Golf: Spanish quest for club on the rise

LIBERTON'S junior golfers will be hoping a lack of on-course practice in recent weeks due to the weather won't hamper them too much when they bid to reign in Spain this weekend.

The Capital club are flying the flag for Scotland in the Junior Team Golf Home Nations Championship, which tees off tomorrow at El Valle, a Polaris World resort in Murcia.

They're up against West Essex (England), Athenry (Ireland) and Wrexham (Wales) in a round-robin competition with a medal match-play format over 18 holes each day.

And, though making their first appearance in the final, the Liberton lads have made the journey fancying their chances of writing the latest chapter in what has been a fairytale couple of years.

The first sign of the club's junior section starting to flourish came with an Edinburgh Junior Summer League success in 2009 - the first time it had lifted that title.

Further successes followed in the South East Edinburgh Winter League and the Edinburgh Junior Inter-Club before the team then retained the Summer League title. In doing so, they earned a spot in the Scottish final of the Junior Team Golf Championship at Spey Valley, where things just got better and better for junior convenor Robert Ross and his players.

They won there, too, pipping Tantallon by a shot to earn this week's fabulous trip to Spain.

Only Newmachar, Westhill, Dunfermline, Craigielaw and Peebles have had the honour of representing Scotland previously at this stage of the event.

And only Craigielaw have brought the title home, the East Lothian club finishing third and second, both at La Manga, in 2006 and 2007 before emerging as the first winners at El Valle 12 months ago.

Now Liberton have the chance to keep the crown in the Lothians and, on paper at least, they could be in with a shout.

Spearheading their side is rising star Anthony Blaney, the 16-year-old having helped Lothians win the Scottish Boys' Area Team Championship last year, when he also earned Scotland Under-16 honours.

He's off one, while Liberton also have a trio of four handicappers in their ranks - captain Scott Finlay, Ross Munro and Daniel Eardley.

Making up the team are Fraser Christie, Tom Brock and Kieran Cantley, the seven Liberton players having been accompanied on the trip by Ross and Peter Finlay.

This is the 16th year of the event, which involves over 1300 clubs in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

The event has grown into one of the biggest and most prestigious junior team tournaments in the world. The only of its kind in the British Isles, it is supported by the R&A, the Golf Unions in each of the competing countries as well as the Golf Foundation.

Jack Heasman, the West Essex captain, is the low handicap player in this year's event off plus two, followed by Blaney and Athenry's Sean Cannon both off one.

The draw was being made today after all four teams were on site at El Valle.

Teams

Athenry: Sean Cannon 1, David Byrne 3, Brian O'Reilly (capt) 5, Sean Glynn 5, Peter Dolan 6, Blaine Niland 8, Paddy Croghan 9.

Liberton: Anthony Blaney 1, Ross Munro 4, Daniel Eardley 4, Scott Finlay (capt) 4, Fraser Christie 6, Tom Brock 7, Kieran Cantley 11.

West Essex: Jack Heasman (capt) +2 handicap, Hugh Campbell 1, Bobby Keeble 2, Chris Moore 3, Sophie Madden 4, Ashleigh Greenham 4, Mitchell Wellington 5, Jon Christey 5.

Wrexham: Sam Higgins 2, Chloe Williams 2, Lewis Jones 5, Thomas Williams 5, Jamie Lloyd 6, Mikey Peters (capt) 8, Daniel Lloyd 10.