Junior golfers came through on the 21st

CHRIS THOMPSON'S fingernails may just be noticeably shorter than usual. As president of the Guernsey Junior Golf Club, their Hampshire seven-a-side team had to endure many nervous moments before squeezing past the La Grande Mare team 4-3 in the local semi-final at L'Ancresse.

It was a match that swung one way then the other in typical matchplay fashion.

'After six holes the juniors were in a strong position, but through 15 it looked very much as if La Grande Mare were going to nick it,' he said.

In the end, it was down to the final match on the course which, to increase the pressure on Thompson, involved his younger son, Emile.

With the score locked at 3-3, young Thompson and Ricky West battled through 18 holes and finished all square.

It was then into sudden-death and into the teeth of a stiff wind as they went down the first a second time, then the second and, finally, the third, where the six-handicap junior won the day with an up and down par, while his opponent left a long par putt three inches short.

It looked as if Thompson might win on the 18th.

He left a good birdie chance three feet short and at the 19th he lipped out from six feet.

West was not without his opportunities, either, having hit the pin with his approach to the second and slid his putt past the hole from eight feet.

Did it make the non-playing captain any more nervous because his son held the key to the result?

No, said Thompson senior.

'I think I've got over that it is my son playing out there. But for any junior to come through on the 21st is a tremendous result,' he said.

Another hero was debutant Danny Carre.

The 14-year-old, also the top distance runner for his age in the island, has not long been in possession of a white-tee handicap and he had not expected to play against La Grande Mare.

But with Jack Mitchell's return from a trip to the Hampshire School of Excellence delayed by the airport firefighters' industrial action, Carre was called in to play six-handicap Brian Corey.

If he had any nerves,

the youngster did not show it.

He was three up after five before Corey hit back to lead two up with four to play.

The youngster then won 15 and 16 and halved 17 to take the match to the last where he made a testing up and down for par and the Irishman three-putted.

Other GJGC winners were Wayne Moore, who played out of his socks to beat two-handicap Neil Black 6 and 4, and Sean Mills.

The latter ground out a very good win over Alistair Jardine - like Mills, a five handicap.

It was close all the way until Mills took control with a regulation par at the 17th after Jardine had found trouble up the left with his wayward drive.

The juniors now await the winners of tomorrow's semi-final between the Royal Guernsey and L'Ancresse.

Meanwhile, Thompson takes three of the top juniors to Jersey this weekend for a Hampshire Green Jackets match against Les Mielles.

Mitchell is unavailable, so the GJGC team of three for the off-scratch event is Mills, Thompson and Stuart Hamon.