Marsh tops Australian medal as England squads go global

The international season has begun, with England players contesting events in three continents in the space of just one week.

With squads in action in Spain, Peru and Australia, it was English champion Nick Marsh who led the way, becoming the Australian Amateur Championship medallist.

The Huddersfield golfer topped the stroke play qualifying leaderboard on eight-under, after returning 68 at both The Lakes and The Australian.

Marsh is part of a three-man England Golf squad making a five-week tour of Australia, together with Brabazon Trophy winner Ben Stow, of Rushmore, and 2014 South American champion Paul Howard, of Southport and Ainsdale.

All three made the matchplay stages of the championship, alongside Leicestershire’s Richard Wale and Alex Henderson, a former England regional squad member who now lives in Australia. Wale reached the final 16, before bowing out.

Earlier Howard claimed fifth place in the Australian Master of the Amateurs at Royal Melbourne, signing off with a fourth round 66, which includes six birdies on the back nine. Stow also secured a top ten finish in the Lake Macquarie Amateur, finishing with a pair of 68s.

In Peru, Hawkstone Park’s Ashley Chesters led the way for England. The double European amateur champion finished eighth in the South American Amateur on three-under par, six shots behind the winner, American Scott Harvey.

Lindrick’s Joe Dean also looked to be heading for the top 10 but slipped down the leaderboard to 19th place when he finished the event double bogey, bogey for a three-over total.

The other members of the England squad in the event were Michael Saunders, of Dartford, and Luke Johnson, of King’s Lynn.

In Spain, England finished as runners-up to the Costa Ballena International Quadrangular Tournament. Their hopes of retaining the trophy were dashed on the final day when they lost the title decider 6-3 to Spain.

Earlier in the three-day series, England had halved with Finland and beaten Germany 5-4, setting up the ‘winner-takes-all- final game.

England’s top scorer was Lancashire’s Sean Towndrow, of Southport & Ainsdale, who took 4.5 points from his six games.

The over members of the team, all from the England A Squad, were Jamie Bower (Meltham), Robert Murlison (Oxley Park), Scott Gregory (Corhampton), Bobby Keeble (Crowlands Heath) and Ashton Turner (Kenwick Park).

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