EXPERIENCE mastered youth as John Little and Martin Jones triumphed over teenagers Liam Caffyn and Louis Hawes in the Norfolk County Foursomes final at Swaffham Golf Club.
The Sheringham duo barely put a foot wrong as they prevailed 2 and 1 from their young opponents after a classic tussle for the coveted handicap crown.
Evergreen Little, 61, and Jones, 60, edged 1-up with at a sand-save par at the third hole and never trailed in the match.
But they were made to work for their victory, especially on the front nine when Caffyn’s hot putter regularly kept finding the bottom of the cup.
Hawes also showed a sure touch on the greens and impressed with a series of crisply-struck iron approaches.
But the contest began to swing in Little and Jones’ favour from the ninth – and they had forged 3-up by the time the finalists walked off the 11th green.
Hawes and Caffyn – both just 14 years old – showed their mettle at the 12th with the latter slotting a 15-foot par putt after the former splashed out from a deep greenside trap.
Yet Jones came up with the answer, draining a crucial 12-footer to preserve a healthy lead that was extended at the next.
The youngsters kept plugging away and halved the arrears to 2-down before Little and Jones closed out a deserved win on the penultimate green.
It was an especially poignant moment for Little, who clinched the same title no less than 41 years earlier.
Little said: “It was a high quality match. The young boys were fearless putters and we dug in. A bit of experience and a few wily shots away from pins got us over the line.
“Patience, teamwork and keep the golf ball in play – simple as that in foursomes. Martin and I have been partners for a long while now. We’ve won a few things at club level and it’s great to come here and win a county event.”
Little and Jones earned the right to tee up on the second day, having finished top of the pile after an initial 36 holes of Stableford play.
They went on to record a 6 and 4 semi-final success over defending champions Lee Atkins and Jonathan Young before ending Caffyn and Hawes’ bold bid for glory.
The four pairs that were fifth to eighth in the opening day’s Stableford play battled for the second-flight title, claimed for the second year in succession by Bawburgh golfers Kevin Chapman and Jacob Jeary.
Day one also offered an inaugural scratch prize, which was landed by Sully Goddard (Bawburgh) and playing partner Josh Chamberlain (Thetford). They posted a Stableford tally of 65 points – three better than Jon Baker-Odlin and Simon Butts.