GARNER NAMED IN SENIORS HOME INTERNATIONALS SQUAD
England makes one change from the side that lifted the trophy
last year for next month’s Seniors Home Internationals
at Seaton Carew. Patrick Garner, a former England cap from
Sunningdale, joins the team for the four-sided encounter on
30th September - 2nd October.
Garner made his England debut in the Home Internationals
at Hillside in 1978 and also played in the following two years,
making 13 appearances overall. He joins a formidable line-up
that will be captained for the second successive year by Roy
Smethurst.
The Crewe man has twice won the English Seniors Championship,
while Douglas Arnold, English Champion for the past two years,
is also named along with two other ex-champions, David Lane
and Jon Marks.
The other England members are Andrew Morrison and Anthony
Smith.
Five of the side, Lane, Marks, Morrison, Smethurst and Smith,
played in the previous two matches, at Portmarnock in 2001
and last year at Nairn Dunbar.
Lane, Marks and Smethurst dominated the English Seniors title
for five years from 1997, Lane and Smethurst winning it twice.
But Arnold, the 56-year-old builder from Sussex, took the
title for the first time in 2002 at Heswall and retained it
at Frilford Heath back in June.
Smethurst, 61, has maintained his good form this year, finishing
third to Arnold in the English Championship, then winning
the British title for the second time, while 62-year-old Lane
was runner-up to Arnold and joint fourth in the British Seniors.
Morrison, 58, a retired schoolmaster from Brough in the Eden
Valley, was runner-up to Smethurst for the English title in
2001.
Smith has been President and Captain of Shropshire as well
as Captain of the Midlands. On the course he has won 10 County
titles including the Shropshire and Herefordshire Championship.
At Seaton Carew, the sides will play each other on a round
robin basis, each match consisting of two foursomes and five
singles, all over 18 holes.
The full England team is:
Roy Smethurst (Captain) (Crewe), Douglas Arnold (Copthorne),Patrick
Garner (Sunningdale) David Lane (Goring & Streatley),
Jonathan Marks (Woodbridge), Andrew Morrison (Appleby) Anthony
Smith (Hill Valley)
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