North Hants Golf Club's Albie Beeston was praised by Hampshire’s Challenge League captain after helping him to a valuable half on his debut as Harrison Pake’s team claimed the South Division title for a second-year running.

Pake chose to bring Beeston – the newly-crowned Hampshire Junior Champion from Basingstoke – in for his Challenge League debut – at the age of 15 with a place in the South East Challenge League Final at stake.

Hampshire claimed a 7-5 victory at Chislehurst on Sunday to make it three wins out of four and beat Sussex by a point – but with a much bigger points difference, thanks to their 11-1 win over Kent at North Hants GC, last month.

And Pake, who took over the captaincy from North Hants’ Lawrence Cherry back in May – after the Fleet club’s former assistant manager took a dream job in Dubai – was impressed with what he saw from Beeston, who has been a member of Hampshire’s U14 and U16 teams over the past four seasons.

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Beeston showed no nerves partnering Pake as the teenager produced a deft approach into the sixth hole in the morning foursomes. He punched a nine-iron from 100 yards to set up a birdie chance with Kent in trouble on the hole in the bottom match.

But the pair were two-down with three to play against George-Harris Andrew and Theo Rowe, with Kent looking to make it 2-2 going into lunch.

The pressure was on as Pake hit a two-iron onto the green on the short, par-four 16th, and Beeston cosied his eagle attempt to guarantee Pake the birdie to reduce the deficit to one.

Beeston, who won the Hampshire U12s three years ago, stepped up to hit an eight-iron on the 170-yard 17th, to 12 feet below the hole with the pin tucked on the left and out-of-bounds just a few feet away.

Both players could only watch in horror though as Pake’s birdie putt horseshoed around the hole and stayed up, meaning they had to win the last to avoid defeat.

A scrappy hole by the hosts gave Hampshire the bit of luck they had been denied on the penultimate hole.

Beeston was the third North Hants player in the eight-man team that travelled to Kent needing just a draw to retain their title.

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Rob Wheeler, who has been a member of the first-team squad over the past two seasons, helped Hockley’s Luke Hodgetts to a one-hole win over Kent’s Sam Pantlin and Sam Beadle in the top match, after Hayling’s former Portsmouth FC Academy player Richard Harris and clubmate Joe Foster had won 3&2 to put the first point on the board.

Atkins, who reached the semi-finals of the Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands Amateur Championship to force his way into Pake’s thinking back in June, teamed up with Hartley Wintney’s Charlie Preston, to come back from two-down.

But they lost two late holes to go down 2&1 against Kent’s Chislehurst member Ben Hatton and Xavier Hollands, to make it 2-1 to Hampshire.

Wheeler and Atkins went out first in the singles, followed by Beeston, with Atkins beating Rowe 4&2, while Wheeler drew the top match with Harris-Andrew.

Beeston battled bravely before losing 4&2 to Kent’s Jordan Hall. Having been three-up after three, the 2021 Hampshire U12 Champion lost five out of the next six holes, and then lost three in a row from the 14th.

A pleased Pake said: “I was really impressed with Albie. I am sure he felt nervous, but it never showed in the way he played, or his demeanor.

“It has been quite tough to pick a team for each match because we have a lot of players who are good enough to play.

“After the 11-1 win, it would have been easy to keep the same team. But I felt it was important to give Albie a taste of what men’s golf is about, and as a reward for his win in the junior championship.

“I was really impressed from the moment I did a Zoom call to tell him he had been picked, to the way he conducted himself over the weekend. I was able to watch him hit some quality shots.

“I think it helped that he plays a lot of golf at North Hants with Charlie Preston so he had another junior and friend in the team.

“Albie’s only 15 but he’s very mature and responsible and fitted in well with the older guys in the team.”