2024 ENGLAND GOLF COUNTY FINALS

To be played at Whittington Heath Golf Club on Friday 27th - Sunday 29th September with the four qualifying counties being

Cumbria, Essex, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire

The Lincolnshire squad: Jack Diment (Belton Park), Sam Done (Kenwick Park), Matt Haynes (Belton Woods), Will Hopkins (Belton Park), Simon Richardson (Spalding), Adam Wainwright (Thonock Park), Sam Whitaker (Blankney).

Draw for the match on Friday 27th Lincolnshire v Glostershire Foursomes start 8.24am 

This page shall be updated after each day, with live scoring each day through the England Golf website; Competitions/Live Scores https://www.englandgolf.org/live-scores

Lincolnshire Team 

Back row: Matt Haynes, Will Hopkins, Adam Wainwright,

Bottom row: Jack Diment, Simon Richardson (Captain), Sam Whitaker, Sam Done

Friday 27th September

Lincolnshire v Gloucestershire

RESULT Lincolnshire 5.5 Gloucestershire 3.2

Essex and Lincolnshire lead the way after the first morning of the Men’s County Finals at Whittington Heath Golf Club.

Heavy overnight rain, which continued late into the morning, meant that the foursomes were reduced to 13-hole matches.

Morning Foursomes: Gloucestershire 1-2 Lincolnshire

Nick Day and Jake Phillips (Gloucestershire) shot into a 3-up lead against Sam Whitaker and Will Hopkins, with Phillips knocking in an 18-foot putt for birdie on the 10th. The big-hitting Whitaker and Hopkins were impressive off the tee and Whitaker rolled in a 20-footer for birdie on 17 to put pressure on, but Phillips held his nerve to roll in a five-footer to ensure a one-hole lead down the last. And it was Phillips’ 25-foot putt which lipped out, meaning a tap-in par was enough to help seal the match 1-up to Gloucestershire.

Jack Diment and Sam Done (Lincolnshire) played Sam Sullivan and Ash Millington with both teams birdieing the opening hole, as Done drained a 25-foot putt. The Gloucestershire pair went ahead but their opponents fought back to win three of the next four holes, including a stunning approach from Diment to three feet for birdie on 12, before they secured a convincing 3&2 win.

Adam Wainwright and Matt Haynes (Lincolnshire) played out another cracking contest with Nathan Moore and Josh Millington. The first four holes were halved but each side gifted each other holes as pars won holes. The teams halved 17 in birdies before the 18th was halved in bogeys to give Lincolnshire a narrow 1-up victory.

Lincolnshire meanwhile won the afternoon singles 3.5-2.5 to seal a 5.5-3.5 win overall. Check out the scores here.  

Afternoon Singles: Gloucestershire 2.5-3.5 Lincolnshire

Having started on the 7th hole, Nick Day raced into a 4-up lead through 4 against England Men’s star Will Hopkins thanks to four tremendous birdies, including a curling 20-foot putt on the 7th. Hopkins holed a 15-footer on 13 for a half and then won three holes on the spin from 16-18, including a magnificent approach to tap-in distance from 190 yards on 18. But Day delivered an 18-footer for birdie on the 1st to go back to 2-up, and a 20-foot eagle putt the 3rd helped him seal a 2&1 win.  

Sam Sullivan (Gloucestershire) was 3-down through 3 against Matt Haynes (Lincolnshire) who produced two superb approaches for birdies on the opening two holes. He managed to claw his way back into the contest by winning five of six holes from 10-15 and thanks to steady golf, was 4-up with four to play. Haynes rolled in a 15-footer for eagle on 2 but it was too little too late, as Sullivan saw out a 3&2 victory.

Starting on the 6th hole, Jack Diment (Lincolnshire, pictured above) got off to a flying start against Nathan Moore as he rolled in a 30-foot putt for birdie, and then stiffed one close to win the 9th. Moore fought back as he holed a 30-foot putt on 10 and stuck one to two feet from 160 yards on 11, but a turning point came on 18. Moore went out of bounds off the tee and Diment capitalised, going on to hole a 30-footer on 4 and completing a 3&1 win.

Adam Wainwright (Lincolnshire) was neck and neck with Josh Millington through 7 before Wainwright rallied to a 3-up lead. A super up-and-down from a bunker on 17 restored his three-hole advantage and despite the Gloucester man taking it down the 17th, Wainwright got up-and-down to seal the match 2&1.

