UAE team clinch Abu Dhabi championship

The UAE team staved off a stiff challenge from the United Kingdom to clinch the Abu Dhabi Junior Golf Championship held in association with the Daily Telegraph at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. With top players finding their putting grooves at the right time, the home side won 6.5 to 5.5 in the championship, which followed the four-ball, better-ball format. Joel Neale, who recently turned professional, and Alison White recorded the biggest win of the day for the UAE when they beat Andrew Coltart and Hayley Davis 5 and 3 to set the tone for a rewarding day at the Gary Player-designed course. The Musharrakh brothers, Ahmad and Hassan, also made their presence felt, clinching their respective ties with ease. Ahmad, who plays off a plus three handicap, combined effectively with Rory Blincow to beat Rod Gilmour and Oliver Carr 3 and 2, while Hassan, pairing with James Sayer, accounted for Brogan Townend and Lesley Atkins 3 and 1. The UAE's Lindsay Brown and Franco Botha were too good for the UK pairing of Amy Boulden and Samantha Giles, winning 2 and 1, matching the performance of teammates Harley Knight and Dale Marmion, who beat Jack Singh Brar and Alex Gleeso. Callum Mills and Eoin Cunliffe further consolidated the UAE's position with a 1-up verdict against James Newton and Ben Anderson, while Bilal Bilaid and Jonny McLeod finished all-square with Jimmy Mullen and William Pennington. Daniel Hendry, the winner of the recent Shaikh Rashid Trophy, and Sana Tufail suffered a shock 1-up defeat against Lauren Taylor and Oliver Walsh.