St Andrews trophy: Dunbar to lead Britain and Ireland at Portmarnock

ALAN DUNBAR, the British Amateur champion, and currently ranked 20th in the world amateur rankings, will spearhead the Great Britain and Ireland team that will seek to regain the St Andrews Trophy from continental Europe when the match takes place at Portmarnock Golf Club in Dublin on August 31st and September 1st.

Dunbar, from Rathmore Golf Club in Portrush, and Kevin Phelan, a Florida-based collegiate player who plays out of Waterford Castle, are the two Irish players included on the nine-man GBI team which also features Welsh teenager, Rhys Pugh, who recently captured the European amateur title when it was staged at Carton House.

This is the 29th staging of the biennial team competition – which in the past has included such players as Rory McIlroy, Pádraig Harrington and Sergio Garcia – and, although GBI has historically held the edge, this year’s team will be attempting to avenge the defeat by the continent of Europe in Castelconturbia, Italy, two years ago.

The Island’s Gavin Moynihan and Castle’s Alex Gleeson, considered two of the hottest prospects in Irish golf, have been named on the GBI team for the Jacques Leglise Trophy (boys) match against continental Europe which also takes place on the north county Dublin links. Moynihan is the reigning Irish Amateur Open champion. England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, who won the British boys’ championship last weekend, is also named in the team.

GBIRELAND (St Andrews Trophy): A Dunbar (Ire), C Hinton (Eng), N Kimsey (Eng), K Phelan (Ire), G Porteous (Eng), R Pugh (Wal), N Raymond (Eng), G Robertson (Sco), B Taylor (Eng).

GBIRELAND (Jacques Leglise Trophy): H Ellis (Eng), M Fitzpatrick (Eng), A Gleeson (Ire), P Kelly (Eng), G Moynihan (Ire), B Neil (Sco), M Orrin (Eng), T Tree (Eng), A Turner (Eng).

– PHILIP REID