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Back left to right: Connie Jaffrey,Tara Mactaggart, Clara Young ,Heather Munro, Lauren Whyte
Front left to right: Nicola Robertson, Lesley Atkins, Laura Walker, Fiona Liddell
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FROM COLIN FARQUHARSON
Scotland, hard-working 5-4 winners over Ireland, and England, very impressive 7-2 conquerors of Wales, meet on Day 2 of the Girls Home Internationals at very sunny St Annes Old Links, just south of Blackpool today (Wednesday)
England are bidding for a sixth straight Stroyan Cup triumph and they have a team studded with Vagliano and Junior Vagliano Trophy team players not to mention Olivia Winning who did not make the GB and I teams even though she won the Helen Holm Scottish open stroke-play at Troon in April.
But Scotland skipper Laura Walker says her team are not going into the crunch match against the Auld Enemy with any feelings of inferiority
"England are a very good team. No question about that. But, hey, Scotland are a very good team as well. I was so proud of the way they pulled through in the later singles when Ireland started to put a bit of pressure on them.
"Lesley Atkins, Fiona Liddell and Lauren Whyte all holed great putts over the closing holes," said Walker.
"This win over Ireland has really lifted the Scottish girls. It should be a great match against England."
Wales fought well in the foursome against England, losing only one of them and halving the other two to trail 1-2, going into the six singles.
But in the one-on-one match-play England's Vagliano and Junior Vagliano Trophy team players, Gabriella Cowley, Sophie Lamb, Sammy Fiuller, Alice Hewson as well as Helen Holm Scottish stroke-play winner Olivia Winning and England schools Sophie Keech, plus the talented Annabel Dimmock, added up to an irresistible force as far as the plucky Welsh were concerned.
A 5-1 singles count in favour of England for a 7-2 overall opening-day win was just about right.
In perfect warm, sunny conditions for low scoring, with only a faint breeze, the England players played a lot of sub-par golf and were just too good for the Welsh. No disgrace in that.
Scotland's 5-4 win over the Irish was not so polished as that of the English but if you need true grit to play winning match-play golf at international level, then Laura Walker's team of eight have got it.
The Scots came out of the morning foursomes with a 2-1 lead thanks to a one-hole win by Lauren Whyte and Connie Jaffrey in the top foursomes. That win was to prove vital in final analysis because the singles were shared 3-3.
Winning Scots in the singles were Whyte, Atkins and Liddell
ENGLAND 7, WALES 2
Foursomes - G Cowley and S Lamb halved with C Williams and E Griffiths; A Dimmock and S Fuller bt N Greville and M Lockett; S Madden and A Hewson halved with S Dewington-Davies and E Miller (2-1).
Singles - Cowley bt B Morris 4 and 3, Hewson bt Lockett 4 and 3, S Keech bt Williams 1 hole, O Winning lost to Griffiths 1 hole, Dimmock bt G Lewis 5 and 4, Lamb bt Miller 1 hole (5-1)
SCOTLAND 5, IRELAND 4
Foursomes - L Whyte and C Jaffrey bt O Mehaffey and A Coyle Diez 1 hole; C Young and T Mactaggart halved with M Doyle and N McSherry; F Liddell and H Munro halved with S Burke and N Ward (2-1)
Singles - Whyte bt J McCarthy 5 and 4, Young lost to Mehaffey 5 and 4, L Atkins bt C Weir 1 hole,
Liddell bt McSherry 1 hole, Munro lost to Doyle 4 and 3, Jaffrey lost to Coyle Diez 4 and 3 (3-3).
THURSDAY MATCHES
8,30 and 1.10 - Ireland v Wales
9.0 and 2.10 - Scotland v England
