Selina Bartarya claimed the Maconochie-Hill Claret Jug at Royal Cinque Ports after two rounds of 73 carried her to the 2026 Kent Women’s Amateur Championship by a single shot. The Royal Blackheath golfer finished on 146, holding off a determined afternoon charge from Alessandra Mitchell and adding the senior county title to the Kent Junior Girls’ Championship she had already won earlier in the year.

Bartarya Sets the Standard at Deal

Thirty-two of Kent’s leading amateur golfers assembled on the Deal links in bright sunshine, with only a light breeze to complicate matters. Royal Cinque Ports is rarely inclined to hand out favours, but the conditions at least allowed the field to see precisely where the trouble was waiting.

Bartarya made the most convincing start. Her opening one-over-par 73 established the target and gave her a narrow advantage heading into the afternoon. There was no flourish for the sake of it, no card-wrecking detour, just a controlled round on a course that has a habit of exposing even small lapses in judgement.

That composure mattered. A county championship played over 36 holes in one day rewards stamina as much as shot-making, and the second round often belongs to the player who can still make sensible decisions after lunch.

A Second 73 Keeps the Chasers Behind

Bartarya returned to the course and produced exactly the same score again. Another 73 gave her a total of 146 and left the rest of the field needing something exceptional.

Consistency can sound faintly unglamorous until it wins a championship. Then it begins to look rather clever.

“This was a great performance from one of our younger golfers, and we are all proud of her. She’s a great prospect for the future,” said Anne Wheble, golf manager.

The result confirmed Bartarya as one of the county’s most promising young players, but it also showed that her game is already capable of standing up in senior competition. Winning the junior and women’s county titles in the same season is a substantial achievement, particularly when the latter is secured on one of England’s sternest links courses.

Mitchell Applies the Pressure

Alessandra Mitchell of Prince’s Golf Club made certain there would be no comfortable walk to the trophy. She recorded the lowest round of the day with an afternoon 72, improving on her morning score and finishing one stroke behind Bartarya on 147.

It was the sort of pursuit that tests a leader’s patience. Mitchell kept reducing the margin, but Bartarya gave her nothing extravagant to chase. One poor hole could have reversed the result; it never arrived.

Danielle Thwaites of Marriott Tudor Park finished third on 155 after an impressive afternoon 74. Her strong second round lifted her into the leading trio and provided another reminder that the final 18 holes were where the championship began to tighten.

Roche-Kelly Wins the Handicap Plate

The Handicap Plate produced its own close finish. Lelia Roche-Kelly of Sundridge Park took the title with a combined nett score of 143.

Michelle Warden of Pedham Place finished second on countback with 144, while Lydia Doherty of West Malling secured third place. Natalie McPherson of Prince’s was the unfortunate player to miss out after a three-way countback, despite posting the lowest nett round of the day with a morning 65.

Countback is golf’s tidy administrative solution to emotional chaos. The numbers are clear, even if the disappointment is not.

Prince’s Retain the Team Challenge Shield

Prince’s Golf Club left Royal Cinque Ports with the Kent Team Challenge Shield for the second successive year. The victory earns the club the opportunity to represent Kent at the England Golf Women’s Champion Club competition at Felixstowe Ferry in August.

Mitchell’s runner-up finish formed part of a strong overall showing for Prince’s, while McPherson’s nett 65 underlined the depth of the club’s performance.

The championship was supported by volunteer organiser Helen Johnson, along with referees and volunteers Trevor, Kathie, Ken, Cheryl, Marilyn, Paul and Simon. Royal Cinque Ports provided a fitting venue for Kent’s leading women’s amateur championship: demanding enough to identify the best player, but fair enough to make the contest compelling.

Bartarya’s Season Gathers Momentum

Bartarya will now represent Kent at the Champion of Champions event at Woodhall Spa in September. The occasion will offer another measure of how far her game has travelled during a season in which she has already collected two of the county’s most important titles.

The 2027 Kent Women’s Amateur Championship will be staged at Canterbury Golf Club on Saturday, 5 June 2027.

For now, the Maconochie-Hill Claret Jug belongs to a player who found the same score twice and left everybody else one shot short.