Amateur news: The Boys British Amateur Championship, which is often seen as an indicator of future success in the professional game, returns to Hunstanton GC for the first time since 1990 next week. From Monday, the Norfolk links will expose 256 international competitors to greens acknowledged to be among the slickest in England.
Ireland will have eight players in the field at Hunstanton, but this week the Boys Home International team will first be trying to stop England's run of seven championships in a row when Woodhall Spa, Lioncolnshire, entertain the under-18s, starting today.
Ireland will have two of the side that played at Portmarnock last year - Niall Kearney from Royal Dublin and Séamus Power from West Waterford - on duty again, and they will be joined by new caps Simon Doherty (Fortwilliam), Alan Glynn (Porters Park), Brian Keenan (The Heath), Shane Lowry (Esker Hills), Paul O'Kane (Massereene), Fergal Rafferty (Dungannon), Liam Reilly (Galgorm Castle), Patrick Sheehy (Limerick) and Simon Ward (Co Louth).
England, however, will start favourites to pick up their eighth title in a row, while Ireland, under the captaincy of Ciarán Burke (City of Derry), will be seeking their first success since 1997.
Thomas Haylock, the newly crowned English Boys champion, will lead the England team. Haylock is one of four new caps in the team, the others being Jamie Abbott from Suffolk, Hampshire-based Sam Hutsby and Haylock's Hertfordshire colleague James Watts.
The rest of what is a powerful line-up includes the complete squad from the European Boys Team Championships in Italy last month - Jake Amos, Stephen Capper, Matthew Evans, Tom Oliver, Tom Sherreard, and Daniel Willett - plus Ben Parker, the only survivor from last year's successful side at Portmarnock.
Jordan Findlay, last year's British Boys champion, and Steven McEwan of Kilmarnock (Barrassie) will be the backbone of the Scottish side.
Ward, Lowry, Power, Kearney, Keenan and Glynn from the Irish International team will be joined by Brendan Walton (The Island) and Nicky Heather (Portmarnock) in the Amateur field at Hunstanton GC as they take on the best in Europe.
Fast greens and a windswept course will be nothing new to defending champion Jordan Findlay. The Scot is well used to tough conditions and to the elements he might encounter at Hunstanton, as he hails from Fraserburgh on Scotland's Moray Firth coast where windless days are the exception. In last year's final at Conwy, he was twice three down but recovered to become the third Scot in seven years to lift the title.
The player he beat in last year's final, England Boys' captain Tom Sherreard of Chart Hills, will be trying to take his campaign one step further this year. He has won the McEvoy Trophy this year and also has several victories in the Faldo Series to his name.
Meanwhile, England will be looking at the double when the Girls Home Internationals are played at Worplesdon GC, Surrey, starting tomorrow, after their run of five successive victories from 2000 to 2004.
Recently crowned Irish Girls' champion Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down Ladies) leads the Irish team. Ireland, yet to claim significant honours at this level, produced their best showing in 2004 when they finished second. Having beaten Wales and Scotland, Ireland lost to England, while Wales' victory over England on the final day forced a three-way tie for the championship, which England eventually won on a countback.
Stephanie Meadow, at 13 years of age from Royal Portrush, is sure to create a stir when she makes her debut at this level. Meadow first hit the scene in 2004 when she was beaten by Carlow's Tara Delaney in the Girl's Championship final. Meadow was beaten in the quarter-finals of this year's event, while Delaney continues to make quite an impact at Senior level, already having successfully defended her Irish Women's Open Strokeplay title at Hermitage Golf Club last weekend.
Joining Meadow are International first-timers Victoria Bradshaw, Laura Holmes and Ann McCormack. Like McVeigh, Fiona Carroll, Sarah Faller and Emma Gilmore will benefit from the experience of Ireland's first ever participation in the Under-18 European Team Championships at Lucerne in July. The team is captained by Co Louth's Jackie Quinn and managed by Munster's Rose Doyle.
Winners in junior golf rarely have the chance to defend their title as senior golf beckons. However at West Hill, Surrey, where the Girls' British Open Amateur Championship will be played from August 8th-12th, the 2004 winner, Azahara Munoz of Spain, and runner-up, Valentine Derrey of France, will be renewing their battle for the 2005 title.
Last year, it was Munoz who outplayed her French opponent, winning the final by a comfortable 4 and 2. Not only did Munoz win the title but jointly led the qualifiers with Spanish team-mate Carlota Ciganda.
Ciganda added to the win of Munoz and made it a Spanish double with an outstanding win in the European Women's Championship played in Sweden.
BOYS HOME INTERNATIONAL SQUADS
IRELAND: Simon Doherty (Fortwilliam), Alan Glynn (Porters Park), Niall Kearney (Royal Dublin), Brian Keenan (The Heath), Shane Lowry (Esker Hills), Paul O'Kane (Massereene), Séamus Power (West Waterford), Fergal Rafferty (Dungannon), Liam Reilly (Galgorm Castle), Paul Sheehy (Limerick), Simon Ward (Co Louth). Non-Playing Captain: Ciarán Burke
ENGLAND: Tom Sherreard (Chart Hills), Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley), Jake Amos (Kilworth Springs), Stephen Capper (Caldy), Matthew Evans (Rotherham), Tom Haylock (The Hertfordshire), Sam Hutsby (Lee-on-the-Solent), Tom Oliver (Notts), Ben Parker (Gut Waldhof, Germany), James Watts (East Herts), Daniel Willett (Rotherham). Captain: Tom Sherreard.
SCOTLAND: David Addison (Kilmarnock, Barassie), Scott Borrowman (Dollar), Chris Bell (Colville Park), Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh), Scott Henry (Cardross), Ross Kellett (Colville Park), Lewis Kirton (Newmachar), Steven McEwan (Kilmarnock, Barassie), Robert McKnight (Kilmarnock, Barassie), Euan Polson (Royal Dornoch), James White (Lundin), Non-Playing Captain: Wilson Bryson
WALES: Tom Benjamin (Newport), Rhys Enoch (Truro), James Frazer (Morriston), Zach Gould (Vale of Glamorgan), Jamie Howie (Royal St David's), Lee Lewis (Gower), Marc Lewis (Borth & Ynyslas), Richard Merchant (Monmouthshire), Adam Runcie (Abergele), Jason Shufflebotham (Prestatyn), Mark Trow (Llanmynech). Non-Playing Captain: Dr Phil Dixon.
