JERSEY golfer Jack Critchley just failed in his bid to win the Channel Islands junior matchplay title last weekend.

Playing at L’Ancresse in Guernsey, the La Moye 17-year-old lost a high-quality match to Guernsey’s Jack Mitchell at the first hole of a sudden-death play-off.

Critchley said: ‘I was gutted in the end, I rushed a small putt, missed it and it was all over.

‘Mitchell is a quality golfer and I think I surprised him.

He plays off 1.6 handicap and his win is now the third on the trot.

‘I surprised him I’m sure and when I birdied the 15th to level the match I really thought I had him.

I played really well, solid.

‘My chipping and putting was really good and in the end I lost it by rushing my putt.’ Critchley, an apprentice greenkeeper at Royal Jersey, played in the CI final despite losing the Jersey final – at the third extra hole to club colleague Seb Brown.

The latter was unavailable as he is currently playing inter-Collegiate golf in America.

‘The Jersey final was similar to the CI final,’ added Critchley.

‘I was two-down with five holes to play and levelled after playing the holes in three under par.

But then I had a six on a par three and that was the end of that.’ Mitchell admitted he found the Critchley match far harder than he expected.

‘He didn’t make many mistakes really.

It was a bit of a shock to me.

I thought it would be a pretty easy match.’ After the opening five holes had been halved, Critchley went ahead with a birdie at the long sixth.

But when Critchley found bushes on the ninth and was forced to take a drop, Mitchell levelled with a par and also won the next to go in front for the first time.

But by the 15th they were level again, Critchley having produced the shot of the day at the long 14th.

He knocked a lob wedge from about 90 yards to 18 inches and the birdie won him the hole.

Both players birdied the 17th and finished with threes and it was back down the first for the conclusion.

Match referee Brian Lucas was full of praise for both young men, he said: There was some wonderful golf played .

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some very, very good stuff.’