Friday, 1 June 2007

 

Kent's Claire Aitken wins fourth title

Claire Aitken has continued her tremendous winning run in 2007 scratch events (info link) with her fourth victory of the season.

She’s just added the Frilford Heath Scratch Salver to her successes in the Critchley Salver, the Roehampton Gold Cup and the Hampshire Rose. What’s more she won her latest title despite suffering a nosebleed before play and feeling unwell.

Claire, 21, who plays off plus-two at The London Club, commented: “I really don’t know what’s making me so successful – but I’m very pleased about it!”
Frilford Heath leading scores. Red course first: CSS (wiki link) 74; then Green, CSS 71.
150 Claire Aitken (The London) 79, 71.
152 Jane Binning (Frilford Heath) 82, 70;
152 Lauren Jupp (Studley Wood) 77, 75.
153 Claire Howells (Moor Hall) 77, 76.
154 Gina Brown (Mere) 78, 76.
For more information, visit http://www.englishladiesgolf.org/.

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# posted by Womens Sports Foundation @ 6/01/2007 11:56:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post  

Tuesday, 29 May 2007

 

Yorkshire’s Naomi Edwards wins English championship

Naomi EdwardsYorkshire’s Naomi Edwards (right) made it third time lucky when she won the English ladies’ close championship at Littlestone in Kent.

The 23-year-old from Ganton has twice been runner-up in this championship and finally claimed the title when she beat Derbyshire’s Melissa Reid 2/1 in the final. “It feels fantastic,” said Naomi. “I’m so relieved!

“I knew it was going to be a tough match but you have to be positive,”
added Naomi, who was one under par in the final.

She rates it as the biggest moment in her career, which has included playing in the Curtis Cup and previous victories in the English mid-amateur championship, the St Rule Trophy and the Welsh open strokeplay.

Naomi took charge early in the match and was three-up after eight holes, helped by birdies on the outward par fives, the 5th and 7th.

But Melissa (left) began a fightback with a birdie three on the 12th where she holed a superb putt over a saddle in the green. She then narrowed the margin to one hole with a par on the 15th.

But Naomi sealed the title over the tough closing holes. She was just short of the long 16th green in two and almost holed her long eagle putt, leaving the ball stone dead. Melissa’s approach to the green took a hard bounce right over the putting surface into thick rough by the next tee. Her delicate chip finished within 3ft of the hole but, in what she later blamed on a lapse in concentration, she missed the putt.

On the 173-yard 17th Melissa appeared to have the advantage. Her ball was about 20ft from the pin while Naomi’s eight-iron bounced straight through and down a steep bank at the back of the green.

From there, and unable to see even the top of the pin, she played an exquisite shot with a lob wedge to within about 15ft. Melissa’s birdie attempt lipped out and Naomi took her chance, ramming home the putt for a half – and the championship.

She puts her success down to her fresh focus on her golf. “I know where I want to be, where I want to go,” said Naomi, who is considering turning professional at the end of 2008.

Before the championship she also worked hard with ELGA coach Lawrence Farmer and came to the event with just one swing thought. “I used it through the week and it worked. Sometimes I can get too many thoughts in my head!” she laughed.

For more information, visit http://www.englishladiesgolf.org.

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# posted by Womens Sports Foundation @ 5/29/2007 01:11:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post  

Friday, 25 May 2007

 

England vs New Zealand - Summer tour

Flyer for the eventThis year the England women's cricket team face New Zealand in the NatWest Women’s Series - and for the first time you can buy tickets to matches directly from the ECB. Tickets are £5 for adults and free for children.

Warm-up matches

All matches will start at 10.45am and the Twenty20 competition will begin at 10am.

NatWest Women’s International Twenty20

The first Twenty20 will start at 3.30pm, the second match at 5.30pm and the final one will begin at 5.40pm.

NatWest Women’s Series

All matches will start at 10.45am, with the exception of the Floodlit game at Derby which will start at 2.30pm.

On Sunday August 12: England Disabilities will play a Twenty20 game prior to the 1st NatWest Women’s International Twenty20 at Bath CC. Start time 11am.

For further information, visit http://ecb.co.uk/womens/international/womens-international-tickets-now-on-sale,12694,EN.html to purchase tickets. A document on travel information is also available. The tour is sponsored by

Vodafone and Natwest sponsor the series

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# posted by Womens Sports Foundation @ 5/25/2007 11:58:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post  
 

Top seed Liz Bennett reaches quarter-finals of English championship

Top seed Liz Bennett is through to the quarter-finals of the English ladies’ close championship at Littlestone and now takes on her friend and practice partner Danielle Montgomery.

“It’s going to be tough,” said Liz, the reigning English strokeplay champion from Brokenhurst Manor in Hampshire. “I’m going to have to play as I did this afternoon.” In that session she put on a fine display of scoring to beat Braintree’s Jenny Pease 4/3.

Earlier in the day she had to draw on her fighting qualities to beat Charlie Douglass (Brocket Hall) on the 20th. Liz was one down playing the 18th but squared the match with a birdie and then produced two solid pars to win through.

