Castle Eden’s Stuart Brown helped England successfully defend the Senior Home Internationals at Castlerock Golf Club on his international debut.
Heading into their third and final match against Ireland, all three titles – the overall, men’s and women’s – were up for grabs after both sides posted victories over Scotland and Wales.
England gained the momentum in the foursomes – winning the combined 4-2 after the men swept their Irish counterparts 3-0.
However, there was drama and tension late into the afternoon as Ireland pushed for singles success. After splitting the six women’s singles, the Irish team secured the women’s title on home soil. With titles still in the balance, the England men needed two wins to scoop their title and 2.5 points to claim the overall victory.
Out second, Stuart did his part with a 2&1 victory over Jody Fanagan. With Steve Sansome winning the top singles, Danny Holmes’ half in the penultimate match clinched the title for England by the slimmest of margins.
“At 59, I’ve played a lot of golf at lots of different levels, but that first time you make the step up to a new stage always gets the nerves going,” said Stuart on making his debut for the national team. “Wearing that England badge is amazing, and it’s undoubtedly the highlight of my golfing life.
“It was nerve-wracking, and it hit me hard when I was 7dn through seven holes in my opening singles match against Wales. Luckily, I settled just in time and made six birdies in seven holes as I lost just 2&1.
“I enjoyed every minute of the week and the camaraderie in the England team was fantastic. To play Jody – who teamed up with Padraig Harrington to beat Tiger Woods in the Walker Cup in 1995 – was brilliant. I got to 4up, but he never let me out of his sights and clawed it back to 1up on the 17th. I had two putts to win it and raced my first go from about 45ft past by 12ft in front of a decent crowd, so I was over the moon when I holed the one coming back to get the job done.
“I’d love to keep playing well and get selected for more teams in the future.”
