Holy smoke! Mark stuns Carlisle with an ace
Last updated 05:41, Friday, 22 August 2008
CARLISLE golfer Mark McCall knew the pressure was on as he stood of the brink on victory.
The 16-year-old needed to halve his match to post a win which would secure Eden Golf Club a draw in their Cumbria Junior League clash at Carlisle.
But there was a shock in store for Mark, who watched stunned as his shot went straight in the hole from 151 yards away.
It was his first ever hole-in-one and he achieved his feat using a seven iron at the par three 17th.
The 12 handicapper, from Durdar, won his match 3&1, to secure Eden a 3-3 draw to finish second in the league behind Carlisle.
Mark said: “I was two-up in the match and needed a half to win it. My opponent went first because he birdied the hole before.
“I went for the middle of the green – and it went in. I saw it bounce and disappear but I didn’t know where it went.
“There were a few people around the hole and I heard them cheering and clapping. I just threw my hands in the air and then went to double check.”
Mark has just started a career in golf at carlisle Driving Range, and hopes to become a qualified teaching professional.
Meanwhile, Carlisle golfer Stephen Jopson’s 10-foot chip at the 18th hole secured a sensational 9½-8½ victory for Cumbria over Yorkshire at Workington last Saturday to edge them nearer the Northern Counties League title.
After Cumbria’s first three pairings of Gary Wolstenholme and Simon Young, John Longcake and Andrew Atkinson and Nicky Bell and Martin Hand all won, Yorkshire then pulled level, leaving the match evenly poised going into the afternoon’s singles.
All eyes were on Jopson going to the final hole, and he halved his match against James Maw and to clinch the memorable victory.
Fourteen-year-old Seb Crookall-Nixon, Cumbria’s youngest ever player, won his singles match 5&3, while there were also victories for Longcake, Wolstenholme, Young, Hand and Grant Little.
Cumbria now face Durham at Dinsdale Spa in their final game of the season on August 30.
County captain Cliff Heath sends his top six players into battle against Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire and hosts the Isle of Man tomorrow in the EGU Northern Counties qualifier, known as the Big Six, aiming for a place in the national final.
The Cumbria party sailed over to the Isle of Man yesterday for a practice round at Castletown today.
Cumbria: John Longcake (Silloth), Gary Wolstenholme (Carus Green), Will Bowe (Workington), Martin Hand (Carlisle), Simon Young (Workington), Nicky Bell (Carlisle), reserves: James Atkinson (Kendal), Geoff Nixon (Brampton) and Craig Morrow (Ulverston).
