HAMPSHIRE captain’s Lawrence Cherry’s faith in introducing new blood into the county first-team was rewarded with a one-point victory over Jersey.

The youngest captain in Hampshire Golf’s post-war history included himself for the trip to Royal Jersey.

Vice-captain Toby Burden, Hayling’s winner of the last two Hampshire Order of Merits, was unavailable – as was Rowlands Castle’s former GB&I international Darren Wright.

The latter had finished seventh in last week’s nationally-ranked Hampshire Hog at North Hants GC.

He still had the experienced trio of Test Valley’s reigning English Mid-Amateur Champion Stuart Archibald and fellow over 35s champion Martin Young, the last Hampshire skipper to land the English County Championship, back in 2017.

Stoneham’s Cherry – who led Hampshire Colts to the South East League title last summer for the first time since 2016 – took over the captaincy from Neil Dawson in February, and pledged to continue blooding younger players with the county’s mid-am stalwarts (over 35s) not getting any younger.

Cherry gave debuts to clubmate Harrison Pake, North Hants’ Robert Wheeler and former Hampshire Junior Champion Aman Uddin, from Lee-on-the-Solent GC.

Uddin and Pake, who knocked Burden out of last year’s county championship on his way to the last four, picked up the first point in Saturday’s foursomes, winning 4&3 in the bottom match.

Hockley’s Luke Hodgetts –winner of last year’s prestigious Selborne Salver at Blackmoor GC – helped Archibald to a 2&1 win in the top match.

Wheeler and Young then claimed a two-hole win to make it 3-0 to the visitors.

Blackmoor veteran Mark Burgess, who has played in three English County Finals since 2013, partnered Cherry.

But they lost 2&1 to Royal Jersey pairing Josh Ozard and James Draisey, who made the most of their local knowledge.

Young lost in the last Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship final held at Royal Jersey, in 2017, and romped to an 8&7 win over Guernsey’s Danny Blondel in the second of Sunday’s eight singles.

Archibald beat Draisey 2&1 in the top match, while Pake faced the redoubtable Richard Ramskill, a former Hampshire player more than 20 years ago.

The 32-year-old, who works for Wave 105 radio station, showed his progress over the last couple of years by completing a fine 3&2 win to claim maximum points in his first full match in Hampshire blue.

The bottom four matches were all very tight so Cherry was pleased when Wheeler held out for the decisive half against Royal Guernsey’s former pro Jeremy Nicolle.

Cherry lost by one hole to former Hampshire Boys player Matthew Parkman, who grew up living by the course, and Burgess and Hodgetts both lost on the 18th green as the Channel Islanders fought back.

Uddin lost 4&2 to Jamie Blondel, leaving Hampshire the victors by 61/2-51/2.

Cherry must now pick a team for the first South East League match against Kent at Liphook at the end of May.

The county’s four top US college players should be back in the USA, including Bramshaw’s Joe Buenfeld, the 2019 European Junior Open winner, who lost to Stoneham’s James Freeman in the 2022 county final.

That weekend also sees the Brabazon Trophy – the English Amateur Strokeplay Championship – being held at Sunningdale.

A number of the team are entered in the Brabazon South Qualifier being held at Goodwood, on May 16, while Wright – the winner at Hoylake in 2010 – has been granted an exemption as a past champion.

The former EuroPro Tour winner will play in the Brabazon at the famous Berkshire club’s New Course on May 25 and 26, with the top 60 qualifying for the weekend.

Burden and Young have both won Sunningdale’s Gerald Micklem Trophy, one of Europe’s top mid-am tournaments.