England name four to defend European Nations title in Spain

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British and English boys' champion Tom Lewis has been included in the four-man England team to defend the European Nations Championship in Spain next month. The 19 year old from Hertfordshire will link up with Walker Cup men Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Haines and Chris Paisley in a powerful young side (average age 20) that will seek to complete a second successive victory at Sotogrande from March 17 to 20.
Lewis won the Carris Trophy (English boys' championship) at Moor Park last summer by beating England team-mate Chris Lloyd in a sudden-death play-off, then edged out full international Eddie Pepperell for the British boys' title in the 36-hole final at Royal St George’s. Fleetwood and Haines recently returned from a successful month in Australia during which Fleetwood finished runner-up in the New South Wales Amateur and sixth in the New South Wales Medal and the Lake Macquarie International.
Paisley, 23, from Northumberland, who spent four successful years at the University of Tennessee, won the 2008 Czech Amateur Championship, and also that year finished runner-up in the Tillman Trophy, the English Amateur Championship and the South of England Open Stroke Play Championship. He was selected by GB&I in 2008 for the St Andrews Trophy and last year became a full England international as well as a member of the Walker Cup team.
The European Nations Championship, formerly known as the Sherry Cup, the Grey Goose Cup, and the Sotogrande Cup, is competed for over 72 holes with the best three cards each day counting towards the team event.
An individual competition runs simultaneously with the Nations Championship, the champion collecting a trophy and the Amateur Masters Jacket. If the Championship ends in a tie, the teams involved will nominate one player to compete in a sudden death play-off.
England won the title over the same course a year ago with the team of Charlie Ford, Luke Goddard, Sam Hutsby and Dale Whitnell, all of whom have turned professional.
England also won the Championship in 2004, finished runners-up in 2007 and third twice. Hutsby also won the individual title last year.