English Junior Champion Club event: Teenage golfers from Sheffield cement spots among best young amateurs in country

Lees Hall Golf Club members Kenna Liversidge, 16, Ashton Rollitt, 17, and Jake Charlesworth, 16, did themselves and Yorkshire proud at the English Junior Champion Club event at Woodhall Spa Golf Club in Lincolnshire on 24 and 25 August.

The talented trio recovered from a nervy start to finish fifth on Day One and second on Day Two, giving them a final standing of third.

A total of 25 clubs from all over England took part in the championship after coming through qualifiers.

Lees Hall won the Yorkshire Inter-District Junior Club Team Championship in May to earn their spot, having previously won the Sheffield Union of Golf Clubs Junior Team Championships in May.

"I’m amazed about what they have done,” said Ashton’s dad and Lees Hall Golf Club manager Matt Rollitt.

“The lads were a bit overwhelmed at the beginning. On Tuesday morning we got to the tee and they realised they were getting announced on, which is a professional thing, and that really upped the nerves.

"It was a great experience, they all played fantastic. They are really over the moon, it was a great few days."

Not wanting to be outdone by their opponents, the fashion-conscious Lees Hall team also raised money to buy a new kit for the tournament, including practice wear, which involved a painstaking 10-hour day cleaning golf clubs to pay for it.

They were also helped by a donation from the Sheffield Union Of Golf Clubs, and money from the Yorkshire Union to cover their accommodation costs while they were away.

All three boys played their part as the best two scores from each team were combined on both days to calculate leaderboard positions.

Kenna – who has a scratch score of 6.7 – and Ashton came out on top for Lees Hall on Day One, while Jake and Ashton scored best on Day Two.

“They all want to get down to single figures by the end of the season which I think is achievable,” Matt added.

“They have done really well so far.”