Jack Drury wins the Selborne Salver, George Saunders lifts the Hampshire Salver Trophy

Fourteen years after his Stratford-on-Avon clubmate and mentor Andy Sullivan won the Selborne Salver with a record score of 129, Jack Drury emulated the feat at a sun-drenched Blackmoor GC on Saturday, following a fine 65 with a masterly 64, dropping only a single shot all day and weighing in with ten birdies.

'I play with Sully when he has a break from the Tour and I know he'll be pleased with my win, but he'll certainly point out that his was better, containing a 60, with nine birdies. He's helped me a lot, especially with my irons, but he still beats me most of the time.'

Playing off +4.2, Drury is 23 and was runner-up in the Salver in 2024. He is reigning Midlands Amateur champion and aims to play in most of the bigger events this season, but has no ambitions for county golf, having set his sights on a career as a professional.

He made a good start, with his morning round containing five birdies, including three on the spin at 13, 14 and 15. His 64 after lunch featured another five birdies, pick of them at the long 13th, where he hit his approach to eight feet, but lipped out for the eagle. 

Drury's six-stroke margin of victory was the biggest for many years, with runner-up Darren Walkley shooting 69, 66 to edge out Liphook clubmate George Saunders, on 66, 69. Two further back on 69,68 was Marlborough's Lewy Hayward, one clear of the 138s of Harry Dickins (High Post), with a brace of 69s and James Knight (Sandford Springs), winner way back in 1996, who carded 68, 70 to prove he's still got it. 

Jack Diment (Belton Park), Oliver Allison (Colchester) and Sam De'Ath (North Hants) were next, all on 139, while a further eight players were locked on 140 to complete a day of impressive scoring, all helped by the benign spring weather and a course in superb condition, with fast-running fairways and firm but true greens, courtesy of head greenkeeper James Norris and his team.

The Selborne Salver was only one of three events staged by the club, with Friday seeing a one-off tournament, the Blackmoor Salver, staged to replace the Hampshire Hog, held at North Hants GC since 1957. But it was suspended for 2025 pending extensive re-bunkering and irrigation work at the Fleet course.  The move validated the Hampshire Salver, a world-ranking 72-holes amateur event awarded to lowest score over the Salver-Hog weekend.

The singleton competition also produced a bonanza of low scores, with winner Ben Willis (Hunstanton) adding a blistering 61 to his morning 68 to match Drury's Saturday effort. The Norfolk County player needed only 23 putts in his afternoon round, with six birdies and an eagle, the latter at the eighth, where he hit a five-iron 227 yards to eight feet. A spate of birdies followed at 11, 12, 14 and 15 to set up his score.  'I played here a few years ago and have fond memories of Blackmoor. It's a great course, so the 61 was very special.' said Willis, a 20-year-old studying golf management at the University of Central Lancs.

Runner-up, four back, was George Saunders (Liphook), whose splendid morning 63 was three shots clear, but he could only manage 70 after the break. Third, on countback, was Belton Park's Jack Diment, with 70, 65, the same score as Sam De'Ath (N. Hants), on 67, 68. Blackmoor's own Robbie Boxall led a trio on 138, following his earlier 72 with a fine 66.

Liphook's Saunders completed a rewarding two days by winning the Hampshire Salver with scores of 63, 70, 66, 69 for an eight-under tally of 268, four clear of Jack Drury, on 71, 72, 65, 64. Third, with 274 (70, 65, 70, 69), was Jack Diment.  

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