Ireland Make Winning Start

RandA

Ireland made a winning start in the defence of their Boys Home Internationals title when they defeated Wales 4-1 in the morning foursomes at Western Gailes Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland.

This year’s Junior Open champion Kevin LeBlanc, playing alongside Kerry’s James O’Driscoll in the top match, enjoyed a resounding 7 and 6 win over Jack Davidson and Thomas Williams.

The Irish pair raced into a five-up lead by the time they reached the turn at the immaculate links venue. From there they never looked back and eventually closed out the match on the 12th green.

Eoin Leonard and Cathal Butler put another point on the board for Ireland with their 3 and 2 win over Lewys Sanges and Joshua Davies in the third match. Shortly afterwards the experienced pair of James Sugrue and Rowan Lester, both members of Roy Archibalds’s winning side from Forest Pines last year, defeated Ben Chamberlain and David Ramsay by one hole.

In the bottom match Thomas Mulligan and Owen Crooks had a tight encounter with Tim Harry and Kyle Harman before they secured Ireland’s fourth point of the session by one hole.

It was Gaelen Trew and Thomas Froom who ensured Ireland didn’t have it all their own way when the Welsh pair defeated Conor Purcell and Jamie Fletcher 3 and 2.

It was a much tighter affair in the second foursomes tie where Marco Penge and Harry Hall came through with the decisive point to give England a narrow 3-2 win over Scotland. The English pair defeated Calum Fyfe and Niall McMullen 2 and 1.

The strong pairing of Ewen Ferguson and Murray Naysmith gave Scotland an early point after their 5 and 4 win over Haydn McMullen and Jamie Dick in the top match.

The second tie went to the final green before Bradley Moore and Jonathan Thomson got the better of Robert MacIntyre and Ben Kinsley by 1 hole. 

Adam Fisher and Stuart Easton were comprehensive 6 and 4 winners against England’s Jack Singh Brar and Jamie Li, while Ashton Turner and Jake Storey levelled proceedings with their 4 and 3 win over George Burns and Ryan Lumsden in the bottom match.

However, it was Derek Hughes’ side who will enjoy lunch better after Penge and Hall came through with the wining point.

Today’s opening matches move onto the ten afternoon singles ties to decide the first day’s play in the overall round robin format played over three days.

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Ireland Defend Home International Trophy

Ireland will seek to defend the Boys Home Internationals trophy in the face of stiff competition at Western Gailes this week. 

The Irish won in dramatic fashion at Forest Pines last year as Scotland failed to beat England in their final match with the result coming down to the last few singles matches. 

England will be looking to win their third title in four years at the Ayrshire links from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 August while Scotland will be looking for their first win since 2006 at Moray and Wales will be hoping to achieve their first victory in the round robin series of matches. 

Captain Roy Archibald’s line-up will feature only two members of the victorious 2013 team in Lincolnshire: Rowan Lester, who represented Ireland in the European Boys Team Championship in Oslo last month, and James Sugrue, who won the Munster Youths Amateur Open Championship in April. Kevin Leblanc will be expected to play a key role for the Irish after winning The R&A’s Junior Open Championship at West Lancs last month. 

The English team will be led by Ashton Turner, who will make his third consecutive appearance in the Boys Home Internationals, Bradley Moore, who won the Irish Boys Amateur Open Championship in June, and Marco Penge, who finished tied fourth with Matty Lamb in the recent McGregor Trophy. 

The 2013 Boys Amateur Champion Ewen Ferguson, who recently added the Scottish Boys Open Stroke Play title to his Scottish Boys Match Play crown, will lead a strong Scottish team that also includes Scottish Boys Stroke Play runner-up Ben Kinsley and Robert MacIntyre, who last year became the first player to win the Scottish boys and youths stroke play titles in the same year. 

Newly crowned Welsh Boys Match Play Champion Ben Chamberlain will be in confident mood for the matches as will his team mate Thomas Williams, who will be looking to build on the form which saw him reach the semi-finals at Wenvoe Castle. 

Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, Executive Director – Championships at The R&A, said, “The Boys Home Internationals matches give the talented young players the opportunity to gain valuable experience of representing their countries and playing against their peers from the other Home Nations. We would encourage spectators to come along to support the event at Western Gailes this week where the matches should be as closely contested as ever.” 

The teams are as follows: 

Ireland: Cathal Butler (Kinsale), Owen Crooks (Bushfoot), Jamie Fletcher (Warrenpoint), Peter Kerr (Royal Portrush), Kevin Leblanc (The Island), Eoin Leonard (Wentworth), Rowan Lester (Hermitage), Thomas Mulligan (Laytown & Bettystown), Tommy O’Driscoll (Ring of Kerry), Conor Purcell (Portmarnock) and James Sugrue (Mallow). 

England: Jamie Dick (Forest Hills), Harry Hall (West Cornwall), Matty Lamb (Hexham), Jamie Li (Bath), Haydn McCullen (Delamere Forest), Bradley Moore (Kedleston Park), Marco Penge (Golf at Goodwood), Jack Singh Brar (Remedy Oak), Jake Storey (Alnmouth), Jonathan Thomson (Lindrick) and Ashton Turner (Kenwick Park). 

Scotland: Joseph Bryce (Bathgate), George Burns (Williamwood), Stuart Easton (Irvine), Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden), Adam Fisher (Newmachar), Calum Fyfe (Cawder), Ben Kinsley (St Andrews), Ryan Lumsden (Royal Wimbledon), Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten), Niall McMullen (Lundin) and Murray Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy). 

Wales: Jack Davidson (Llanwern), Joshua Davies (Celtic Manor), Tim Harry (Vale Resort), Kyle Harman (Radyr), David Ramsay (Mold), Thomas Williams (Wrexham), Ben Chamberlain (Padeswood & Buckley), Lewys Sanges (Celtic Manor), Gaelen Trew (Wentworth), Rhys Jones (Mountain Ash) and Thomas Froom (Nefyn). 

The Boys Home Internationals has been a proving ground for dozens of Walker Cup players and future Major Championship winners including Open Champion Rory McIlroy, the 2013 US Open Champion Justin Rose, six-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo, former Open and Masters Champion Sandy Lyle and former Open Champion Darren Clarke. 

Spectators are admitted free of charge to the event, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday, 5-7 August. The playing format is a full round robin series of matches comprising five morning foursomes and ten afternoon singles matches. The morning foursomes tee off from 8am and the afternoon singles matches from 12.30pm each day. 

Match one on Tuesday 5 August will be Ireland versus Wales and match two will be England versus Scotland.