Newcastle District will be represented by the youngest team ever at the NSW Country Championship in Bathurst this weekend.
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Recently-crowned Toronto club champion Jake Riley is the baby of the team at age 14 and Oscar Gilson the most senior at 18.
What's more Newcastle District secretary Rod Carruthers believes they can contend for the title.
Reecent adverse weather conditions have forced changes to the club championships at Merewether, Waratah and Charlestown. As a result, the bulk of the Newcastle District senior squad were not available.
"It's the first time we have gone with six juniors and we will be the only district to do so," Carruthers said. "Four of the juniors on on plus-handicaps. We don't lose a hell of a lot in quality by going to the juniors. They have been among the best performed players in the order of merit. It is not a backward step. We have a couple of club champions in Hamish Ellison and Jake Riley, Jake Dundas and Josh Robards are in the NSW junior team. It is a well-credentialed team."
Newcastle: Riley (14 years), Dundas (15), Ellison (16), Robards (16), Reece Green (17), Gilson (18).
Corey Lamb heads a strong Hunter River side that includes Hayden Gulliver, Josh Fuller and Clayton Small, who won the Maitland club championships last weekend. Lamb beat Fuller on the 18th hole to win the Vintage club championships.
The best five scores at the 36-hole championship go towards the team score.
* Rising star Brij Ingrey has progressed to the semi-final of the club championships at The Australian. The 14-year-old, who is also a member at Newcastle, joined The Australian this year and won the prestigious Kensington Cup earlier this month.
* Charlestown gun Jye Pickin, who is home from the US until January, tees off in the New Zealand Amateur Championships at the Remuera Golf Club in Auckland on Wednesday.
* Paul Foulcher up-staged Toronto's pennants players to win the club short course championships on Saturday. A single-figure handicapper, Foulcher carded a two-over 73 from the yellow tees in brutal conditions.
* Merewether pennants co-captains Craig Jones and Luke Ferrier will go head-to-head on Saturday for the club championship. Jones (70,69) and Ferrier (69,70) sit equal at one under, 10 strokes clear of Dane McKay and Dave Cook.
* Blake Windred flies out to Spain on Saturday for the second stage of European Tour School, starting November 7.
Windred is fresh from a second straight top-10 finish as a professional, carding rounds of 71,64,74,68 to be tied for seventh in the Victorian PGA last week. Andrew Dodt (69,64,72,71) was the best placed of the Hunter contingent in a tie for fifth.