FROM THE LGU WEBSITE
Next week’s Ladies’ Home Internationals, hosted by Hillside Golf Club, near Southport, Lancashire, will see defending champions Scotland, under a new captain, bidding to win back-to-back titles for the first time since 1990-91.
Not since Scotland were champions four years in a row from 1949 to 1952, have England had such a spell as fruitless as the present one. They last won the title in 2007 at Dunbar.
These are the 94th set of Ladies’ Home Internationals, involving at least England, Scotland and Ireland (Wales’ entry came later) since the tournament was started in 1902 at Deal for the T H Miller Trophy.
It was Scotland’s 9-0 defeat by England in 1902 that led to the founding of the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association in 1904.
The all-time scoreboard reads:
England champions 56 times with one shared.
Scotland champions 27 times with one shared.
Ireland champions 6 times.
Wales champions 3 times (all since 1999)
Until World War II, the Ladies’ Home Internationals were played before or immediately after the Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship in the summer. In the years since then, the matches have become a late-season focal point and highlight for officials of the four home unions and, of cours, the players. Being capped for one’s country still means a lot.
Fiona Norris is Scotland’s captain with the task of following in the footsteps of Lesley Nicholson, the successful skipper at Whitchurch, Cardiff last year. It was Scotland’s first title win in 19 years.
Fiona, who played for Scotland three times, has previously worked alongside Ada O’Sullivan as manager of Curtis Cup and Vagliano Trophy teams as well as captainning Scotland in the 2008 world amateur championships in Australia.
Fiona is an older sister of Mhairi McKay-Smith, who plays on the LPGA Tour. Fiona and Mhairi played in the same Scotland team in 1993 and 1994. For the first time since then, there will be two sisters in the Scotland line-up at Hillside – Megan and Eilidh Briggs from Kilmacolm.
Eilidh won the Scottish Under-18 girls match-play title this year and also reached the final of the Scottish Ladies’s Amateur Championship.
Eilidh is one of three new HI caps in the Scotland line-up. Alyson McKechin (Elderslie) and Rebecca Wilson (Grange) are the others.
England field a young team, which includes three new teenage caps, British champion Lauren Taylor (Woburn), Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak) and Bronte Law (Bramhall). Lauren, at 16, was the youngest-ever winner of the Ladies British open amateur championship at Royal Portrush GC, Northern Ireland in June. Georgia, 15, was a semi-finalist in the British girls championship at Gullane in early August. Bronte won the Scottish Under-16 open title in the spring.
Charley Hull (Woburn), No 20 in the World Rankings, made her debut for the full England team 12 months ago at the age of 14 and keeps her place which means there will be four players aged 16 or under in the team captained by Chris Pascall.
Ireland, runners-up to Scotland last year after beating England 8-1 in their opening match, will lack the services of the new Ladies British open amateur stroke-play champion, 16-year-old Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell), ranked No 6 in the world, and a former winner of that title, Danielle McVeigh (Royal Co Down), who turned professional earlier this month.
Leona will be otherwise engaged in a Ladies European Tour event, but twin Lisa, the European women’s individual champion and World Ranked No 33, will be wearing the green.
There are three new caps in the Ireland team for Hillside – Ulster champion Louise Coffey (Malone), Irish girls champion Paula Grant (Lisburn) and Chloe Ryan (Castleroy) who played well in the Girls’ International matches and is having a good season.
Wales’ line-up includes two survivors – GB and I International Amy Boulden (Maesdu) and Lucy Gould (Bargoed) - from the squad that won the Home Internationals’ title two years in a row – at Wrexham in 2008 and Irvine, Scotland in 2009. Junior Vagliano Trophy player Chloe Wiliams (Wrexham) will be making her debut as a full Welsh cap.
The teams are:
ENGLAND
Holly Clyburn (Woodhall Spa), Charlotte Ellis (Minchinhampton), Georgia Hall (Remedy Oak), Charley Hull (Woburn), Bronte Law (Bramhall), Lauren Taylor (Woburn), Kellly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), Charlotte Wild (Mere).
Team captain: Chris Pascall (Hartlepool)
IRELAND
Louise Coffey (Malone), Karen Delaney (Carlow), Paul Grant (Lisburn), Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell), Gillian O’Leary (Cork), Charlene Reid (Rooyal Portrush), Chloe Ryan (Castletroy).
Team captain: Claire Robinson
SCOTLAND
Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm), Megan Briggs (Kilmacolm), Louise Kenney (Pitreavie), Kelsey MacDonald (Nainr Dunbar), Alyson McKechin (Elderslie), Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Jane Turner (Craigielaw), Rebecca Wilson (Grange).
Team captain: Fiona Norris (Hamilton).
WALES
Samantha Birks (Wolstanton), Amy Boulden (Maesdu), Gemma Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Katie Bradbury (Cottrell Park), Lucy Gould (Bargoed), Rebecca Harries (Haverfordwest), Katherine O’Connor (Tadmarton Heath), Chloe Williams (Wrexham).
Team captain: Sue Turner
Programme of events:
Three foursomes (8.30 - 9.20) and six singles (13.10 - 15.00) in each match
Wednesday 7 September
Scotland v Ireland
England v Wales
Thursday 8 September
Wales v Ireland
England v Scotland
Friday 9 September
Ireland v England
Scotland v Wales
Ladies Golf News in Scotland, the West of Scotland and Renfrewshire
