Preston's Junior Golfers amongst best in the land

Preston Golf Club Juniors capped a magnificent season by finishing in the top 10 at the English finals in Oxfordshire, but their rise in recent seasons has proved to be the real success.

After finishing top of the North Lancashire league and being crowned Champions of the North West at the regional finals in Mere, Cheshire, the lads went on to the national finals where they competed against twelve of the nation’s finest.

Held in Thame, the tournament pits together regional Champions and runners up from all over the country, where competitors play two singles and three doubles matches, a formula which has proved very successful for Preston Juniors in recent years.

“We’ve won the North Lancashire league for the last two seasons now, with an 8 man team and 2 reserves. After winning the league last year we tied the regional finals, but this year we won it out-right for a place in the nationals. It’s been a great experience for the lads.” Junior organiser Neil Calvert said.

Finishing 8th out of 12, the Preston boys failed to re-capture the excellent form that has seen the team sweep all before them in the region.

“It just didn’t work out for the lads on the day” Calvert admitted. “Whether it was the nerves of being away from home I don’t know, but they didn’t play as well as they can do, which is a shame, but it was a fantastic experience”.

Best is yet to come

Despite the slightly disappointing performance at the finals, there is no doubt around the club that the team can better themselves in future.

A multi-million pound redevelopment programme at PGC appears to be paying dividends, with the team improving year upon year. Finishing 9th in 2007, this year’s progress provides hope for better performances for years to come.

The junior side, who had never made the cut before last year, have now competed nationally in the last two seasons. Tying with Chorley in the regional finals last year to make their debut, they beat Liverpool this year to make their second consecutive appearance, and it is no surprise given the time and effort ploughed into the team.

With a string of incentives in place for their dazzling juniors, the Golf Club can look forward to an extremely bright future and even more impressive results on the course.

Sammy Lee 6/12/08

Preston Golf Club
Mere Golf and Country Club