Sam Done (Lincolnshire) and Calum Mortimore were the only pair to finish all-square in the 12 singles matches of the day. Done sank a 15-foot putt for birdie on 12 while Mortimore produced two sublime approaches on 17 and 18 to win both holes. Done delivered a perfect approach on the par-5 2nd to tap in an eagle, but after losing the 4th, he managed to get some relief from a protected tree on the final hole, before Mortimore knocked in a six-foot putt to half the hole and the match.

Saturday 28th September

Lincolnshire V Essex

Result Lincolnshire 3.5 Essex 5.5

uploads/lincolnunion/File/Friday Result PDF.pdf

Morning Foursomes: Lincolnshire 2-1 Essex

The tone for the match between Jack Diment and Sam Done (Lincolnshire) and Bailee Curran and Will Horne was set on the 1st hole, with Curran knocking his approach to six feet for birdie and Diment matching him by draining a 20-foot putt. Curran hit his tee shot to five feet to win the par-3 4th while Diment was dialled in with an iron to six feet on 8. The high-quality golf continued with Done delivering a 30-foot birdie putt on 12 and Curran responding for Essex by doing the same the very next hole. Diment hit to six feet to win 14 with birdie while Curran again responded by stiffing one to a foot from 100 yards on 15. Curran made a 25-foot putt for birdie on 16 to keep the match going and despite another cracking Curran approach to eight feet and Horne rolling it in on 17, Done was able to drain his putt from the same distance to end the game 2&1.

England Men’s star Harley Smith and England Boys’ Charlie Rusbridge (Essex) romped to a 6&4 win against Matt Haynes and Adam Wainwright. Rusbridge holed out for birdie from 40 yards on the 5th and then rolled in a 12-footer for birdie to win the 6th, while Smith struck his tee shot to four feet on 7 as the Essex pairing purred to be 4-up. Wainwright knocked in a 30-footer to win 8 but it was too much to chase down, and Smith sent another superb iron to just four feet on 14 to seal the match.

Simon Richardson and Sam Whitaker (Lincolnshire) took on Zach Chegwidden and Shaun Mills with the teams halving the par-5 5th in impressive birdies thanks to Whitaker’s 3-wood to the edge of the green and Chegwidden rolling in a 15-foot putt. Richardson then hit his approach to six feet for birdie on 6, before the Lincoln pairing went 4-up through 11. Mills hit a great approach to four feet on 14 but Chegwidden couldn’t capitalise, although he did make amends by sending an approach to three feet to win the 15th. But it was too late, as Whitaker rolled in a 12-footer to seal the match 3&2.

Afternoon Singles: Lincolnshire 1.5-4.5 Essex

Will Hopkins (Lincolnshire) found himself 3-up through 8 against Jackson Garnett thanks to a birdie on the 5th and fine putts on 7 and 8, despite Garnett earning a birdie on the 6th courtesy of a drive just short of the green. The Essex man stuck one to five feet on 10 to reduce the deficit but Hopkins landed a 25-foot putt on 11. Garnett did come agonisingly close to a hole-in-one on 12 but England star Hopkins saw out a 3&2 win.

Harley Smith (Essex) and Sam Whitaker played out a mesmerising contest which began with Smith birdieing the 1st and Whitaker birdieing the 2nd. Smith was 2-up after 5 thanks to another good birdie on the 5th but Whitaker drove the front edge of the 6th and hit to two feet from the 7th tee. The Lincoln man was on fire and 2-up after winning four holes on the spin thanks to a 10-foot putt on 8 and hitting an approach to a foot on 9. The wizardry from the pair continued, with Smith hitting to three feet of the flag on 10 and 12 and Whitaker to five feet on 11, with all helping them win holes in birdies. The duo halved the 13th in birdies after hitting tee shots to within several feet and halved 17 with birdies to set up a grandstand finale. It looked as if Whitaker was going to hold on, but he three-putted the last to give Smith the hole to end an enthralling contest all-square.

