England U-16s tackle Irish compatriots at Royal Birkdale
An England U-16s squad packed with international experience will tackle their Irish compatriots for the first time in three years at Royal Birkdale next month (Oct 8-9).
Covid-related travel restrictions led to the postponements of the last two matches in the annual series with Ireland taking the spoils last time out at Hunstanton in 2019.
England Golf have been able to call up four of the players who represented their country in the Junior Home Internationals in August – Imogen Williamson (Delamere Forest) and recent England Boys Champion of Champions winner Charlie Croker (Thorndon Park) plus Shropshire star Isla McDonald-O’Brien and Amelia Wan (Sherwood Forest), who both also turned out for GB&I in the Junior Vagliano Trophy last month when the Continent of Europe triumphed 10-8 at Blairgowrie.
England U-16s team
• Ben Bolton (Enville GC, Staffordshire)
• James Brash (Foxhills GC, Surrey)
• Charlie Croker (Thorndon Park GC, Essex)
• Monty Holcombe (Walton Heath GC, Surrey)
• Kris Kim (Walton Heath GC, Surrey)
• Drew Sykes (Golf at Goodwood, Sussex)
• Isla McDonald-O’Brien (Shrewsbury GC, Shropshire)
• Nellie Ong (Eaton GC, Norfolk)
• Matilde Santilli (Foxhills GC, Surrey)
• Chloe Tarbard (Royal Norwich GC, Norfolk)
• Amelia Wan (Sherwood Forest GC, Nottinghamshire)
• Imogen Williamson (Delamere Forest GC, Cheshire)
Williamson also appeared for England U-16s against Spain U-16s in May alongside Walton Heath duo Kris Kim and Monty Holcombe plus English Schools champion Chloe Tarbard (Royal Norwich) and Matilde Santilli (Foxhills GC), who won the Liphook Scratch Open last month. All four also get the nod.
Tarbard’s county team-mate Nellie Ong (Eaton) gets her chance again – the Norfolk girls played for England U-16s alongside Williamson against Switzerland in August – while Surrey’s James Brash will make his England debut after another strong year which saw him win the North of England U-16s and finished joint fourth at the Sir Henry Cooper Masters.
Also picked are Staffordshire’s Ben Bolton (Enville), who has been hugely consistent all year, including finishing fourth at the England U-16s, one place ahead of Sussex’s Drew Sykes, who is one of the lucky 12. The Golf at Goodwood talent also finished fourth alongside Brash at the Henry Cooper showpiece.