and was beaten finalist in 2000, also plays. Kemp lost to Young in last year’s semi-finals.

French lawyer Francois Illouz, beaten by Carroll in the semis at S&A, is also over for another tilt at the championship.

There are 13 Americans in the field.

There are also players from Spain, Germany, Italy, Guatemala and seven from France.