TEST Valley’s Stuart Archibald was a shoe-in to play against Kent at Liphook, in Hampshire’s first South East League game of the season.

But as a result of his historic English Mid-Amateur Championship victory at Liphook last summer, the 38-year-old former EuroPro Tour winner was given an exemption into the English Amateur Strokeplay Championship at Sunningdale.

And the famous Berkshire course – which has hosted everything the Walker Cup to European Tour events and the British Senior Open a couple of years ago – is the one Stuart would choose to play over Liphook right now.

The Brabazon Trophy attracts one of the strongest international fields outside of America and Hampshire have a fine record in the English Strokeplay – after Darren Wright and Neil Raymond (back-to-back) won it three years in a row from 2010.

Archibald, who has Sunningdale’s Gerald Micklem Trophy on his shortlist – alongside the English Mid-Am – as his two must play events, was determined to take up the invite after his play-off win to claim the Logan Trophy for the best over 35s from all over Europe, at Liphook.

Archibald, who is now firmly back in Hampshire’s first team three years after regaining his amateur status, missed the cut at Sunningdale, on Friday.

So county captain Lawrence Cherry was quickly on the phone, offering him a place in Sunday’s league team.

Cherry, who is the youngest Hampshire captain in more than 70 years, has nailed his colours to winning the South Division in 2023 – the first time since 2018.

He wants the chance to land the Daily Telegraph Salver by winning October’s league final for the first time since Stoneham’s Richard Elmes led Hampshire to the South East title in 2012.

After playing with Hockley’s Luke Hodgetts in the foursomes when Hampshire beat the Channel Islands at Royal Jersey, in a pre-season friendly om April, Cherry was keen to pair Archibald with him again against Kent.

The selection choice paid off as Archibald and Hodgetts romped to a 6&4 win in the bottom match, as the hosts flipped the top two matches – having trailed early on – to lead 3-1 at lunch.

Both players were put out at the back of the order for the afternoon singles.

And the points were already secured by the time Archibald got up-and-down for his birdie four on the last to beat Nick Panting by two holes, in the penultimate game.

Archibald was very happy with their – and the team’s – performance as Hampshire ran out comfortable 8-4 winners.

Archibald said: “We lost the first in the morning, but Luke made two great birdie putts from 12-15 feet on the second and seventh, and I made a couple of good par putts to win holes on the third and fourth.

“We were five-up at the turn and although we gave away the 10th, Luke made another 15-foot birdie putt on 11 to go five-up before they conceded the 14th after we hit it in close, for the win.”

Archibald added: “Our games seems to complement each other well, hitting it about the same length off the tee.

“My approach play is probably my strength, and Luke putts a bit better than me, so in alternate-shot format, that is a good combination.”

Captain Cherry, from Stoneham GC, was full of praise for his team’s commitment and fight to get Hampshire off to a winning start.

His side travel to Sussex in late June, before finishing their fixtures with a clash against Surrey, at Blackmoor on the first weekend of August.