KENT SEEK TITLE HAT-TRICK AT GOG MAGOG
29th September 2011

Kent will be aiming to complete a hat-trick of Senior County Championships in this year's finals which are scheduled for The Gog Magog Golf Club near Cambridge on 4th - 6th October.

The south east region winners have qualified for all six finals to date and have won the title for the past two years - at Tandridge in 2009 and Ferndown last year - having also won at Rotherham in 2007.

This year, they face the challenge of northern champions Lancashire, Dorset from the south west, and Midland winners Staffordshire.

Since the competition's inception in 2005, Kent and Cheshire have dominated, sharing the title equally in the six years it has been played. But Kent has the chance to edge ahead with another victory as they are firm favourites while Cheshire failed to qualify this time.

Kent (picture © Tom Ward) will field six members of last year's winning side, including seniors internationals Dave Jessup, Chris Reynolds, Sam Smale and Andrew Stracey along with Chris Hurst and Ricky Moore. But they parade two newcomers in Graham Meddings and David Weighton.

Lancashire has been finalists before, at Rotherham in 2007, and they have emerged as the north region champions after a rain-affected qualifier at Lancaster . Their line-up is missing English Seniors Champion Alan Squires but includes senior international Stewart King, secretary at West Lancashire Golf Club, who also played in the 2007 finals, and Norman Fletcher, an official with the PGA. Two other members, Terry Brown and Mike Gray also played in the 2007 finals.

Dorset has also represented the south west in the two previous finals but have yet to lift the title. They have a side including David Lock and John Smith, who played in the 2009 finals, while six of their present team played last year at Ferndown.

Staffordshire have also been in two previous finals, at Lincoln in 2006 and two years ago at Tandridge. Two of their side, Nick Copestick and Glenn MacBryde, were in both previous finals while Neil Portas was a member in 2009. Of the other players representing the Midland region champions, Andrew Dathan is the current county president, while Steve Wild was a member of the European Seniors Tour until two years ago.

The Seniors Finals are contested on a round robin basis, each match consisting of three foursomes and six singles. In the first round of matches on 4th October, Dorset will meet Lancashire and Kent will play Staffordshire.

Teams:

Dorset
David Barton (Meyrick Park)
Campbell Boal (Broadstone)
Rhys Francis (Parkstone)
John Gordon (Parkstone)
David Lock (Lyme Regis)
John Nash (Broadstone)
John Smith (Parkstone)
Graham Taylor (Knighton Heath)

Kent
Chris Hurst (The London Club)
Dave Jessup (Rochester & Cobham)
Graham Meddings (Hever Castle)
Rick Moore (Westerham)
Chris Reynolds (Littlestone)
Sam Smale (Royal St George's)
Andrew Stracey (Littlestone)
David Weighton (Littlestone)

Lancashire
Terry Brown (Stand)
Norman Fletcher (Chorley)
Robert Fox (Royal Lytham & St Anne's)
Alan Gillespie (Clitheroe)
Mike Gray (Lancaster)
Dennis Greenup (Clitheroe)
Stewart King (West Lancashire)
Ken Sargent (Haydock Park)

Staffordshire
Keith Andrews (Little Aston)
Bob Aston (Newcastle under Lyme)
Nick Copestick (Trentham)
Andrew Dathan (Whittington Heath)
Roger Humphreyson (Oxley Park)
Glen MacBryde (Stone)
Neil Portas (Trentham)
Steve Wild (Trentham)