The 2026 season got under way with the Schools Team Championship, hosted by Mill Green, who were recently awarded ‘Club of the Year’ by England Golf and once again they were fantastic hosts, with the course in excellent condition for so early in the year.
The weather was kind. Dry, pleasantly warm, and little wind, which made for great scoring conditions. Some of the students took full advantage, with some fantastic scoring.
The format was a little different this year, with two trophies being played for. There was the Team Scratch Championship, with all 3 players in each team having their strokeplay score count towards the overall aggregate score.
Then there was the Handicap Team Championship, with the best 2 from 3 nett strokeplay scores counting for each team’s aggregate total.
The Scratch Championship Winners were Herts and Essex High School’s trio of Riley Jones, Rhys Hatcher and Phoebe Hussey, winning by the narrowest of 1 shot margins from Parmiter’s School. An excellent 71 -1 by Rhys and the lowest girl’s gross of 77 +5 by Phoebe helped to see them take the newly awarded trophy.
The Handicap Championship was also extremely closely fought, a 2 shot margin separated the winning trio of Rhian Morjaria, Thomas Arnott and Blake Stopforth of Sir John Lawes School from the already successful scratch winning team of Herts and Essex and whilst it is a team championship, the individual success of Rhian Morjaria, shooting the low round of the day 70 -2 and also lowest nett of the day 66 -6 was a significant contributor to a wonderful victoryÂ
For our winning teams, this is hopefully not the end of the road. For certain Sir John Lawes School will progress to the National Team Handicap Finals on the Bracken Course at Woodhall Spa, July 9th.
It is a wait and see for Herts and Essex, with only the top 16 counties qualifying for the National Team Scratch Finals on the top rated Hotchkin Course, also at Woodhall Spa, July 9th.Â
We wish them well in their progression
