Agony for Lancashire as Surrey take final revenge

Sep 11 2007 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

LANCASHIRE saw their English Boys County Championship title wrested from their grasp by Surrey.

A dramatic final afternoon at Royal Cromer saw the holders – including Formby Hall’s Tommy Fleetwood – finally overcome at the end of three days of closely-fought competition.

Lancashire held the advantage after the morning foursomes, edging ahead 2-1 against the South East Region champions.

Fleetwood teamed up with Jack Brooks to beat Surrey pair Ian Anson and Jake Shepherd.

But then the Red Rose county lost the singles 5½-3½ to miss out by just one point as Surrey gained revenge for last year’s result, when they were pipped by Lancashire for the title on a countback at Pannal.

“We knew all the time that we had the players to do it,” said Surrey captain Terry Casey. “It’s a perfect reversal for last year and we are delighted to win the title.

“There was no question in my mind even when we were behind that we could win four points from the singles. This team are a great bunch and a number of them will go a long way in the game.

“Lancashire are also a great bunch and we needed to play well to win.”

Defeated captain Terry Horrocks, who was in charge when Lancashire won last year, said: “Surrey were quick out of the blocks and basically putted us off the park.

“We made a good fist of it but we allowed Surrey to get too far ahead. But everything was played in a good spirit and we shall be back.”

The top single between boy caps Billy Fowles and Fleetwood, from Southport, set the pattern for Surrey’s fightback.

Fowles was in supreme form, reaching the turn in four under par 32 to be just 2-up and although Fleetwood cut the deficit, Fowles picked up more shots on the back nine and was five under when the match finished on the 17th green with the Surrey lad three ahead.

Lancashire had made a flying start to the defence of their title in an event which also included Somerset and Worcestershire.

They romped to a 7-2 victory over Worcestershire while Surrey beat Somerset 6-3 on day one.

The north region winners edged the morning foursomes 2-1 before dominating the singles. Only one match went to the final green.

Fleetwood trailed two-down in the early stages to Rudy Hercik but after getting back level on the sixth, the England cap, who had recently helped GB&I to victory over Europe in the Jacques Leglise Trophy at Notts, gradually pulled ahead and ran out a 3&2 winner.

In the foursomes Fleetwood teamed up with Andrew Palmer to pip Rudi Hercik/Chris Nugent by one hole.

Lancashire set-up their winners-take-all finale against Surrey after a nerve-wracking win over Somerset.

Lancashire had to dig deep to succeed by 5-4 as Surrey eased home 7-2 againstWorcestershire.

They were given a jolt as Somerset led by two points after the morning foursomes.

That left the Lancastrians with a sizeable hill to climb and midway through the afternoon it didn’t look as if they would succeed as Somerset led in four of the six singles.

But the Northerners gradually hauled their way back to claim four wins and a half which eased their racing pulses and took them over the line.

Fleetwood led the way with a 3 and 1 win over Curtis Edwards, who stayed in touch with the boy cap for 11 holes. But Fleetwood gradually pulled away despite Edwards’ efforts.

In the foursomes Fleetwood and Palmer finished all square against Curtis Edwards and Jack Palmer.

An England team including Royal Birkdale’s Ben Parker won the inaugural Portugal Nations Cup after a dramatic final day at Vale do Lobo, in which they took the title on card count back from Ireland.

The teams finished tied on 420 so the non-scoring cards were taken in account with Parker’s 75 against Niall Kearney’s 77 for the Irish giving England the trophy.

England had gone into the final day in third place, trailing leaders Ireland by five strokes.