On a sun-kissed weekend Appleby Golf Club was the venue for this year’s County Strokeplay Championship where the great and good of Cumbria Golf gathered together to battle it out for the crown of County Champion.

Played over 72 holes, with 36 holes contested each day, it was always going to be a gruelling weekend for the players. Add to that temperatures approaching 30°C and a wind that, while not a constant factor throughout the tournament, certainly made its presence felt as the event reached its decisive stages.

The host club had recently installed some new tees on a few holes which certainly added to the challenge of an already testing layout. A number of players were playing from the new tees for the first time and so were learning as they went along.

ROUND 1

As the early starters got their opening rounds underway it was under slightly overcast skies, but the sun didn't take long to make an appearance. Despite making a birdie on the opening hole of his first round Alex Park (Carlisle) made an inauspicious start to the tournament as he followed it with 4 consecutive bogeys to stand 3 over par through 5 holes. Then came the fireworks. Park birdied 6 of his last 13 holes with the only blemish a bogey on the par 3 17th to sign for a 2 under par 66 and take the first round lead.

Parks nearest challenger was Brampton's Lee Sturrock who also had a mixed bag, his opening 69 included 5 birdies and 4 bogeys.

Ian Robinson (Kirkby Lonsdale) got off to a rough start before streaking home with a back 9 of 30 to sit on level par and only 2 strokes behind.

Appleby specialist James Atkinson (Penrith) joined Andrew Wolstencroft (Carlisle) in 4th place after both scored 69.

There were a number of the up-and-coming juniors taking part in the event and they weren't just there to make up the numbers. Keswick's George Curry compiled a very composed round of 70 to be tied with fellow Cumbria Junior team member Owen Ridley (Carlisle). On 3 over 71 came recent Men's team debutant Bradley Quayle (Seascale) and a further shot back was Jamie Parry (Carus Green).

ROUND 2

As play continued into the afternoon the sun continued to shine but with a gentle breeze to keep the players cool, the conditions were favourable. The Appleby greens were incredible, very fast and true. Head Greenkeeper Steve Quince and his team had got the course in fantastic condition for the event.

The players were obviously getting used to the new course layout as the leaderboard soon became littered with under par rounds as second round scores began to be returned.

The stand out score from round 2 was a stunning 3 under par 65 from 16 year old George Curry. Birdies at 1 & 3 were slightly derailed by a bogey on 5 before Curry banked 3 consecutive birdies from the 11th to race to 4 under for round 2. A bogey at the long 16th was a minor blip as the youngster parred the final 2 holes. Added to his morning 70, the 135 total set the clubhouse lead.

There were no fewer than 5 players who scored 66 in round 2. Wolstencroft, Quayle, Craig Morrow (Seascale) & Will Bowe (Workington) all signed for 2 under rounds before Oli Edwards, playing in the final group of the day, made a hole in 1 on the difficult 17th hole before birdieing the last for good measure to also shoot 66.

As the sun set on the first days play the leaderboard was a mix of youth and experience with Curry sharing the lead with 'Boom Boom' Wolstencroft. Their 1 under par 36 hole totals were enough to be a shot ahead of the chasing trio of Edwards, Robinson & Park. A shot further back and still right in the hunt came youngsters Quayle and Tom Robinson alongside old campaigners Atkinson, Morrow and 11-time Champion Bowe.

ROUND 3

On Sunday morning play got underway under cloudless skies and the wind was yet to show up. If possible, the greens seemed even quicker than the previous day and the hole locations were a little more challenging, so an enthralling days golf was forecast.

The third round of tournaments is often described as 'moving day' and unfortunately for the overnight leaders they moved in the wrong direction. George Curry couldn't find the magic touch he had on the first day as he compiled a 5 over 73 and playing partner Wolstencroft rued some wayward drives in a disappointing 76.

As the tee times for Championship Sunday are set with the leaders teeing off last those moving up the board were posting their scores early.

First to show were the Carlisle duo of Rory Thompson and Kieran Waters who scored excellent rounds of 67 and 68 respectively. Thompson was not giving up the County Champion title lightly having won the event last year. Waters was a 3 time champion having won the event most recently in 2024.

Workington's Jack Hunter was improving round by round, but his first 3 rounds had been steady rather than spectacular. Highlights being eagle 2's on the 12th on Saturday afternoon and 5th on Sunday morning but a cold putter was holding him back from mounting a challenge at this stage.

2 time champion Morrow was his usual steady self, tacking a 3rd round 70 to his opening rounds to sit on 3 over par for the championship and right in the mix alongside another 'steady Eddie' in Ian Robinson.

17 year old Brad Quayle continued his standout season by shooting 69 despite having double bogeys on the 3rd and 16th holes. He was 1 ahead of club mate Morrow and Robinson on 2 over.

The lowest 3rd rounds were scored by Will Bowe & James Atkinson. Even though they both dropped a shot on the 18th hole that was by now playing into the strengthening wind, both had excellent 2 under par 66's.

The 3rd round had indeed been a 'moving' round and the leaderboard through 54 holes reflected some significant changes from after round 2.

