EXPERIENCED SQUAD SEEKS TO REGAIN EUROPEAN NATIONS TITLE
 The
English Golf Union has named a highly experienced four-man
squad to contest the European Nations Championship at Sotogrande
Golf Club in Spain on 2nd - 5th April.
The four-day championship, formerly known as the Sherry Cup
and last year as the Grey Goose Cup, will see England represented
by internationals Matthew Cryer, Ed Richardson and Gary Wolstenholme
plus Elite Squad member Gareth Evans (pictured left - photo
courtesy of Tom Ward).
Although Evans, who is based at Northcliffe Golf Club, has
yet to be capped by England, the 28 year old is a former Yorkshire
Champion who has enjoyed a successful time over the past two
years at home and abroad.
Beside his county crown in 2006, Evans also won the English
County Champions event at Woodhall Spa while last year he
finished sixth in the South of England Stroke Play, eighth
in the Welsh Open Stroke Play and reached the last 16 of the
Spanish Amateur. He also helped Yorkshire retain the English
County Championship.
Cryer, 32, from Coventry, has been a full international since
2005. A semi-finalist in the English and Italian Amateur Championships
and runner-up in the Russian Amateur in 2006, he lost to Willett
in last year’s English Amateur final before winning
the British Mid Amateur title. He was also second in the Midland
Open Amateur, third in the South of England Stroke Play and
sixth in the Lytham Trophy. In January this year, Cryer won
the Avondale Medal in Australia with Wolstenholme in third
place.
Richardson, 39, a former Kent Champion, is a past winner
of the West of England Stroke Play and the Midland Open Amateur.
He was capped by England for the first time in the 2005 Home
Internationals and has played 15 matches for his country.
In late 2006, Richardson partnered Seve Benson to victory
in the Juan Carlos Tailhade Cup in Buenos Aires while last
year he was runner-up in the Italian Amateur Championship
and reached the quarter finals of the British Mid Amateur.
Recently he was a quarter finalist in the Spanish Amateur.
Wolstenholme, 47, England’s most capped player - he
made his debut in 1988 - completed 200 appearances when he
played against Spain last May. The winner of numerous tournaments
at home and abroad, he was awarded an MBE in the 2007 New
Year Honours List. Now based at Carus Green Golf Club and
representing Cumbria, Wolstenholme added to his vast tally
last year by winning the New South Wales Amateur as well as
retaining the European Mid Amateur Championship and in January
returned to Australia to win the Lakes Medal. He was recently
fourth in the Portuguese Amateur Championship.
The European Nations Championship is competed for over 72
holes with the best three cards each day counting towards
the team event. An individual competition runs simultaneously
with the Nations Championship, the champion collecting a trophy
and the Amateur Masters Jacket.
If the Championship ends in a tie, the teams involved will
nominate one player to compete in a sudden death play-off.
England last won the Championship in 2004 and for the past
three years they have finished third twice and equal second
last year, but Wolstenholme has an impressive record in the
individual contest with four victories. He won the individual
title in 2000, ‘01, ‘03 and ‘05.
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