Scott Knowles urges team to draw on their hurt

Scott Knowles, the Scotland captain, believes the disappointment of last month's European Team championship campaign can be the driving force behind a serious challenge in this week's Home Internationals at Ashburnham in Wales.

The Scots were left deflated in Sweden in early July when their defence of the European title crumbled as they failed to qualify for the championship division of matchplay. All six members of that side are in the 11-man squad for the annual jousts with England, Wales and Ireland over the next three days and Knowles is confident there will be a positive response.

"We were all bitterly disappointed and the players were hurting more than anyone after the Europeans," said Knowles ahead of today's opening match with the host nation. "There is a determination to make up for that and they want to prove it was just a one-off." Michael Stewart, the new Scottish champion, headlines a team that features new caps, Allyn Dick, Peter Latimer, Brian Soutar and national championship runner-up Jordan Findlay. James Byrne, Ross Kellett, Greg Paterson, Kris Nicol, Philip McLean and James White make up the squad.

Wales have recalled current GB&I Walker Cup skipper, Nigel Edwards, for the round-robin contest while defending champions England will be led by the impressive Tommy Fleetwood, who won his national title in July and was joint runner-up in last weekend's European championship. Ireland will hand an international debut to Florida-based Kevin Phelan.