Will Skipp successfully defended his U16 Durham County Schools’ Golf Championship title with a superb round of 75. Representing the Dyke House College Elite Development Squad, Skipp led a strong field to win his third U16 title in a row.
Skipp, 15, said: “It’s quite special as no one has done that before. A win is a win and they have always felt special…it never loses how special it is.”
Skipp’s score was also good enough to earn him runner-up in the overall School Boys’ Championship, finishing just a shot behind Gateshead College’s Will Marshall.
Skipp, coached by Andrew Betts at Wynyard and at Dyke House, tied eighth in the Midland Under 16 Strokeplay Championship at Hawkestone Park and will head to the McGregor Trophy In July and the Scottish Under 16s with bigger intentions.
He said: “I would like to play for England at Under 16s, one or two good finishes in big competitions can help you like that at Hawkstone Park and the McGregor.”
In the overall Boys’ event, Gateshead College’s Will Marshall beat Dyke House’s Jack Ainscough and Skipp by a single shot with a round of 74 as Durham Sixth Form’s Jessica Hall won the Girls’ event with a 74.
Faye Wheatley from Heworth Grange won the Girls’ U16 event as Durham Sixth Form (Team B) won the Teams’ Championship with a nett total of 138 with the best two scores counting from Tin Staples-Clough, Cameron Johnston and Sam Harrison. They will now represent Durham in the English Schools’ Golf Association National Teams’ Championship Finals at Woodhall Spa.
