GolfSTOKE by Nayland's talented junior team have missed out on a second trip to La Manga in the Home Nations Junior Club Championship at La Manga in January.

Golf

STOKE by Nayland's talented junior team have missed out on a second trip to La Manga in the Home Nations Junior Club Championship at La Manga in January.

In the English final over the Marquess course at Woburn they finished in third place on a very wet day.

Stoke by Nayland's best five players on handicap finished eight over par while the winners, Worthing, were two over.

“The course was playing very long in the wet and I thought it might suit us better than some of the teams with longer handicap players. I thought that 12 over par might have been a winning score,” said Dean Brace, the Stoke by Nayland team manager.

“We played well, but all credit to Worthing, whose highest handicap team member was off seven. They were good on the day and deserved it.”

Michael Swan, Stoke by Nayland's top player, is now off a handicap of plus one while Liam Brace is scratch.

Aaron Parks had three successive birdies at the start of his second nine (he began on the 10th) to boost Stoke's hopes but a second trip to Spain proved to be just out of reach.

Gross scores of Stoke by Nayland players: Liam Brace 73, Aaron Parks 73, Michael Swan 74, Owen Pearl 75, Scott Brace 76, Rob Murray 77.

n Liam Brace, together with Alistair Hall of Bungay, fly to Spain this week to compete in the European Under-16 championship.

They will watch the opening day of the Volvo Masters at Valderrama. Then they face four qualifying rounds at El Rompido's north and south courses before the leading 12 players return to Valderrama for the final round.