Shaun Mills (Essex) took on Sam Done and it was Mills who shot into the ascendancy with a 3-up lead through 7. Both hit good tee shots on 7 but Mills rolled his in before Done bounced back to making one from 15 feet on 9. They exchanged holes on 11 and 14 with pinpoint approaches to six feet to set up birdies, but Mills was able to seal a 3&1 win after being given his short birdie putt on the 17th.

Zach Chegwidden (Essex) romped to a 6&4 win over Matt Haynes. The Orsett golfer made a 25-foot birdie putt on 5, stuck an approach to six feet on 6 and came a mere inches from an ace on the 11th. He ended the game with a 10-foot putt downhill on 14.

Charlie Rusbridge (Essex) battled Lincolnshire Captain Simon Richardson, and started with a bang as he landed an approach to just six feet to win the 1st. The England youngster’s approach play and putting was sublime as he birdied 4, 5 and 8, and despite Richardson claiming back a couple of holes, Rusbridge hit to within eight feet on 13 and two feet on 15 on the way to a 3&2 win.

Bailee Curran (Essex) had to avoid defeat in the final game against Jack Diment, who was unbeaten and won all points available in the tournament heading into the match. But Curran got off to a strong start to be 4-up through 8, with a birdie on 2, a tidy up-and-down on 5, an approach to two feet on 6 and a 20-foot putt on 8. However, Diment didn’t roll over, as he made good putts to win 9 and 10 before 3s apiece on 10, 11 and 12 showed a cracking standard of golf. Diment birdied the 16th with a medium-range putt and took it down the 18th before Curran clung on to a 1-up win.

Sunday 29th September 

Lincolnshire v Cumbria 

Morning Foursomes: Lincolnshire 2-1 Cumbria

Will Hopkins and Sam Whitaker (Lincolnshire) tussled with Will Bowe and Will Coxon with Cumbria birdieing the par-5 2nd for an early lead. But Whitaker made a short birdie putt to win the 5th before landing a 30-footer uphill on the 6th. Coxon made a brilliant flop shot from trouble on the 7th to recover a half and he hit to 12 feet to set up another birdie on 9. Hopkins hit to six feet to help win the 10th before the Cumbrian Wills enjoyed four threes in a row. Bowe hit to six feet on 12 before Coxon made an 18-foot putt to win the 15th, but Whitaker drove just shy of the 16th to set up an easy birdie. With the Lincolnshire pairing 1-up down the last, Whitaker’s tee shot found the trees but with a small gap, Hopkins did well to thread it down to the rough by the green. Whitaker produced an exquisite flop shot to gimmie distance for par before Coxon’s 25-foot birdie putt to save the match, narrowly sailed by.

Simon Richardson and Adam Wainwright (Lincolnshire) got off to a fine start against Luke Quint and Kerry Morrow, with Richardson knocking in a 30-foot birdie putt on the 1st. A poor tee shot on 2 paved the way for Cumbria to level but Richardson stiffed his approach to six inches to win the 6th. Morrow landed a 30-foot putt on 8 for birdie but Wainwright hit it to four feet to win the 9th. The 10th was impressively halved in birdies as Quint hit to three feet and Wainwright rolled in a 20-foot putt, and Quint’s approach play won Cumbria the 12th as he hit to seven feet before being given the putt. Richardson missed his par putt on 17 as Cumbria were set to putt for birdie, and on the last Lincolnshire were in pole position after Cumbria hit the greenside bunker in three. However, a great up-and-down saved them as Richardson’s approach was short, and bogeys meant the match finished tied.

Sam Done and Jack Diment (Lincolnshire) played out another tight contest with Kieran Waters and Jack Hunter. They halved the par-5 2nd in birdies before Cumbria birdied the 5th after hitting the green in two before also winning the 6th and 7th following mistakes from the Lincoln duo. However, Diment sent his approach to six feet on 8 and Done delivered a fine shot into the par-4 9th to six feet as they got back level. Diment struck to three feet on 12 for another birdie before the Cumbrian duo got hot with their putters – Waters making a whopping 50-footer for birdie on 15 and Hunter making a snaking 20-foot putt on 16. Diment hit to three feet to win the 17th before both had putts to win the match on 18, but it ended all-square, with Done and Diment finishing as the only unbeaten pairing to play all three matches, winning two and halving their last one on Sunday.

