Cheshire Club Junior Team Finals Day

In 2006, the Cheshire Union decided to inaugurate a new competition to produce a winning Club Junior Team from all the various junior leagues operating in the County.  This Finals Day is played towards the end of September or early October each year and venues will differ over time.

A trophy was kindly donated by Bob Meston, a former President of Cheshire who had, for some years, been Boys Team Manager and who is now an England Selector.

Organising this new competition has proven to be challenging given the number of leagues operating in Cheshire (see following) and the different formats adopted by many of these leagues.

It was decided that the competition would be strokeplay and comprise teams of 4 from each qualifying club. It will be a scratch competition and the best 3 scores will then be aggregated. The lowest aggregate score will then produce the winning team which will be awarded the Bob Meston Trophy.

The fourth card will only be used in the event of a tie and there will also be a prize for the team with the best nett score.

Other rules and regulations are as follows:

1. The Finals Day will only be open to clubs winning a junior league where the majority of clubs which play in that league are from Cheshire
2. A club playing in two different leagues will have to nominate at the start of each season which league will be deemed its qualifying one for the Finals Day
3. Each player must be under 18 years of age on 1st January in the year of competition
4. Maximum handicaps will be 28 for boys and 36 for girls
5. Girls will receive courtesy shots equivalent to the difference in standard scratch between the red and the yellow tees
6. Tees for the day will be yellow for boys and red for girls
7. Caddies are not permitted
8. Team shirts will be welcomed and all teams are expected to attend the presentation at the end of the competition.   A shirt and tie for boy players will be expected at this prize-giving

The junior leagues operating in the County as notified to Cheshire are:

• Mid-Cheshire
• West Cheshire & Borders
• Wirral
• East Cheshire & Borders
• Mersey Valley
• Cheshire & Derbyshire
• South Cheshire

Leagues vary in size and the number of clubs in  league determines the number of clubs to qualify for Finals Day.

League Secretaries are asked to note that the various junior leagues finish at different times towards the end of each season and information on the qualifying teams from each league should be notified to the County Secretary as soon as possible after completion of each league. The closing date for the 2010 event, which is to be held at Heswall Golf Club on Sunday 3rd October, is Wednesday 15th September.

Information required by the County Secretary:

1. The names of each player
2. Their handicaps
3. Dates of birth
4. Age on 1st January that year

The first competition was played at Birchwood in 2006 and then at Caldy in 2007.  The event at Didsbury in 2008 was cancelled due to bad weather.  The 2009 Finals returned to Birchwood on Saturday 24th October and Heswall  were winners.

If any club junior organisers or league secretaries have any questions on this competition, please contact the County Secretary. As junior league secretaries can change from year to year, it would also be helpful if such changes are also advised to the County Secretary.

Additionally, club junior organisers may also contact their County Junior Liaison Officer, the name of whom is shown on the Junior Liaison page