ASHLEY Siddle will make his England debut for the Schools side against Wales on August 28, but the Rossendale teenager is hoping to get some well-earned rest first!
The former Haslingden High School pupil, who gets his A Level results today, is feeling rather jaded after weeks of playing tournaments week in, week out.
Despite enjoying success at the English Amateur Men's Championships at Saunton, Devon, earlier this month -- he reached the semi-finals -- he feels his game has been 'off' for around two months.
"I wasn't really playing well at the English Amateurs," admitted Siddle, who has also been struggling with a shoulder injury.
"I scrambled it round really, I haven't been hitting it well at all."
Earlier this week he was in Scarborough to play in the British Amateur Boys Championships at Ganton, but he was knocked out in the second round by Swiss player Tino Weiss, who beat him by three holes with two to play.
"I struggled," he said. "I got off to a really bad start in the second round match, I was three holes down after four and four down after eight."
He took a golf lesson yesterday -- he felt he needed it -- before travelling to Woodall Spa in Lincolnshire for the Champion of Champions event.
"I have struggled for about two months," he said. "I don't know what is wrong. Some people have said it is too much golf.
"I am taking three or four days off next week, but that is because I am being forced to because I'll have no clubs. Mine keep breaking so they are sending me some new ones."
Siddle says the pressure to compete in every competition is huge.
"It is tempting to play as much as you can and there are always big competitions that you can't afford to miss.
"It's a hard choice to stop at home, you have to get your name known.
"You want to get your handicap down and you want to win things. It is a pressure you put on yourself but sometimes it feels like you are playing one tournament after the next."
Tony Moss, the Lancashire Juniors coach, said too much golf can have a detrimental effect on young players.
"One of the problems is that some of them are good enough to play in senior men's and boys' competitions," he said.
"It is hard for players to organise their schedules. We emphasise that they shouldn't play too much but there are all sorts of competitions that they are under pressure to enter and they want to enter them all for their own careers and golf advancement.
"Even senior men have trouble organising their playing programmes.
"But I don't think the effects are long-term. There is a danger of burn-out if you play far too much but it is important to understand that you can't produce your best golf all the time. Even the best players don't win all the time."
Siddle hopes the short time off will help his game and he is hoping to be named in the Lancashire Men's side for the first time for the match against Yorkshire.
"It would be great to play for Lancashire especially in the last and most important game of the season," he said.
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