A busy summer lies ahead for Darcie Smith, a talented 15 year old golfer from Camber after a successful start to her 2015 season.
On June 21, Smith will head to Peterborough Milton Golf Club for the national final of the English Schools Golf Association Championship. She will tee up against 26 other girls from around England, who have also gone through two stages of qualifying to earn their place in the final. 
In April, Smith started her campaign, representing Homewood School and 6th Form Centre in the Kent Schools Championship, which was held at Shooters Hill Golf Club in South East London. In a small but tough field, where all the competitors formed the England Girls South East Region Development Squad, she finished 2nd, one shot back from the winner, Nicole Amos. This result took her to the South of England Region Schools Championship at Mill Ride Golf Club near Ascot. After round one, Smith who had shot 80, lay a shot behind the morning leader Gemma Allman from Middlesex.
The second round started well and at the turn Smith was 3 shots clear of Allman. Disaster struck, however on the 16th hole with a hooked tee shot into dense trees and although the ball was found, a quadruple bogey was carded and the lead was gone. She battled bravely for the remaining two holes, with a par on 17 and after a long drive and exquisite 4 wood onto the green of the 462 yard par 5 18th, she left herself a 9 foot putt for eagle and a share of the lead. Her putt finished an agonising 6 inches from the hole and the resultant tap in for birdie secured her a very commendable 3rd place finish. Once again, she was one shot back from the winner, her Kent and England colleague Nicole Amos, who had shot the best round of the day in the afternoon in the Girls Championship with a 79.
In between her successful attempt in getting to the English Schools Finals, Smith competed in a qualifying event for the 2015 Daily Express sponsored Andalucia Junior European Open at Lingfield Park Golf Club. After reaching the finals in 2014 and securing a 10th place finish, she was desperate to qualify again and achieved this with another 2nd place finish on a bleak day in early May. The finals will once again be held over 5 rounds in Spain in December, with the first four rounds held at Alcaidesa Golf Resort and then those that make the cut competing for the title at Finca Cortesin which has hosted the Volvo World Matchplay Championship on three occasions.
Smith, who is a member at Chart Hills Golf Club and a cadet member at Rye Golf Club, represents both Kent Ladies and Girls and is a member of the 2014-15 England Girls South East Region Squad. She has also made her début for the Kent Ladies 1st team in a match against Littlestone earlier this year and has played for the Ladies 2nd team against Middlesex. She has been selected again for the Ladies 2nd team to play against Hampshire at Langley Park Golf Club in July. This match will start a busy July for the teenage golfer, who will also be travelling to Royal Cromer Golf Club in Norfolk, to compete in the English Girls Under 16 Championship and to Drumpellier Golf Club near Glasgow for the Scottish Ladies Junior Open Championship. She will be hoping for another successful trip across the border, after travelling to Strathmore Golf Club near Perth in April for the Scottish Girls Under 16 Championship, where she finished a very creditable 34th in a field of 102 young golfers.
Photos by Darren Smith