Middleton pairing clinch County foursomes crown

Middleton Hall Golf Club duo Lee Atkins and Jonathan Young dovetailed superbly to land the coveted County Foursomes title.

The pair displayed resolve and skill in equal measures as they beat Josh Weeds and Jake Keeley 2 and 1 in a gripping final at King’s Lynn Golf Club.

Bawburgh Golf Club members Weeds and Keeley were fast out of the blocks, winning the opening two holes.

But Atkins and Young were soon on the comeback trail, making good use of the seven strokes they received from their opponents.

By the turn they had flipped the match on its head to lead 3-up and held on to the upper hand throughout the back nine.

Weeds and Keeley reduced the deficit to two holes with a par at the 12th and it looked as if the gap would be further cut with Young finding himself in the trees on 14.

But the 2023 Middleton Hall captain choked down on a 4-iron and hit a stunning shot to 18 feet from where Atkins rolled home a crunch putt.

At the next it was Atkins’ turn to produce a brilliant approach shot, flying a lob wedge from 101 yards to near tap-in distance for his playing partner to convert.

Three-up with three to play, they lost the 16th to a par before closing out the match on the 17th green, despite Weeds and Keeley’s best efforts to take it to the last hole.

Young joked: “I think my hands are still shaking! It was the most nervous I think I’ve ever been on a golf course. It was a really good final – they played some fantastic golf.

“We gelled really well together. If we hit a bad shot, we’d just say, ‘Get on with it’. We’re good friends and we take it on the golf course.”

Atkins and Young earned the right to tee up on the second day of the popular alternate-shot tournament, having finishing third after an initial 36 holes of Stableford play.

They recorded a 5 and 3 semi-final success over James Buck and Jeff Smith, who later prevailed in the third-place match with a 1-up victory over Ben Long and Matt Campbell.

The four pairs that finished fifth to eighth in the opening day’s Stableford play battled for the second-flight title, which was eventually won by Kevin Chapman and Jacob Leary.

The Bawburgh pairing won the opening three holes and never looked back as they registered a 4 and 3 triumph over the Barnham Broom combination of Gary Lutkin and Steven Large.