Fisher heads strong team for European Youths Championship
Oliver Fisher, the youngest ever GB&I Walker Cup player,
and three other full internationals, have been selected in
a strong England team for the European Youths Team Championship
in Spain next month.
The Championship, being staged at La Cañada Golf Club
near Cadiz from 11th - 15th July, will also see England field
full caps David Horsey, James Ruth and Paul Waring with former
boy internationals Gary Boyd and Ben Parker completing the
team.
 Fisher,
pictured (photo courtesy of Tom Ward), became the youngest
Walker Cup player when he represented GB&I in Chicago
last August, just weeks before his 17th birthday. Over the
past three years the Essex lad has underlined his enormous
talent by collecting a string of titles and representative
honours at home and abroad. His latest success came earlier
this month when he won the St Andrews Links Trophy over the
Old Course.
Horsey earned his first England cap against France in Bordeaux
last month, having just won the West of England Stroke Play
Championship. After losing to James Heath in the final of
the English Amateur at Hollinwell in 2004, Horsey won the
County Champions Tournament at Woodhall Spa last September
by seven strokes after a closing course record of 64 over
the Hotchkin Course. Earlier this year the 21 year old from
Cheshire was a member of the victorious England squad in the
Costa Ballena Tournament in Spain and finished tied third
in the South African Stroke Play Championship.
Ruth, 21, from Devon, has been capped at all levels over
the past five years. He made his full England debut against
France at Sandwich in 2004 and played against Spain last year.
He has also represented England in the past two Home Internationals.
Last year, he represented the EGU in Portugal, Spain and Belgium,
then won the St Mellion International, finished third in the
Berkshire Trophy and reached the last 16 of the English Amateur.
This year, Ruth was also a member of the winning England team
in the Costa Ballena Tournament, tied third in the Duncan
Putter and won the EGU south-west Regional Qualifier earlier
this month.
Waring, 21, is another with an extensive representative record
with England. Capped at all levels since 2001, he was England
boys captain in 2003, but after winning the Peugeot Classic
in France and finishing second in the Duncan Putter in 2004,
he was sidelined by injury. After being out for nine months,
he celebrated his return by becoming English Champion over
his home course at Bromborough last July. He then made his
long overdue full England debut in September’s Home
Internationals. This year, he played against France, finished
runner-up to Horsey in the West of England and fifth in the
Mexican Amateur. He is the only member of the side who played
in the 2004 European Youths Team Championships in Ireland.
Boyd, 19, from Northamptonshire, is a former Midland Youths
Champion, who was capped at under 16 level before earning
his first boys cap in England’s victorious Boys Home
Internationals side in Ireland in 2004. He finished third
in the Carris Trophy that year and represented GB&I against
Europe in the Jacques Leglise Trophy. Last year, he reached
the quarter finals of the English Amateur and after playing
his part in the Costa Ballena Tournament victory this year,
reached the semi-finals of the Spanish Amateur. He was named
as reserve for the international with France last month.
Parker, 18, who is based in Germany where his father is a
club professional, has been a member of the winning England
sides for the past two years in the Boys Home Internationals
and of the victorious team in the 2004 European Boys Team
Championships.
A former winner of the European Young Masters, he won the
prestigious Junior Orange Bowl in America last Christmas,
followed this up with another international victory by winning
the Tasmanian Open in February, the first non-Australian player
to do so, and recently finished tied third in the Scottish
Open Stroke Play Championship.
England’s only win in the European Youths Championship
came in Scotland in 2000 but they have finished runners-up
three times, to Sweden in 1992 and 2002 and to Scotland two
years ago in Ireland.
The complete England team is:
Gary Boyd (Cherwell Edge), Oliver Fisher (West Essex), David
Horsey (Styal), Ben Parker (Gut Waldhof), James Ruth (Tavistock),
and Paul Waring (Bromborough).
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