GOLF: Wiltshire out to retain County Championship (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Loughrey brothers from Wrag Barn lead the charge

11:45am Wednesday 26th September 2012 in Sport

WILTSHIRE bid to retain the English Men’s County Championship at Beau Desert Golf Club in Staffordshire which starts on Friday.

The other finalists are Lancashire, Suffolk, and Worcestershire.

Wiltshire will field a strong line-up including five of their title-winning side from last year in the Loughrey brothers, Ben and Josh, who play out of Wrag Barn near Highworth, Jordan Smith, Ali James and Broome Manor’s Tom Burley.

But they will be without one of their key players as Ben Stow is absent at college in the United States.

This will be Wiltshire’s fifth appearance in the finals in the past six years.

They won the South West qualifier at Cumberwell Park by 25 strokes from Devon, while Ben Loughrey was the individual winner on 139, nine under par.

The championship will be played on a ‘Round Robin’ basis over three days. Each match consists of three games of 18-hole foursomes in the morning and six games of 18 hole singles in the afternoon.