IT'S ENGLAND V SCOTLAND FOR THE TITLE
 England
will meet the old enemy and defending champions Scotland at
Pyle and Kenfig tomorrow for the Home Internationals title
after coming back from the dead to beat Ireland 9-6 while
the Scots got past Wales by the same score.
After a poor performance in the yesterday's morning foursomes
that saw Ireland ahead 3-1 with one match halved, England
got the bit between their teeth to take charge in an amazing
afternoon.
It prompted England captain Cec Bloice to say: “What
a turnaround. We knew the team had the ability and the skill
to perform this way but it is puzzling why we can’t
seem to do it in the foursomes.”
Robert Dinwiddie (pictured left - photo courtesy of Tom Ward)
set the ball rolling with a 7 and 5 win over Darren Crow,
being five under par when he won but England had to wait some
time before gaining another point.
It came from Oliver Fisher in the top single after a superb
topsy-turvy battle with his fellow teenager Rory McIlroy,
the European Amateur champion.
Fisher won three of the opening four holes, only one with
a birdie, but lost the next four, to an eagle, two birdies
and a par as McIlroy went one-up through eight. Fisher then
eagled the 555-yard ninth to level it before the Irishman
edged in front again at the 13th with a bogey-five. However,
Fisher won three holes in row from the short 15th, all with
pars, to run out a 2 and 1 winner.
Gary Wolstenholme should have added to England’s tally.
He got back to all-square when Pat Murray three-putted the
14th then went ahead with a par at the short 15th.
At the par four 16th, the England veteran was on the green
in regulation with his opponent in trouble but three-putted
to allow Murray to snatch a half.
Then at the 443-yard 17th, Wolstenholme bunkered his approach
and came out long to lose the hole while they halved the 18th
to leave the match all square.
Jamie Moul trailed for most of the way against Gareth Shaw
but battled back to level after 12 and to lead at the next.
But he was pegged back at the short 15th when he failed to
get up-and-down from the back of the green to match Shaw’s
par.
They halved the 16th but Moul won the 17th with a superb
birdie-three and snatched a half at the last for a narrow
victory.
Ross McGowan was another to trail for the greater part of
his match with Simon Ward but birdied the 14th and 15th to
establish a winning lead which he underlined by taking the
16th as well.
New caps Ben Parker and Gary Boyd confirmed their emerging
talents with victories. Parker won 3 and 2 against Connor
Doran after taking four holes in a row from the eighth, while
Boyd was always in command against Aaron O’Callaghan.
He won the first, third and fifth holes to go three ahead
and reached the turn five-up after which O’Callaghan
managed to pull one back before the match finished on the
15th green.
Those wins ensured England the overall victory but Ireland
gained some late consolation with wins for Jonathan Caldwell
and Shane Lowry over Paul Waring and Stephen Lewton respectively.
It was left to Ed Richardson to wrap things up with a 2 and
1 win over Seamus Power in the bottom match and round off
a remarkable afternoon.
In the other match, US Amateur champion Richie Ramsay underlined
Scotland’s supremacy and extended his unbeaten record
by beating Walker Cup team-mate Nigel Edwards 6 and 5.
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