Golf: Dick gets Knowles' backing

Scotland skipper Scott Knowles was feeling confident that his Kingsknowe clubmate Allyn Dick would rise to the occasion in this week's Home Internationals at Ashburnham.

Lothians champ Dick, 31, was set to earn his first cap for his country in the championship opener against host nation Wales today.

And Knowles insisted the former Scottish Mid-Amateur champion would be quick to find his feet in the cut and thrust of top-level international competition.

He said: "Allyn is a very good matchplay performer and his record over the past couple of years shows that.

"He's done well in the Edinburgh area but he's also performed on the national stage. Even though this is his first time with Scotland I would have no problems putting him out in any match."

Dick has formed part of an 11-man Scottish side for the annual encounters with Wales, Ireland and defending cham- pions England.

Michael Stewart, who won the Scottish championship at Gullane recently, was head- lining a team that, in addition to Dick, featured another three new caps, Jordan Findlay, Brian Soutar and Peter Latimer.