ENGLAND NAME SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE SQUAD
The English Golf Union has, once again, called up twenty-four
youngsters, including six from the Under-16 age group, for
its annual School of Excellence. The group will attend a series
of coaching and assessment sessions being held at the National
Golf Centre, Woodhall Spa, between now and next summer.
The group includes nine members of the side that beat Scotland
in the annual Under-16 International earlier this month, and
three of the team that retained the Boys Home Internationals
title in August.
The squad represents all ten coaching regions and includes
Cornwall’s Grant Slater, joint winner of the Carris
Trophy, the English Under-18 Championship, and Oliver Fisher
from Essex, runner-up in the Under-16 Championship for the
McGregor Trophy.
Twelve of those called up were members of the School of Excellence
last year, while five of the Under 18’s have yet to
earn an international call.
There are eight newcomers to the squad. They are (Under-18)
Graham Benson, Seve Benson, Adam Birdseye, Thomas Coulson
and Thomas Robinson. (Under-16) Lewis Edmunds, Adam Hodkinson
and Sam Hutsby.
Of those in the squad, Laurence Allen from Hertfordshire
reached the semi-finals of the English Amateur Championship
at Alwoodley in August, while Jake Amos was a member of the
Leicestershire & Rutland team that finished runners-up
in the English County Finals at Formby last month.
Lancashire’s Matthew Baldwin is a former English Under-16
Champion, while Ben Evans from Sussex has come close to winning
both the English Under-14 and Under-16 titles in the past
three years.
Cornwall’s Alex MacGregor finished third to Slater
in the Carris Trophy in July, Ben Parker, the son of an English
professional based in Germany, won the European Young Masters
in Germany this year, while Daniel Taylor, from the Woburn
Club, finished runner-up in the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters
last June.
The group, many of whom are likely to be at the forefront
of English amateur golf over the next few years, will participate
in a series of intensive coaching sessions and lectures, the
first get-together being next week, 7th - 9th November.
The three days of intense activity takes in work both on
and off the golf course. Work on the range is in the hands
of Professionals, Paul Ashwell, Alisdair Barr, John Harrison,
Stephen Rolley and Alan Thompson.
Back in the lecture room, the important aspect of fitness
and flexibility, will be handled by Lynn Booth, a Chartered
Physiotherapist, and Clare Pheasey, a Physiologist, while
Dr Brian Hemmings, a senior Sports Psychologist, will be in
charge of setting targets and maximising performance.
The other sessions will be held in February and June.
The full squad is:
(Under-18)
Laurence Allen (Brookmans Park)
Jake Amos (Birstall)
Matthew Baldwin (Hesketh)
Graham Benson (Leighton Buzzard)
Seve Benson (Guildford)
Adam Birdseye (Hazlemere)
Thomas Coulson (West Hove)
Ben Evans (Rye)
Matthew Evans (Rotherham)
Alex MacGregor (Killiow)
Paul Oakley (Billingham)
Ben Parker (Gut Waldhof)
John Parry (Harrogate)
Tom Robinson (Middlesbrough)
Tom Sherreard (Chart Hills)
Grant Slater (Carlyon Bay)
Daniel Taylor (Woburn)
Oliver Turnill (Bognor Regis)
Reserves: Jordan Smith (Woodcote Park),
Adam Wainwright (Gainsborough)
(Under-16)
Lewis Edmunds (West Cornwall)
Oliver Fisher (West Essex)
Adam Hodkinson (Dore & Totley)
Sam Hutsby (Lee on Solent)
Tony Mitchell (Redbourn)
Tom Oliver (Notts)
Reserve: Ashley Chesters (Hawkstone Park)
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