Roy's the boy for England seniors' title

bid at Crail

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE ENGLISH GOLF UNION 
Roy Smethurst joins England's victorious European Team Championship squad in the bid to regain the Senior Home Internationals title at Crail in Fife from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
The winning squad of Douglas Arnold (Copthorne, Sussex), Andrew Carman (Coventry, Warwickshire), Dave Jessup (Rochester and Cobham, Kent), Chris Reynolds (Littlestone, Kent), Philip Slater (Sandiway, Cheshire) and Alan Squires (Oldham, Lancashire), who retained the European title at Fairhaven last week, will be joined in Scotland by Smethurst (Crewe, Cheshire).

Smethurst was unavailable to play at Fairhaven as he was visiting his son in Canada. But he returned in time to take on some caddying duties for his team-mates.

Arguably the most successful senior golfer in Britain, Smethurst has won four English Seniors Championships, and one British Seniors title as well as the European, French and Northern Counties Seniors Championships. His success in the Cheshire Seniors Championship is approaching double figures.

He has been an England seniors cap for more than a decade in the Seniors Home Internationals as well as the European Seniors Team Championships. Recently, Smethurst finished fifth in the British Seniors at Walton Heath, winning the over 65s prize, while he is currently top of the English Seniors Order of Merit ahead of many younger rivals.

Arnold has played in every Seniors Home Internationals since its inception in 2002 and has three English Seniors Championships to his credit. The Sussex man has also represented England in all five European Seniors Team Championships and has seven Sussex Seniors Championships to date.

Carman, a full England international in 1979 and ’80, made his debut as a senior cap in the 2009 European Seniors Team Championships. Finished third in his maiden English Seniors event last year and also captured the Midland Seniors title. This will be his second Seniors Home Internationals, having won all three of his singles matches last year.

Jessup, a former World Speedway Champion, earned his first seniors cap in the Seniors Home Internationals in 2008 in Wales. This year, he has finished runner-up in the Scottish Seniors and tied third in the English, while he is a regular in the Kent Seniors team, helping them to the English Seniors County Championship last year.

Reynolds has a fine record in the English Seniors, winning the title last year, having previously finished runner-up and third, and was runner-up again this year. First capped by England in the 2006 Seniors Home Internationals, he has played in every one since as well as the last four European Seniors Team Championships. He also won the South East Seniors title and is a member of the successful Kent Seniors Squad.

Slater, a former Cheshire Seniors Champion, made his England debut in the 2008 European Seniors Team Championships in Ireland and has been a member of the past two winning squads. This will be his third successive Seniors Home Internationals, while he finished tied third this year in the English and Welsh Seniors. He has also helped Cheshire win two English Seniors County Championships.

Squires realised a dream when he won the English Seniors title at Carlisle in June, having previously finished second and third. Debuted in the 2004 Seniors Home Internationals, he has only missed the 2009 event. He has also been a member of the England Squad in all but one of the European Seniors Team Championships and is a former Lancashire Seniors Champion.

This will be the ninth playing of the Seniors Home Internationals following its inception in 2002 and England have won the title three times, the last at Caldy in 2007. Ireland have been champions for the past two years.