Mills wins a thriller at 20th to earn meeting with Vaudin
ONLY two juniors live to fight another day in the last 16 of the Deutsche Bank Island Championships, but even those who went out in last evening's second round at a cold and wind-swept L'Ancresse can hold their heads high.
ONLY two juniors live to fight another day in the last 16 of the Deutsche Bank Island Championships, but even those who went out in last evening's second round at a cold and wind-swept L'Ancresse can hold their heads high. It was an encouraging evening for the Guernsey Junior Golf Club.
Sean Mills and Danny Carre won through, while Tom Le Huray and Craig Shorto served notice that their time may come before too long.
On an evening when all the seeds survived unscathed, Mills' victory over recent island player Julian Woodhard was the match that provided the real drama.
Mills won on the second extra hole after Woodhard, who battled so hard to stay in the match over the closing holes, saw his putt for bogey lip out.
Woodhard's big chance had come at the 19th.
With Mills having already missed a relatively short putt for a four, he had a six-footer for the match.
It stayed above ground and his demise was not far away.
Mills had looked a likely winner as he carved a two-hole lead deep into the back nine.
But Woodhard won 14 and 15 with pars to level before more switches of fortune over the last few holes.
At the 16th Mills re-established a lead with a par, only to blow it at the next, allowing his drive to catch the wind and fly out of bounds.
Woodhard hardly played the hole well himself, but sunk a 20ft putt to secure his par and the win.
At the downwind last, both played good shots to find the front of the green, 20ft or so away from the pin.
Mills went first and holed out for birdie.
He must have thought he was through, but moments later Woodhard followed him in for a two from marginally closer.
Carre, 15, clinched a third-round clash with defending champion Bobby Eggo after defeating Peter Crosland 5 and 3, while at the other end of the draw Tom Le Huray, also 15, took Andy Eggo as far as the 16th.
It was a good effort by the big-hitting youngster who had been level through six but could do little as last year's runner-up birdied three holes out of four.
Shorto, similar age, performed well against Royal Guernsey first-teamer John Le Lievre, before losing on the 15th green.
The only other big name to go out was former island champion David Warr, who lost 3 and 2 to Nigel Vaudin.
