LADIES GOLF UNION PRESS RELEASE |
Five of the team of nine players selected to represent Great Britain and Ireland against the Continent of Europe in the Vagliano Trophy match at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, South Wales on Friday and Saturday, June 24-25 have never played in a Curtis Cup match or this biennial fixture against the best amateurs on the mainland of Europe.
The team, to be captained by Tegwen Matthews, is:
AMY BOULDEN (Llandudno Maesdu)
HOLLY CLYBURN (Woodhall Spa)
LOUISE KENNEY (Pitreavie)
KELSEY MacDONALD (Nairn Dunbar)
DANIELLE McVEIGH (Royal Co Down Ladies’)
LEONA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell)
STEPHANIE MEADOW (Royal Portrush)
PAMELA PRETSWELL (Bothwell Castle).
KELLY TIDY (Royal Birkdale)
Reserves:
1 LISA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell).
2 CHARLEY HULL (Woburn).
3 CHARLOTTE ELLIS (Minchinhampton).
Amy Boulden, Kelsey MacDonald and Kelly Tidy will make their debuts for Great Britain and Ireland in the Astor Trophy matches against Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand at Fairhaven Golf Club, Lytham St Annes from June 15 to 19.
For Louise Kenney and Stephanie Meadow the Vagliano Trophy match will be their first appearance in a Great Britain and Ireland team.
The team of nine chosen to play the Continent of Europe is made up of the five selected some weeks ago for the Astor Trophy – Amy Boulden, Kelsey MacDonald, Kelly Tidy, Holly Clyburn and Pamela Pretswell - with the additon of Louise Kenney, Danielle McVeigh, Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow.
Irish players were not available for selection to the Astor Trophy line-up.
Kenney, a Dunfermline schoolteacher, has recently won the Scottish women’s close amateur championship at Machrihanish for the first time, having been beaten in the two previous years’ finals. She won the Scottish girls’ match-play championship in 2000 and lost in the final a year later. Earlier this season Louise finished third in the Helen Holm Scottish women’s open amateur stroke-play championship at Troon. Like Kelsey MacDonald and Pamela Pretswell, she was a member of the Scotland team who won last September’s Ladies’ Home Internationals title at Whitchurch (Cardiff) for the first time in 19 years.
Danielle McVeigh is also a national champion. She won the Irish close championship last week, six years after winning the Irish girls’ title.
Sixteen-year-old twin Leona Maguire won the Portuguese women’s open amateur stroke-play championship by the astonishing margin of 15 strokes over 72 holes earlier in the year. In April, she almost repeated her 2009 victory in the “Helen Holm” but double-bogeyed the last hole at Royal Troon to lose the lead and finish second, a shot behind Charlotte Ellis, who is one of the reserves.
Stephanie Meadow, 19, has had a brilliant freshman season for Alabama University on the US women’s college circuit, winning three tournaments and being named to the All-American Team by the NCAA coaches at the end of their season. Born in Northern Ireland, Stephanie played in three Irish girls championship finals – 2004, 2006 and 2007, winning the Under-18s’ title in 2006. Stephanie has spent the last few years in America. She is currently No 12 in the Women’s World Amateur Rankings, two places ahead of Leona Maguire.
UNDER-16 GIRLS’ MATCH AT ROYAL PORTHCAWL
For the first time, a six-a-side match for Under-16 years girls, representing Great Britain and Ireland on one side, and the Continent of Europe on the other, will be played in conjunction with the Vagliano Trophy fixture at Royal Porthcawl.
The GB and I girls’ team, captained by Sue Turner, is:
GEORGIA HALL (Ferndown)
CHARLEY HULL (Woburn)
BRONTE LAW (Bramhall)
AMBER RATCLIFFE (Royal Cromer)
CLARA YOUNG (North Berwick)
CHLOE WILLIAMS (Wrexham)
Reserves
1 OLIVIA WINNING (Rotherham).
2 REBECCA McGEEHAN (Hummerbachaue, Germany)
3 HANNA HENDERSON (Ballyclare).
4 ELLIE GOODALL (Selby).
Charley Hull, 15, has this season won the Welsh women’s open amateur stroke-play title after playing with distinction on the Orange Blossom Tour for female amateurs in Florida in January. More recently, she reached the final of the English women’s close amateur championship before losing at the 19th to Lucy Williams.
Bronte Law beat Chloe Williams in a play-off for the SLGA Under-16 girls’ championship at Strathmore in April. Amber Ratcliffe finished third and Georgia Hall eighth in that early-season event.
Clara Young, at 14, is the youngest ever East Lothian women’s county champion.
For further information please contact
Susan Simpson
Head of Golf Operations
Ladies’ Golf Union
susan.simpson@lgu.org
