Staff WriterIt was a week of birdies, eagles, and the sort of composure you usually only see in seasoned pros, as Easthampstead Junior Champion Club stormed to victory in the 2025 Junior Champion Club title at Spalding Golf Club.
Posting rounds of 85 and 78 stableford points, the Berkshire trio of Elinior Sleigh, Huxley Davies and Oliver Millington left their rivals trailing like umbrellas in a hurricane.
With the format allowing the two best scores from three players each day, Easthampstead racked up a total of 163 points — seven clear of nearest challengers Bungay & Waveney Valley from Suffolk.
For a field that started with 31 of England’s best junior club teams, all county-nominated through England Golf’s qualifiers, this was no small feat.
Day one was a slugfest at the top, with Easthampstead and Bungay & Waveney Valley both carding a superb 85 points to share the overnight lead.
The spark for Easthampstead’s opening salvo came from Sleigh, the 13-handicapper who decided the par-5 1st was far too easy for a birdie and went ahead and eagled it instead. She then threw in three more birdies, 10 pars, and a total of 49 points that could have been gift-wrapped for her teammates.
Bungay & Waveney Valley had their own stars in sisters Jessica and Isabelle McDonald. Jessica, playing off 26, knocked in five pars and a birdie, while her sister Isabelle, off six, produced 11 pars and a birdie of her own.
Sadly for teammate Dylan Cook, his 31 points were surplus to requirements in the scoring — the golfing equivalent of scoring a great goal after the whistle’s gone.
Round two was always going to require someone to stand up and deliver. Enter Sleigh — again. She scored on every single hole, chalked up two birdies and seven pars, and delivered another 42 points like it was nothing.
Backing her up, Davies, a 22-handicapper with nerves of steel, added a vital 36 points. Together, their 78-point haul was enough to clinch the championship.
Bungay & Waveney Valley, by comparison, managed just 71 points in the second round to finish second on 156. Lee-On-The-Solent (Hampshire) made a late charge thanks to Theo Etherington-Curtis, Jake Binny and Nicholas Dunning, climbing from fourth to third with 153 points — three behind the runners-up.
For Easthampstead, this was more than just a win; it was a statement. The Easthampstead Junior Champion Club didn’t just take the title — they took the field apart shot by shot, proving that junior golf is alive, well, and producing performances worthy of the Sunday back page.
Elsewhere, defending champions Saltford, with all new line-up for 2025, finished tied-9th and 2023 winners Links Newmarket were tied-13th. Check out the final leaderboard here.
