YORKSHIRE DUO EARN DEBUTS AGAINST ITALY - 17th Jun 2004

England will give two Yorkshire youngsters their first taste of international golf in the annual under-16 contest with Italy at Dudsbury Golf Club, Dorset, on 29th June.

The newcomers are Adam Hodkinson from Dore and Totley and Saltburn’s Dale Smith. They will be joined by Tony Mitchell from Hertfordshire and Nottingham’s Tom Oliver, both of whom have already earned under 16 honours.

Hodkinson, at 15 the youngest member of the side, was promoted to the England School of Excellence this year and recently replaced Howard Clark as the youngest player ever to play for the Yorkshire county men’s team, when he made a winning debut against Lancashire.

Mitchell, 16, also a member of the School of Excellence, played in this match at Rotherham last year, emerging with a win and a half. His call-up followed a run of success in 2002 when he finished third in the England Under-14 Championship for the Reid Trophy, seventh in the North of England Boys, and 12th in the Under-16 Championship.

Oliver, 16, is a former Notts under 14 and under 16 champion who represented his county in the Boys County Finals in 2002. He was reserve against Italy at Rotherham a year ago but played against Scotland under 16s and against the England girls under 18 side.

Smith, 16, finished 12th in this years McEvoy trophy and is a member of the EGU’s Yorkshire coaching group.

This will be the ninth playing of the match with the Italians, which involves two foursomes and four singles matches. England has an unbeaten record in the event, having won the last seven encounters after the inaugural meeting at Radcliffe-on-Trent in 1996 finished 3-3.

Team: Adam Hodkinson (Dore & Totley), Tony Mitchell (Redbourn), Tom Oliver (Notts) and Dale Smith (Saltburn). Reserve: Nick McCarthy (Moortown)

Related Links

• http://www.englishgolfunion.org

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