Danielle Montgomery (Lambourne) also went into extra time in the first roun! d before beating Laura Jones (Royal Liverpool) with a birdie on the 19th. She went on to defeat Jo Hodge (Knowle) in a fine match in which neither player had a bogey. They halved every hole until Danielle won the 8th; they halved another string of holes before Danielle won the 16th with a birdie; they finally halved the 17th to give Danielle a 2/1 win.

Curtis Cup players Melissa Reid and Naomi Edwards also moved safely into the quarter-finals. Melissa (Chevin) was five under par when she beat Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton) 9/7; while Naomi (Ganton) triumphed by one-hole over 16-year-old Hannah Barwood (Knowle). English girls’ champion Rachel Jennings, 18, (Izaak Walton) will take on Naomi after winning the battle of the teenagers, beating Florentyna Parker, 17 (Royal Birkdale) 4/3. “Flory’s a very good golfer and I’m really pleased to win this,” said Rachel who sealed the match with a 20ft birdie putt on the! 15th. Kent’s Claire Aitken (The London) continued h er impressive progress through this championship with a second round 4/3 win over Fern Grimshaw (Weymouth).

Earlier in the day Fern provided the upset of the tournament when she beat 2004 champion Kerry Smith (Waterlooville) 5/4 in the first round. The quarter-finalists are completed by Anna Scott (Consett & District) who had two comfortable wins; and by Emma Lyons (West Surrey) who upset the odds when she won her second round match against England international Rachel Bell (Ganton) 2/1. The quarter-finals start at 9.15am and the matches will be played at 15-minute intervals. The draw is: Liz Bennett v Danielle Montgomery. Rachel Jenningsv Naomi Edwards. Emma Lyons v Anna Scott. Claire Aitken v Melissa Reid. Online scoring: www.englishladiesgolf.org

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# posted by Womens Sports Foundation @ 5/25/2007 09:47:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post  

Wednesday, 23 May 2007

 

Teenagers share lead in English championship

Teenage internationals Melissa Reid and Florentyna Parker (right) both scored two-under par 70 to share the lead after the first round of the English ladies’ close championship at Littlestone in Kent.

Three other players also broke par on a fine golfing day with plenty of sunshine and light breezes. Among them is Kent golfer Claire Aitken who lives near Gravesend and plays at The London club.

Melissa (left), 19, from Chevin in Derbyshire, reached the turn at three-under par, helped by an eagle on the long 5th, where her approach finished 4ft from the hole. The Curtis Cup player got to four-under on the back nine but also three-putted three times and had to settle for a 70.
“I’m a bit disappointed – but it’s not too bad really,” said Melissa, who is the Scottish open strokeplay champion and has just helped Great Britain win the Commonwealth Tournament.
Florentyna, 17, from Royal Birkdale, produced two matching halves of one-under par – and was a relieved golfer when she came off the course.

“I didn’t expect it because I was playing so badly in practice yesterday. I lost four balls in six holes and I was a bit scared about today,” said Florentyna, the French lady junior champion. The difference, she explained, was hitting the fairways.

Another relieved golfer was English strokeplay champion Liz Bennett (Brokenhurst Manor) whose one-under 71 wiped out memories of her last outing at Littlestone in the 2002 championship.

“I didn’t play very well then and I didn’t come with good memories – but it’s all gone now for the rest of the week.

“This is a course which can grab you quickly and you have to minimise any damage and just keep the ball in play. That was my theory,” added Liz, who finished strongly with two birdies in the last three holes.

Claire Aitken spent all last week at Littlestone, representing Kent in county match week, and she put her knowledge to good use. She was two-under at the turn and was disappointed to bogey the short 17th and to only par the 18th.
“I felt I left a couple of shots out there but overall I’m quite happy,” said Claire who has already won two top scratch events this season.

Hannah Grant, 19, from Enmore in Somerset, had a stunning finish to her round, with an eagle and a birdie in her last three holes for one-under par 71. After the second strokeplay round the top 32 players will go forward to the matchplay stages of the championship, which start on Thursday.

Online scoring: http://www.englishladiesgolf.org/

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# posted by Womens Sports Foundation @ 5/23/2007 10:27:00 AM 0 Comments Links to this post  

Tuesday, 8 May 2007

 

Arsenal do the quadruple

The Arsenal women's team secured a historic quadruple by beating Charlton FC, 4-1 in the FA Cup Final. Having battled to win both the UEFA Cup and Premier League Cup by a narrow 1-0 margin, Arsenal showed off their attacking play, cruising to a 4-1 win against Charlton Women.

A cup upset was on the cards after a 7th minute Katie Holtham goal for Charlton, but Arsenal turned the tables to come back in true attacking style. Kelly Smith and Jayne Ludlow each grabed a brace to entertain the record crowd of 24,529.

An elated Smith told theFA.com: "It was a great big disappointment to miss that game, and it was completely my own fault. So I wanted to step up today and help the team lift this trophy, it wasn't just me out there it was all the players rising to the occasion."

"It has been a long hard season and there were some heavy legs out there, it is hard being unbeaten as you know that everyone is out to get you and you have to raise your game everytime you step on the field."I think today it was a great atmosphere and the fans really got behind us, and once we got the fourth goal I think that killed the game off."

Full match reports appear in:

Image courtesy of theFA.com.

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# posted by Womens Sports Foundation @ 5/08/2007 01:49:00 PM 0 Comments Links to this post  

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