Basingstoke ObserverALBIE Beeston’s impressive display in Hampshire’s Past, Present and Future match has put the North Hants GC member in line for promotion to the Hampshire U16s.
Albie, who has been a regular for Hampshire’s U12s and U14s, got an 11th-hour call up for last month’s match, at Hayling GC.
The 12-year-old, from Kempshott, in Basingstoke, was the youngest player in Hampshire Golf’s new junior manager Dave Matthews’ team for the annual season curtain-raiser.
The Basingstoke Golf Club member, who has taken over from Wayne Matthews, who led the U18s for five years, was pleased with the teenager’s performance on a tough links course in breezy conditions.
Matthews said: “We rang Albie’s dad at 10pm after someone dropped out and said, ‘can you be at Hayling for 8am tomorrow?’
He didn’t have too much time to think about it, which was just as well as Albie had one of the toughest matches, playing Ryan Henley, one of Hampshire’s best players over the last 20 years. He has three county championships to his name – as many as any active amateurs in one of the strongest counties in the country.
Albie only lost at the 16th – 4&2 – and that was no disgrace. To get a 2&1 win over Tim Gilbert, a past Hampshire Seniors Champion, playing on his home course was a terrific result. “He has a long way to go, but if he maintains his form over the coming weeks, we will be looking to play Albie in the U16s matches this season,” said Matthews.
Albie overcame the understandable nerves to birdie the first hole in the triangular match and managed to keep in front against Henley until the sixth.
The youngster said: “Once I was down in the match with Ryan, I just wasn’t able to get it back.
I was very happy to take the game to the 16th having been three down with three to play, against such a good player as Ryan. My birdie at the first really helped settle me down as I was very nervous. I was two-up quite early against Tim, and I chipped in for a half on the fifth. But it was an up-and-down match. I let my early lead slip and I was one-down around the turn.
I made a 25-foot putt to halve another hole and then had a five-footer to win the match against Tim on the 17th.
It was really a great experience playing with Ryan and Tim – they are easily some of the best golfers I have ever played against,” said Albie, who first picked up a club aged three.
I started playing seriously when I was around five, playing in the Saturday junior roll-up at Weybrook Park.”
Albie’s first official handicap was 36 and he steadily cut that down to 20. He was off 11 by the age of 11, at the start of the pandemic and is now down to six.
He plays golf at the Fleet golf club where Ryder Cup veteran Justin Rose shot to fame as an amateur, being crowned No. 1 in Europe and the USA – as well as winning golf’s Gold medal at the 2016 Olympics, in Rio, and the 2013 US Open.
Albie said: “There are lots of reminders around the clubhouse about Justin’s success, which is great to see and also very inspiring.
He takes an interest in North Hants’ juniors and we play in the same junior events, and he won a lot of the trophies we play for.
My aim is to get down to three by the end of this season and try and win some junior opens,” said Albie, who works with Hampshire U14s coach.
By Andrew Griffin
