HAMPSHIRE’S juniors were presented with their 2016 awards at their first competitive get-together of the new season at Alresford GC (writes Andrew Griffin).

Bramshaw’s Hampshire Junior Champion, Alex Talbot, who claimed the U18 trophy at a rain-soaked Test Valley last April, picked up the county’s Harry Vardon U18 Player of the Year award – and still has one more year left in the junior ranks.

The U16 award went to James Sankey from Test Valley, while the U14 trophy was picked up by Mitchell MacArthur of Stoneham, and the Southampton player has been named in this year’s U16 squad.

It was a double for Romsey as Owen Grimes won the Hampshire Junior Tour Order of Merit gross prize, while clubmate George Nicholson-Jack took the handicap honours.

Meon Valley’s George Saunders has one more season in the Hampshire Boys squad and will be looking to capitalise on a great year in 2016 which saw the England U16 cap picked to play for his county at the English County Finals, where they were desperately disappointed to finish runners-up to Yorkshire.

But the experience gained by Saunders, who is the long-time practice partner of former English Amateur Champion Harry Ellis, a fellow Meon Valley member, should help in Hampshire’s quest to reach the English Boys Final after missing out in Norfolk last summer.

The county had appeared in the finals three times in the previous four years, with Scott Gregory and Rowlands Castle’s Billy McKenzie and Ellis – now two of the top-ranked US college golfers – all representing Hampshire in the finals.

Hampshire have named their U18 squad to compete in the South-East League this summer and from which a six-strong team will be chosen for the South-East Boys qualifier at Woodbridge, Suffolk, on July 13, with a place in the English Boys Finals at Northants County at the end of August, up for grabs.

The squad is: George Saunders (Meon Valley G&CC handicap plus 1.5); Alex Talbot (Bramshaw 0.3); Jack Warren (Stoneham 0.7); Thomas Rowsell (Barton-on-Sea 1.3); Jamie Markwick (Corhampton 1.3); Henry Sparks (Stoneham 1.4); Robbie Flower (Royal Winchester 1.6); Christian Lindgreen (North Hants 3.6); Aman Uddin (Meon Valley 3.9); James Freeman (Stoneham 4.4)

Liphook’s Samuel West, who plays off 4.6, has been named in the U16 squad, along with Corhampton five-handicapper Ossian Tate and Oak Park’s Robert Wheeler, who plays off six. North Hants’ Tom Sadler, off seven, is the highest handicapper in the squad. Clubmate Jeremy Brown, handicap 11, is in the U14 squad.

This year’s Hampshire Junior Championship will be played at Basingstoke’s Weybrook Park on Thursday, April 13. Ryder Cup stars Steve Richardson and Justin Rose are past champions.