The Continent of Europe achieved a historic double by securing victory over Great Britain and Ireland in the Junior Vagliano and Jacques Léglise trophies at Blairgowrie today, the first time that the matches have been played alongside each other.
The renowned Rosemount Course in Perthshire was bathed in sunshine as the Europeans continued their dominance in the Junior Vagliano Trophy to take the match by 10-8 after the afternoon singles finished three points apiece.
The keenly contested Jacques Léglise Trophy was won by the Continent of Europe by 13½-11½ but they were pushed all the way by a gritty GB&I team.
The Junior Vagliano Trophy
GB&I started the day two points adrift of their European rivals and the morning foursomes spoils were shared with Johanna Axelsen and Perla Sól Sigurbrandsdóttir winning their match while Isla McDonald-O’Brien and Amelia Wan responded with a win and the other match was halved.
The home team knew they had to make a fast start in the afternoon singles but their hopes were dented when Anna Cañadó Espinal of Spain raced to a 6&5 win against Marina Joyce Moreno.
GB&I showed their resolve, however, and Rosie Bee Kim saw off Sigurbrandsdóttir by 4&2. Maggie Whitehead secured a two-hole win over Lynn van der Sluijs after winning the 17th with a birdie and sealing the match at the 18th with a par.
McDonald-O’Brien maintained her rich vein of form to win by 2&1 against Spain’s Andrea Revuelta Goicoechea and take 3½ points out of four for the week.
The Continent of Europe team were not to be denied though and Axelsen and Carla De Troia were always in control in their matches against Amelia Wan and Grace Crawford with 4&3 and 6&5 results ensuring they would take the trophy for the seventh time.
The Jacques Léglise Trophy
The GB&I boys had their work cut out for them against the Continent of Europe in the Jacques Léglise Trophy starting the day with a three point deficit but they bounced back in the morning foursomes, winning three of the matches and losing only one to reduce the arrears to one point.
Things looked ominous for the home team when the German pairing of Carl Siemens and Tim Wiedemeyer won the opening match against Dylan Shaw-Radford and Niall Shiels Donegan by 3&1 but GB&I fought back strongly to win the remaining three matches with Frank Kennedy and Connor Graham securing a 3&2 win against William Wistrand and Albert Hansson in the final match.
The Continent of Europe boys kept their eyes on the prize in the early afternoon singles matches with Spain’s Jorge Siyuan Hao halving the opening match with Tyler Weaver and then Wiedemeyer and Siemens putting two more points on the board against Harley Smith and Josh Hill.
Shaw-Radford struck back for GB&I with a fine 3&1 victory over Marco Florioli from Italy and Kennedy followed up by taking his match with Tom Haberer by 4&3.
Boys’ Amateur champion Albert Hansson tried to slam the door on any building GB&I momentum with a comprehensive 7&5 triumph against Shiels Donegan and Thijmen Batens clinched another point with a two hole win against Junior Open champion and Blairgowrie member Connor Graham.
Oihan Guillamoundeguy halved his match with Josh Berry and Scottish Men’s Amateur champion Oliver Mukherjee closed the match with a one-hole win over Wistrand.