Four new caps in England team for Men's

Home Internationals at Hillside

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH GOLF UNION
England will parade four new caps - Stiggy Hodgson (Sunningdale, Surrey), Matthew Nixon (Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire), Chris Paisley (Stocksfield, Northumberland) and James Robinson (Southport & Ainsdale, Lancashire) - in the 11-man squad for the Home Internationals at Hillside Golf Club on Merseyside on 26th - 28th August.
The rest of the team is:
Jamie Abbott (Fynn Valley, Suffolk), Tommy Fleetwood (Formby Hall, Lancashire), Luke Goddard (Hendon, Middlesex), Matt Haines (Rochester & Cobham, Kent), Sam Hutsby (Liphook, Hampshire), Farren Keenan (Sunningdale, Surrey) and Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes, Essex).
The non-travelling reserve is Jack Senior (Heysham, Lancashire).
The line-up shows four changes from the side that beat Spain in March while six of the side played in last year’s Home Internationals in Scotland. There are three teenagers in the line-up while the average age is just below 21.
Hodgson, who will turn 19 on 12th August, was English Under 18 Champion last year and is enjoying a successful 2009 with victory in the Sunningdale Foursomes, runner-up in the Hampshire Hog and South East Group Qualifying, a semi-finalist in the Amateur Championship and third in the Tillman Trophy.
Nixon, 20, is a former British Boys Champion who was a joint winner this year along with Hodgson of the Henriques Salver when finishing tied fourth in the Brabazon Trophy, runner-up in the Selborne Salver and the Lancashire Championship and third in the West of England Stroke Play.
Paisley, 23, was runner-up in last year’s English Amateur Championship, the Tillman Trophy and the South of England Stroke Play. He has enjoyed much success on the US college circuit and has just graduated from the University of Tennessee.
Robinson, who will be 21 on 8th August, won the Lytham Trophy in May. He reached the semi-finals of the English Amateur in 2007, was second in last year’s Scottish Youth's Open Championship, while in 2009 he has been third in the S&A Bowl and the Hampshire Hog. Abbott, 22, was leading qualifier in last week’s English Amateur but was beaten by Hodgson in the third round.
The Suffolk man has a string of runners-up places including the Midland Open Amateur and the Parman Championship last year while in 2009 he’s been second in the Portuguese Amateur, the Berkhamsted Trophy and the Lagonda Trophy. He made his England debut in last year’s Home Internationals, arriving as a last minute reserve.
Fleetwood, 18, was capped at Under 16 and boy level before making his full debut in last year’s Home Internationals. He won all six of his matches in last year’s Boys Home Internationals and also represented GB&I against Europe in the Jacques Leglise Trophy. He was last year's Lancashire Champion, finished runner-up in the Amateur Championship, while in 2009 he has won the Scottish Open Amateur Stroke Play and was a quarter finalist in the Amateur Championship.
Goddard, 21, is the new English Champion following his victory at Rye last week. A former winner of the Bernard Darwin and McEvoy Trophies, the South East Junior Championship, the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters and the Chiberta Grand Prix, the English was his first victory of 2009. He was another to make his full England debut in last year‘s Home Internationals. Haines, 19, won the McEvoy and Carris Trophies in 2007 and represented England in the European Boys Team Championships, the Boys Home Internationals and GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy. Last year he won the Lytham Trophy, while his victories in 2009 have been the Berkhamsted Trophy, Hampshire Hog and tied in the Duncan Putter. He was also runner-up in the St Andrews Links Trophy.
Hutsby, 20, capped at Under 16 and boys levels, he won the Spanish Amateur Championship, the Duke of York Young Champions in 2006 and the St Mellion International in 2007 when he also made his full England debut in the Home Internationals.
Last year, he won the Bernard Darwin Salver, was runner-up in the Welsh Open Stroke Play, while this year he was runner-up in the Spanish Amateur and the Amateur Championship. Keenan, 24, lost to Goddard in last weekend’s final of the English Amateur. A former winner of the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters and the Surrey Championship, he’s won the Berkshire Trophy for the past two years and is another to have made his full England debut in last year’s Home Internationals.
Whitnell, who will turn 21 on 9th August, is the current leader of the Titleist/Footjoy EGU Order of Merit. His successes have been many including the Daily Telegraph Junior Championship in 2006, the North of England Youth Championship, the Tillman Trophy for the past two years and this year’s Portuguese Amateur. He was a semi-finalist in last year’s Australian Amateur, runner-up to Haines in the Lytham Trophy, but won the Lagonda Trophy.
A semi-finalist in last week’s English Amateur, the Essex man has played in the last two Home Internationals and European Men’s Team Championships, was a member of the Eisenhower Trophy team and the winning European Nations Cup team with Goddard and Hutsby.
England recaptured the Raymond Trophy in 2007 when they won the Home Internationals at County Louth in Ireland but lost it to the Irish in Scotland last year.