203 -1 Bowe, Atkinson

206 +2 Quayle

207 +3 Morrow, Robinson

208 +4 Thompson, Waters, Edwards, Curry

210 +6 Hunter, Young

FINAL ROUND

The wind had picked up as the day went on and by the time the leading groups headed out for the final round it was the strongest it had been all weekend and would drop for the rest of the day. This only made putting even more tricky on the very slick greens and rather than trying to play aggressively, the players had a job on their hands to try to limit mistakes.

Leaders Atkinson & Bowe were making heavy weather of the front 9. Atkinson turned in 2 over to be +1 for the championship, Bowe struggled to be 4 over through 9 and +3 total. Some of the chasing pack were making moves and the leading duo had been caught midway through the back 9.

First round leader Sturrock regained his Saturday morning form as he was imperious in a gutsy round of 66 to leave him +6 for the 4 rounds.

County Men's team Captain Simon Young had been on the outside looking in for most of the weekend but rolled back the years to get right in the hunt, 4 birdies in 5 holes from the 10th saw the big man be -4 for the round and 2 over for the championship through 14 holes. Sadly, he couldn't keep up this form and lost 3 shots to par in the closing holes to finish on +5 and set the clubhouse target.

Current Master Golfer standings leader Jack Hunter was another on the periphery of things for most of the weekend until some stern words from his caddie jolted him into action. Standing on the 12th tee 8 over for the championship his race was seemingly ran. Having only made 4 birdies in the entire tournament to that point Hunter somehow managed to birdie 5 of his last seven holes. Picking up gains at 12,13, 15, 16 & 18 to streak home in 29 and sign for a superb 65 and +3 total.

As these scores were being posted those left out on the course still had 4 holes to play, the final 3 of them back into the wind.

Morrow had kept it together for most of his final round before a scrappy finish including a penalty drop from an unplayable lie on the final hole ended his tilt at the title. A final round 72 left him on +7.

Brad Quayle still had hopes of completing the dream but his birdie putt on 16 slipped by and he followed that with a bogey on 17 to match Morrow's 72 and end the weekend +6.

Atkinson endured a nightmare finish, dropping 5 shots in the final 3 holes to also finish on +7, 4 behind Hunter.

11 time champion Will Bowe has seen it all and has many T-shirts, but he would have to produce a strong finish if he was to claim a 12th title. 1 shot behind the clubhouse lead with 3 holes to play, all into the wind. It was a tough ask. The task got tougher when his approach shot came up short on the long 16th, leaving a perilous chip down the proverbial marble staircase to a hole cut at the bottom of the slope. Those watching on suggested 8 feet would be a good result. Bowe was having none of it. With the touch of a surgeon, he managed to land his chip in the perfect spot, bringing it almost to a halt until seemingly only the weight of the ball was allowing it to roll gently down the severe slope, halfway to the hole Will was demanding it to go in. The ball obeyed and with that stunning piece of artistry Bowe had drawn level with 2 holes to go.

A par 3 on 17 was duly ticked off and when Will hit his approach pin high to the back flag on 18, he would have a 25 foot putt to win. Although the pace on the putt was good it missed on the left leaving a tap in and the prospect of a sudden death play-off with club mate Hunter.

The 18th hole was selected as the play-off hole and was still playing straight into the fierce wind. Par had a great chance.

Jack hit the first drive and bulleted it straight down the middle. In response Will pushed his drive right towards the gorse bushes. His fears were confirmed when he reached the ball to find it in a bush. From there he played an excellent recovery, only to see the ball ricochet back off the marker post in the fairway to still leave him behind the drive of Hunter. A fantastic long iron into the heart of the green put the pressure back on Jack to deliver. He responded with a superbly struck 4 iron that propelled the ball to the back edge of the green, just further away from the hole than Will's 3rd. Jacks putt for a 3 and the win from 25 feet slipped past the whole leaving one of 'those'. Will would expect Jack to make the next one and knew that in reality he had to hole his 22 foot effort to continue the play-off. The putt was well struck and looked good for most of the way but just didn't break enough and skirted past the edge of the hole. The tap-in 5 meant Jack had 3 feet left to take the title. He made no mistake and clinched his first Strokeplay Championship to go with the Matchplay version he won at the same venue last year.

Jack now goes forward to represent Cumbria in the England Golf County Champions tournament at Woodhall Spa in September.

This season's championship seems like it may have been a watershed moment where a number of the juniors stepped up a level. Not only did many of them make the halfway cut, a few of them were still at the business end of the leaderboard in the final stages of the competition. Great signs for the future.

The Championship also has a nett division where competitors vie for the Tufty Blair trophy, awarded to the player posting the lowest nett score over the 4 rounds.

This category was almost as close as the main event and it was the juniors that dominated the leaderboard with 5 of the top 8 under the age of 18.

It was 15 year old James Wareing of Workington who took the honours with a 9 under par total of 263. George Curry (Keswick) came in second, only a shot behind, and Alex Park (Carlisle) grabbed a podium finish on 268.

Current President of Appleby Golf Club, Andrew Morrison presented the prizes to the winners. Andy himself is a past winner of the Strokeplay Championship, clinching the title in 1980.

The Strokeplay Championship is our flagship event, and we thank Appleby Golf Club for being incredible hosts. The course was fabulous, the clubhouse team looked after everybody superbly and the members who gave up their course for the weekend, for which we are grateful, came out onto the course to watch and support.

We can't wait to do it all again at Workington Golf Club in 2027.