Golf: Craigielaw boys for Europe

CRAIGIELAW golfers Grant Forrest and Simon Fairburn have both been included in the Scottish side for next month's European Boys' Team Championship in Turkey, writes MARTIN DEMPSTER.

Scottish Boys' champion Forrest, who made his Scotland debut in the Boys' Home Internationals last August, cemented his place in the six-strong side by finishing runner-up in the prestigious Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters at the weekend.

Fairburn, whose home club is Torwoodlee but who has won the Lothians Boys' Championship for the last two years playing out of Craigielaw, was a medallist in the Scottish Youths' this year and also leads the SGU Boys' Order of Merit race following two Junior Tour wins and a victory in the Junior Champion of Champions event.

Reigning Scottish Boys' Stroke Play champion Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie), Liam Johnston (Dumfries & County), Scott Gibson (Southerness), Paul McPhee (King James VI) make up the team that will travel to Istanbul on 6-10 July aiming to become the first Scottish side in ten years to lift the European title.

"All the players in this year's team have shown excellent form this season both domestically and further afield so we'll go to Turkey with a lot of confidence and belief. The level of boys' golf across Europe seems to improve year on year but we'll look forward to the challenge," said Scottish national junior coach Spencer Henderson.

"It's been ten years since Scotland last won the event with Martin Laird in the side back then but we've had some good performances over the last few years and we'll take inspiration from how the men's team have performed on the big stage."