Northumberland’s Rosie Belsham and Jess Baker impressed as England beat Switzerland at Pannal Golf Club ahead of the North of England U16s Championship.
Rosie and Jess teamed up in the morning foursomes to beat Rebekka Koch and Margareta Roos 5&4 before Rosie beat Roos 6&4 and Jess beat Koch 3&2 in the singles, as England won the match 4-2.
Gosforth Park Ladies’ Jess finished runner-up behind runaway winner Kerttu Hiltunen in the English Girls’ Under 16 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship to earn her place in the England U16 team alongside Whitley Bay’s Rosie – who finished sixth at Lyme Regis Golf Club.
Jess put together a gutsy performance to challenge for the title at Lyme Regis but had to settle for a tie for second place as Hiltunen scorched to 11 under-par to finish 11 shots clear of the field.
Rosie also enjoyed a good tournament with three rounds of 75 and a closing 73 for sixth place to add to her string of top 10s, including second place in the Scottish girls championship, which secured her a place to represent England in The R&A’s Junior Open and in the European Young Masters earlier this summer.
