MacIntyre in Scottish side bidding to go one better

With four members of last year’s winning team in their ranks again this year, Jack Singh Brar, Robert Burlison, Bobby Keeble and Ashton Turner, England, led by captain Derek Hughes, will be confident as they bid to win their 14th title since the event changed to its current  format in 1996.

The host nation will get the event underway at 8am when they face Wales, captained by Leighton Smith.

Last year’s runners-up Scotland, with the recently-crowned Scottish Boys Stroke Play champion Robert MacIntyre and Fairstone Scottish Amateur Championship quarter-finalist Ewen Ferguson in their line-up, will be looking to get off to a good start against Ireland, who have seven players in their team from last year’s matches at County Louth.

Bearsden’s Ferguson and Alan Waugh (Cowglen) are the only survivors from last year’s Scotland side, with the Scots last winning the Boys Home Internationals at Moray in 2006.

The event has been a proving ground for dozens of Walker Cup players and future Major Championship winners including reigning US Open champion Justin Rose, six-times major winner Sir Nick Faldo, former Open and Masters champion Sandy Lyle, former Open champion Darren Clarke, former US Open and current US PGA champion, Rory McIlroy.

Last year’s victorious England side included Hallamshire’s  Matthew Fitzpatrick, who went on to win the Boys Amateur title and was leading amateur and winner of the Silver Medal at this year’s Open Championship at Muirfield.

Euan Mordaunt, the R&A’s director of amateur events, said: “It will be great to see the best boy golfers from throughout Great Britain and Ireland compete against each other. The players take great pride in representing their countries, often for the first time, and we hope golf fans will turn out in numbers to support these young players at what will be an exciting sporting event.”