News
Stephen Custance-Baker wins Sussex Open Golf Championship
The Sussex Open this year was a truly international affair. 8 Spaniards had flown in from Seville and Steiner Olsen had flown in from Norway. Add to that Peter Balchin had driven up from Wales.
The Spanish players
Saturday the field was split into 4 blocks and games battled against the rain all day, fortunately the lawns stood up to the rain and all lawns remained playable.
The first four in each block would go forward to the championship knockout on the Sunday.
Block one was led by Steiner Olsen followed by Martin French, Andy Jones and Jonathan Isaacs. Block two was won by Richard Gardener followed by Mark Hamilton, Liz Farrow, and Maria Burguete. Block three was led by Kim Taylor followed by Pilar Garcia, Stephen Custance-Baker and Arturo Garcia. And finally block four was won by Konstantin Yudintsev, with Colin Britt Lourdes Alvear and Bob Clark. So the Championship Knockout continued with its international flavour.
There was a slight improvement in the weather on the Sunday but heavy overnight rain had made courts 2 and 3 unplayable.
The last 16 played a single 13 point game, which was also the case for the quarter final. We were mindful that our Spanish visitors would have to leave at 5 o’clock to catch their flight home. For the losing quarter-finalists a bowl event was played which was won by Steinar Olsen.
Steinar Olsen
Liz Farrow, Richard Gardener Kim Taylor and Stephen Custance-Baker battled through to the Semi Final, which was played as a best of three 13-point games.
Richard Gardener beat Liz Farrow 7-5 5-7 7-3 and Stephen beat Kim 7-2 3-7 7-5.
This set up a final between Richard Gardener and Stephen Custance–Baker. Stephen got the better of this winning 7-2 5-7 7-2 and so won the Hamilton Trophy which was presented to him by the Mark Hamilton, in honour of his mother.
Stephen Custance-Baker
Those not in the knockout played a plate event which was won by Giles Peperell.
Giles Peperell
Thanks to Roger Sutton for managing the event and to Linda Gavigan for the pictures.
Full result
| Block 1 | SO | SRJ | MMF | MF | JI | AJ | JH | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steinar Olsen | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Sergio Rueda Jimenez | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 7 | |
| Manuel Marcos Fal | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |
| Martin French | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Jonathan Isaacs | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Andy Jones | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Jane Humphreys | 6 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| Block 2 | RP | CD | RG | NH | MJB | MH | LF | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Platt | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 7 | |
| Caroline Denny | 5 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 | |
| Richard Gardener | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| Neil Humphreys | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 6 | |
| Maria Jesus Burguete | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
| Mark Hamilton | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Liz Farrow | 7 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 |
| Block 3 | RB | SC | KT | LdA | GP | PPG | DS | AGA | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Brooks | 7 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 7 | |
| Stephen Custance-Baker | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |
| Kim Taylor | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 1 | |
| Luis de Alarcon | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | |
| Giles Pepperell | 7 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | |
| Pilar Plasencia Garcia | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Douglas Shand | 7 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | |
| Arturo Gross Ariza | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Block 4 | PB | LVA | CM | IGA | CB | KY | RTC | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Balchin | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| Lourdes Valdenebro Alvear | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Chrissie Merrington | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 5 | |
| Ignacio Gross Ariza | 4 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | |
| Colin Britt | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Konstantin Yudintsev | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | |
| Robert T Clark | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
Championship
| First Round | Second Round | Semi Final | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konstantin Yudintsev | Pilar Plasencia Garcia 7-5 | Liz Farrow 7-3 | Richard Gardener 7-5, 5-7, 7-3 | Stephen Custance-Baker 7-2, 5-7, 7-2 |
| Pilar Plasencia Garcia | ||||
| Martin French | Liz Farrow 7-6 | |||
| Liz Farrow | ||||
| Richard Gardener | Richard Gardener 7-5 | Richard Gardener 7-6 | ||
| Arturo Gross Ariza | ||||
| Andy Jones | Maria Jesus Burguete 7-4 | |||
| Maria Jesus Burguete | ||||
| Robert T Clark | Robert T Clark 7-3 | Kim Taylor 7-5 | Stephen Custance-Baker 7-2, 3-7, 7-5 | |
| Jonathan Isaacs | ||||
| Colin Britt | Kim Taylor 7-3 | |||
| Kim Taylor | ||||
| Stephen Custance-Baker | Stephen Custance-Baker 7-3 | Stephen Custance-Baker 7-5 | ||
| Mark Hamilton | ||||
| Lourdes Valdenebro Alvear | Steinar Olsen 7-3 | |||
| Steinar Olsen |
5-8th place 'Bowl'
| Semi Final | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Pilar Plasencia Garcia | Pilar Plasencia Garcia 10-4 | Steinar Olsen 7-4, 7-4 |
| Maria Jesus Burguete | ||
| Robert T Clark | Steinar Olsen 7-5 | |
| Steinar Olsen | ||
Plate Event
| Plate | PB | CB | KY | CM | IGA | LVA | RB | LdA | DS | GP | RG | NH | CD | RP | JI | AJ | MMF | SRJ | JH | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Balchin | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 10 | |||||||||||||||
| Colin Britt | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| Konstantin Yudintsev | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Chrissie Merrington | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| Ignacio Gross Ariza | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Lourdes Valdenebro Alvear | 4 | 7 | 1 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| Richard Brooks | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 9 | |||||||||||||||
| Luis de Alarcon | 7 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| Douglas Shand | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | ||||||||||||||
| Giles Pepperell | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| Arturo Gross Ariza | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Neil Humphreys | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 12 | |||||||||||||||
| Caroline Denny | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
| Richard Platt | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 13 | ||||||||||||||
| Jonathan Isaacs | 3 | 0 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Andy Jones | 6 | 2 | 0 | 18 | |||||||||||||||||
| Manuel Marcos Fal | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | |||||||||||||
| Sergio Rueda Jimenez | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| Jane Humphreys | 5 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 15 |