TWO NEW CAPS IN BOYS HOME INTERNATIONALS SQUAD
England have named two new caps, Seve Benson and Oliver Turnill,
in the 11-strong team to defend the Boys Home Internationals
at Portmarnock Golf Club on 3rd-5th August.
The rest of what is a powerful line-up includes the successful
squad from the European Boys Team Championships in Finland
earlier this month - Lawrence Allen, Matthew Baldwin, Ben
Evans, Oliver Fisher, Ben Parker and John Parry - plus Gary
Boyd, Alex MacGregor, and Grant Slater.
Benson, 17, from the Wentworth club, is a recruit to the
School of Excellence this year and played in the unofficial
boys international against Sweden at Hunstanton in April.
He was also called up for last month’s Westfriese Junior
Masters in Holland and finished sixth, highest of the England
players.
Turnill, 17, from Sussex, is a former South of England Boys
under 15 champion and was capped at under 16 level against
Scotland in 2002. A member of the School of Excellence for
the past two years, he has given solid performances this year
and has been selected to travel to Texas for coaching by Butch
Harmon under the Red Bull Master Class series.
Baldwin, 18, who was appointed captain last month, is a former
under 16 international and was a member of the Lancashire
team that won the Boys County Championship in 2001. He won
the McGregor Trophy at Sheringham in 2002, which led to his
debut for England Boys in the Home Internationals in Scotland
a few weeks later.
A member of the England School of Excellence since 2002,
Matthew has also won the Lancashire Boys Championship, an
under 17 title in the Faldo Series, and reached the quarter
finals of the English Amateur Championship at Alwoodley, Leeds,
last year.
This season, the talented teenager played in the boys’
unofficial international with Sweden at Hunstanton, finished
tied sixth in the Brabazon Trophy, secured the Lancashire
Championship by three strokes, and finished third in last
week‘s Carris Trophy.
Hertfordshire-based Allen, 18, has been on the international
scene since 2001, earning under 16 caps against Italy and
Scotland. He reached the semi-finals of the English Amateur
Championship at Alwoodley last year and also represented England
in the Turkish Amateur. This year he played against the Swedes
at Hunstanton.
Since winning the EGU Gold Medal as an 11 year old, Boyd,
now 17, has also been part of the England set-up in recent
years. He won under 16 and boys caps in 2002 and last year
won two under 17 titles in the Faldo Series.
He went to Japan last year for the World Boys Team Championships
but after being picked for the European Boys Team Championships
was forced to pull out with a back injury. He also played
against Sweden in April and recently won the Midland Youths
Championship and finished third in last week’s Carris
Trophy.
Evans, 17, runner-up in the Under 14 Championship in 2000
and another former under 16 cap, made his debut as a boy international
in last year’s Boys Home Internationals in Wales. A
member of the School of Excellence for the past three years,
the Sussex-based lad also played against the Swedes at Hunstanton
this year, finished fifth in the McEvoy Trophy and recently
won the under 18 title in a Faldo Series event at Royal St
George’s.
Fisher, 15, is the exciting prospect from Essex, who has
enjoyed a remarkably successful time over the past two years.
He made his under 16 debut against Italy last year, finished
runner-up in the Under 16 Championship and became Essex boy
champion with a course record 65.
He also won the Douglas Johns Trophy as well as the under
15 title in the Faldo Finals and his club championship at
West Essex. So far this year, Fisher finished second in the
McEvoy Trophy, won the Lagonda Trophy, the Essex Championship
and the Under 16 title at Dudsbury last month.
He also helped England win the European Boys Team Championships
in Finland earlier this month and finished runner-up in the
R&A Junior Open on the eve of the Open Championship.
MacGregor, 18, one of two Cornish boys in the team, is another
with a glowing record in boys golf. Capped at under 16 level
in 2002, he played in the Westfriese Junior Masters in Holland
and in the winning England team in last year’s Boys
Home Internationals in Wales.
He also finished third in last year’s Under 18 Championship
for the Carris Trophy at Burnham & Berrow, finishing a
shot behind the winners, and as a member of the School of
Excellence also played against Sweden at Hunstanton last April.
Parker, 17, based in Germany where his father is a club professional,
has enjoyed a successful career since reaching the third round
of the British Boys Championships in 2002. Another under 16
international, he won the European Young Masters in Germany
last year and finished third in the McGregor Trophy.
A School of Excellence member for the past two years, he
also played against Sweden at Hunstanton.
Harrogate-based Parry is another with talent beyond his 17
years. A former North of England Youths champion, he also
won the Duke of York Trophy in the Weetabix Finals and helped
Yorkshire win the Boys County Championship in 2002.
This year he showed exceptional form in winning the McEvoy
Trophy with four rounds of 68 at Copt Heath and following
England’s success in the European Boys Team Championships
he finished runner-up in last week’s Carris Trophy at
Northumberland Golf Club.
Slater, 18, from the Carlyon Bay club in Cornwall, a former
South West Boys and Schools champion, has also been capped
at under 16 level before making his debut at boys level in
last year’s Boys Home Internationals.
This followed his joint first place in the Carris Trophy
at Burnham & Berrow, while he also represented England
in the Turkish Amateur. After playing against the Swedes at
Hunstanton, Slater made a solid defence of the Carris Trophy
last week at Northumberland, finishing equal ninth.
England have won the Boys Home Internationals for the past
six years. Previous to that Ireland were the winners in 1997.
Three of the side, Evans, MacGregor and Slater, were in last
year’s winning team.
The full team for Royal Dublin is: Matthew Baldwin (Hesketh)
captain, Lawrence Allen (Brookmans Park), Seve Benson (Wentworth),
Gary Boyd (Northants County), Ben Evans (Rye), Oliver Fisher
(West Essex), Alex MacGregor (Killiow), Ben Parker (Gut Waldhof),
John Parry (Harrogate), Grant Slater (Carlyon Bay), and Oliver
Turnill (Bognor Regis). Non-travelling reserve: Stephen Capper
(Caldy).
|