Issued 20 August

 

Five English, two Scots named in 2019 GB and I Walker Cup Team

 

Five English players and two Scots (Sandy Scott and Euan Walker) have been included in the Great Britain and Ireland team to face the United States of America in this year's Walker Cup at Royal Liverpool on September 7-8.

SQUAD IS:

Alex Fitzpatrick (Hallamshire, Yorkshire)

Conor Gough (Stoke Park, Buckinghamshire)

Harry Hall (West Cornwall)

Thomas Plumb (Yeovil, Somerset)

Tom Sloman (Taunton and Pickeridge, Somerset)

 

The above have been listed in the team while Ben Schmidt (Rotherham, Yorkshire) and Ben Jones (Northamptonshire County, Northamptonshire) have been named as first and second reserves.

The rest of the ten-man team is made up of Ireland’s Conor Purcell (Portmarnock), Caolan Rafferty (Dundalk) and James Sugrue (Mallow) and Scotland’s Sandy Scott (Nairn) and Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie).

Announcing the selection, GB and I captain, Craig Watson said: "It has been a very difficult decision to select ten players for Great Britain and Ireland from a strong squad but we have been very impressed with the results of those we have picked and we believe they will give us the best chance of regaining the Walker Cup against a strong American team."

“The Walker Cup is a fantastic opportunity for those amateurs to demonstrate their talents on the big stage and it will be an experience that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

We are looking forward to the match at Hoylake and I’m sure the players will give it their very best to win.”

GB and I is bidding to win back the Walker Cup after the USA secured a 19-7 victory in the 2017 match at Los Angeles Country Club. Home advantage has proved a key factor in recent matches with GB and I winning the biennial encounter at Royal Aberdeen in 2011 and the 2015 match at Royal Lytham and St Annes.