Wilts making the Miles count

9:50am Saturday 26th July 2008

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WILTSHIRE, with two wins and a defeat from their first three matches in the Daily Telegraph Channel League, kept alive their hopes of adding the title to the South Western Counties week double they recorded at Westward Ho! last month with a 71/2-71/2 tie with Somerset at Weston-super-Mare.

In a match which produced a tense finale, Alistair James (Cumberwell Park) and his men got off to a bright start by winning the morning foursomes 3-2, but Somerset hit back in the afternoon to take the singles 51/2-41/2.

England international Miles Mackman, from Broome Manor, was one of three Wiltshire players to come away from the seaside with full points.

The others were Sam Elkins (South Wilts) and England under 21’s player Sam Matton (Bowood).

Wrag Barn ace Ben Loughrey maintained his impressive unbeaten record for the season with 11/2 points.

Loughrey and Matton teamed up to thrash Alex Kippen and Craig Cook in the top foursome by five and four and Mackman and Elkins joined forces to beat Somerset champion Matt Kippen and David Gregory by four and three.

Marlborough teenager Jack Hiscock and Pete Hayball (Hamptworth) notched up the county’s other point in the foursomes with a two and one victory over Curtis Edwards and Max Brittan.

Cumberwell Park’s Charlie James and Matt Swales lost one down to Paul White and Justin Lane and skipper Ali James and Cumberwell new boy Chris Brown lost two and one to Matt Lea and Craig Adams.

After lunch, Mackman increased Wiltshire’s lead to two with a one-hole win over Edwards in the top single.

The two counties halved the next three games, but then Somerset’s middle order rattled off three successive victories to take a one-point lead with three games to finish.

Elkins levelled the issue with a four and three win over Lea and Matton put Wiltshire one in front again by defeating Lane by the same margin.

But Somerset junior captain Gregory earned his side a share of the points by coming back from two down with three to play to edge out debutant Brown on the last green.

Foursomes: Sam Matton (Bowood) and Ben Loughrey (Wrag Barn) beat Alex Kippen and Craig Cook 5/4; Jack Hisock (Marlborough) and Pete Hayball (Hamptworth) beat Curtis Edwards and Max Brittan 2/1; Sam Elkins (South Wilts) and Miles Mackman (Broome Manor) beat Matt Kippen and David Gregory 4/3; Charlie James (Cumberwell Park) and Matt Swales (Cumberwell Park) lost to Phil White and Justin Lane 1 down; Chris Brown (Cumberwell Park) and Alistair James (Cumberwell Park) lost to Matt Lea and Craig Adams 2/1.

Singles: Mackman beat Edwards 1 up; Loughrey halved with White; Swales halved with M Kippen; A James halved with A Kippen; Hiscock lost to Adams 2 down; Hayball lost to Cook 2/1; C James lost to Brittan 6/5; Elkins beat Lea 4/3; Matton beat Lane 4/3; Brown lost to Gregory 1 down.

Wiltshire’s next league match is against Devon at Bovey Castle on Sunday, August 3.

• Wiltshire seniors went down 10-5 in their inter-county match against Glamorgan at Southerndown.

Wiltshire trailed by one point after the morning foursomes, but Glamorgan made the most of their home advantage in the afternoon, winning seven of the 10 singles.

Foursomes: Henry Burt (South Wilts) and Tony Crouch (South Wilts) beat Keith Stimpson and Nick Coulfield 2/1; Jon Lincoln (Chippenham) and Jerry Gegg (Chippenham) lost to Steve Hopkins and Ian Henderson 2/1; Paul Bloomfield and Terry Mumford (West Wilts) lost to Dilwyn John and Herbie Herbert 1 down; Brian Townsend (High Post) and Clive Burton (West Wilts) lost to Duncan Samuel and Alan Jones 2/1; Jim Mar-Gerrison and Michael Saunders (Tidworth) beat Miles Blackman and Graham Harcombe 2/1.

Singles: Burt lost to Stimpson 4/2; Lincoln lost to Hopkins 5/4; Bloomfield lost to Caulfield 2 down; Crouch beat Henderson 2 up; Townsend lost to Herbert 6/5; Burton lost to Samuel 5/3; Gegg lost to Blackman 4/3; Mumford beat John 3/2; Mar-Gerrison beat Jones 3/2; Saunders lost to Harcombe 4/3.