England Boys win Nations Cup with Rotherham's Schmidt their leading player

THE SEASON is winding down, which will come as a big disappointment to Rotherham's Ben Schmidt who continues to enjoy success.
The England squad with their trophies, l-r, Conor Gough, Ben Schmidt, Max Hopkins and George Leigh.The England squad with their trophies, l-r, Conor Gough, Ben Schmidt, Max Hopkins and George Leigh.
The England squad with their trophies, l-r, Conor Gough, Ben Schmidt, Max Hopkins and George Leigh.

Having become the youngest winner of the Lee Westwood Trophy last month, the 16-year-old helped England to victory in the Nations Cup at the Italian Under-16 boys’ championship.

Schmidt also claimed the individual runner-up trophy at the weather-hit event at Biella.

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He teamed up with British Boys’ Champion Conor Gough (Stoke Park) and Max Hopkins (Bishops Stortford) to take the team prize by 10 shots from South Africa thanks to their aggregate of 12 under over the first two rounds.

All three also contended strongly for the individual title with Schmidt taking runner-up spot following his final round of one-under 72. He finished the 54-hole stretch on two-under alongside Hopkins and South Africa’s Samuel Simpson.

Gough - who denied Schmidt the McGregor Trophy earlier this summer with four birdies in his final six holes - had carded five-under-par 68 to lead after round one. He was usurped by Hopkins's six-under tally after 36 holes.

Bad weather In the third round led to two suspensions in play and, ultimately, the cancellation of the fourth round. Schmidt, however, made light of the conditions to climb the leaderboard.

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As well as finishing runner-up to Gough in the McGregor Trophy - the English Under-16 boys’ open - and winning the Lee Westwood Trophy, Schmidt also played a big part in Yorkshire Boys' successful defence of their English title in the County Finals, in which he was undefeated.

The championship at Biella and the Teodoro Soldati Trophy was won by Italy’s Lucas Nicolas Fallotico, who finished four under.