REGIONAL SQUAD SELECTED TO FACE SWEDISH BOYS
Five regional squad members from the South will form an England
boys team to face Sweden boys in a one-day friendly international
at Meon Valley, Southampton, on the 12th of April.
The past two English Under 14 champions’ Jonathan Bell
and Eddie Pepperell have been named along with Eamonn Hodgson,
Tom Berry and Darren Renwick.
 Bell,
(pictured - photo courtesy of Tom Ward) was only 12 when he
won the Reid Trophy at King’s Norton in 2004 and has
made great progress since. He finished runner-up in the Douglas
Johns Trophy last year and played for the England Under 16
side against England Girls Under 18s.
Pepperell, was impressive when he won the Reid by five strokes
from Berry at Bristol & Clifton last August. He also won
the BB&O Under 14 title before being named in the Under
16 Squad.
Berry, the Surrey Under 14 champion, finished runner-up to
Pepperell at Bristol & Clifton and was also second in
the Surrey Junior Masters.
Hodgson, known as ‘Stiggy’, has been winning titles
since the age of six when he won the Under 8 group in the
World Junior Championship in Florida and at eight he won the
Under 10 group in San Diego, beating Tiger Woods’ record
in the process. In 1998 aged eight, he won the English Under
10 Championship, in 2002 and 2003 he took the Welsh Under
13 Championship and also the Weetabix Under 14 Championship
in 2004. Last year he took the South of England Under 15 title.
Renwick has been an Under 16 international for the past two
years, playing against Scotland, Spain and the England Girls
Under 18 teams twice. In 2005, he won the Scottish Under 16
Championship at Sandyhills, the Douglas Johns Trophy at Harewood
Downs and finished tied third in the South East Junior Championship
at Sundridge Park. He also represented the EGU in the European
Young Masters in Austria.
The one-day match will comprise two foursomes and one single
in the morning and five afternoon singles.
The Swedes will be sending those players that will represent
them in the World Boys Team Championships in Japan in June.
While here, they will also contest the Duncan Putter.
The Swedish side includes Felix Fihn, the reigning Swedish
Under 16 Champion, and Robin Wingårdh, winner of the
Harder German Junior Masters in 2005, while Bjorn Akesson
finished runner-up in the Swedish Under 21 Championship.
England Regional side: Jonathan Bell (Royal
Blackheath), Tom Berry (Wentworth), Eamonn Hodgson (Sunningdale),
Eddie Pepperell (Frilford Heath) and Darren Renwick (Worthing)
Sweden: Bjorn Akesson, Jesper Kennegård,
Alexander Jacobsson, Felix Fihn and Robin Wingårdh.
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