House rise to the challenge

CHRONICLE deputy editor David Whaley presents the trophy to Robert Callow, Jordan Flint, Ryan O’Leary and Jack Bottomley.

CROMPTON House became the fourth different school to win the Chronicle Schools Golf Challenge Trophy after an emphatic 13-shot victory at centenary club Crompton and Royton.

Hulme, North Chadderton (both at Saddleworth) and Failsworth (at Oldham) have all been victorious since the trophy was first played for in the Chronicle’s 150th birthday year, 2004.

Despite having several top local players in their teams, the Shaw school had previously failed to reach the top.

However, all that changed when they put together a side containing a quartet of talent, all members at the host club.

Jordan Flint (off a handicap of 4) and Jack Bottomley-Clift (17) fired a splendid 45 points that included Jack holing from a bunker for a nett eagle at the short sixth and then repeating the four-point haul at the next by making a birdie at the par-5 from off the green.

Robert Callow (6) and Ryan O’Leary (20) then matched their team-mates with another 45-point score for a hugely impressive 90-point team total.

That was always unlikely to be matched and the closest was Crompton House’s second string of Adam Mawdsley and Jamie Heywood (41) and Edward Barker and Matthew Forder (36) for a 77 total.

Third place went to Saddleworth who had Mark Anderson-Wild and Matt Woolley (38) and Rick Scholes and Jack Shaw (37) for 75 points just eclipsing Failsworth by a point.

Forty-eight players from seven secondary schools took part in glorious sunshine, a stark contrast to last year when the event was washed out at Brookdale. The 2009 event will move on to Werneth.