Third title cannot mask disappointing season

JACK MITCHELL may have won a historic third Channel Islands junior matchplay title, but his season as a whole has left him distinctly unimpressed. 'I've definitely not made progress. It's not been a good season in my eyes,' said Mitchell the morning after completing a first extra-hole sudden-death victory over Jersey's Jack Critchley.

It came when Mitchell, having already secured his four, saw Critchley rush a short putt he thought might be conceded and it stayed above ground.

Mitchell's 8ft birdie putt had lipped out and his par was conceded, when the Jersey boy stepped forward half-expecting to be given his four.

'I said, ?No, can you putt it, please? and he rushed it,' said the winner who ended the season with a handicap of 1.6, having started it at 0.6.

The 18-year-old suspects starting work full-time was a major reason for his disappointing season, although he still did enough to win a place in the Island Games team and the inter-insular side and also reached the semi-finals of the senior island championships.

'It's felt more like hard work than in previous seasons. I'm not swinging as fluently as I was.'

Mitchell admitted he found the Critchley match far harder than he expected.

'He didn't make many mistakes really. It was a bit of a shock to me. I thought it would be a pretty easy match.'

Mitchell played to his handicap, however, and it proved just enough to overcome a dogged opponent who quickly displayed he had not come simply to roll over.

After the opening five holes had been halved, the Jersey player went ahead with a birdie at the long sixth.

But when Critchley found bushes on the ninth and was forced to take a drop, Mitchell levelled with a par and also won the next to go in front for the first time.

But by the 15th they were level again, Critchley having produced the shot of the day at the long 14th.

He knocked a lob wedge from about 90 yards to 18 inches and the birdie won him the hole.

Both players birdied the 17th and finished with threes and it was back down the first for the conclusion.

Match referee Brian Lucas was full of praise for both young men.

'There was some wonderful golf played . . . some very, very good stuff.'

*The father-and-son combination of Colin and Tom Le Huray are this year's Coronation Cup champions at L'Ancresse.

In the 36-hole fourball final, they beat Dave Collenette and Peter Harris one up having been two down with four to play.