Afternoon Singles: Lincolnshire 4-2 Cumbria

Will Coxon (Cumbria) and Will Hopkins battled out a cracker in the opening singles match of the day with Hopkins holing a 30-foot birdie putt to start proceedings. Coxon then responded by driving the green on 3 for birdie before the pair exchanged impressive birdies on the par-5 5th. Coxon got greenside again on 6 to get up and down for birdie before he drove the 9th green in a tremendous display of power, which yielded easy birdies. Hopkins fought back though with a tee shot to six feet on 11 and chipped in for eagle from 15 yards to win 16, before the duo saw out the match in pars to finish all-square.

Sam Done (Lincolnshire) battled Kieran Waters with Waters taking an early lead after making a good birdie in getting up and down from the front trap on the 2nd. But Done was on fire as he hit wedges in close to each of 3, 6 and 9 to earn birdies, while he reached the back edge of the par-5 5th in two to make another birdie. From there on, it was plain-sailing for the Lincoln man who triumphed 4&3.

Sam Whitaker (Lincolnshire) showed his big-hitting prowess as he drove to within 50 yards of the 3rd to get up and down for birdie, and then hit a wedge into the par-5 5th for another birdie. Opponent Jack Hunter landed a 35-footer on 7 before Whitaker drove the green for another birdie on 9. The pair exchange pinpoint approaches on 10 and 11 to win with birdies but Whitaker coasted in for a 5&4 win.

Will Bowe (Cumbria) and Adam Wainwright played out a thriller as they halved each of the opening eight holes, but Wainwright pulled ahead as he knocked an approach to six feet on 9 and holed a 30-foot birdie putt on 10. Bowe bounced back on 11 with birdie before Wainwright wedged to 12 feet and holed it to win 12. Bowe made a tremendous up-and-down on 13 for a half which seemed to be a turning point, as he won holes 15-17, including a wedge to three feet to win the 17th. A par on the last was enough to seal a Cumbrian comeback, 1-up.

Craig Morrow (Cumbria) needed to beat Matt Haynes to give his side hope but Haynes got up and down after driving greenside on 3 for birdie before Morrow hit back on the par-5 5th. Haynes holed a 15-footer from off the green on 8 but then lost holes 14-16 to go from 3-up to all-square, but held his nerve to par the last as Morrow three-putted, giving Lincolnshire the win 1-up

Luke Quint (Cumbria) started sharply against Jack Diment with a gimmie eagle on the 2nd from three feet. Quint then drove through the green with his 3-wood on 6 to get up and down for the win before the duo halved 8 in marvellous birdies – Diment holing a 20-footer and Quint getting up and down after driving through the green once again. Diment hit a wedge to a foot to win 9 and despite Quint making a 20-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 13th, Diment holed a 30-foot stunner for birdie in front of his teammates on 18 to finish all-square.

The result gave Lincolnshire a convincing 6-3 win, meaning they had to wait nervously for Essex results to come in to see if they would be crowned champions

COUNTY CHAMPIONS

Essex were crowned Men’s County Champions for just the second time ever and the first time since 2009, after a tense final-day win over Gloucestershire at Whittington Heath Golf Club.

After Essex edged the morning foursomes, Lincolnshire meanwhile were looking to win their first (and only) title since 1974, but needed to beat Cumbria and hope Gloucestershire could do them a favour. There was still hope for Cumbria and Gloucestershire, who could still win the event themselves if results went their way.

Lincolnshire went about their business with a fine 6-3 win over Cumbria, which saw four of the six games go to the wire, meaning all eyes were on Essex who needed to win 5-4 overall against Gloucestershire.

With three games in the balance, Will Horne came back from 3-down to win 2&1 which sealed the title for Essex, and it proved to be pivotal as the final couple of matches went Gloucestershire’s way.

It meant Lincolnshire finished 2nd, while Cumbria pipped Gloucestershire to 3rd place. Check out the scores here and see the table here. Read how all the action unfolded on day three below.

Lincolnshire finished 2nd at the event, narrowly missing out on winning the trophy for a second-ever time, with their one and only triumph coming in 1974.

Sam Whitaker was the star player of the tournament, winning 4.5 of 6 points available to him, nobody else won more points at the event. Meanwhile, Jack Diment and Sam Done were the only unbeaten pairing to play all three foursomes matches, and both won 4 points from 6 available to them at the event.

GALLERY