CONTINENTALS LEAD AT CHANTILLY IN VAGLIANO MATCHES

Gabriella Cowley gives it her all from the first tee in her singles tie. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
It could have been worse - but it could have been much better. That's how difficult it is to sum up the first day's play in the 28th Vagliano Trophy match at Chantilly Golf Club in the boar-infested woodlands 30 miles north of Paris.
The Continent of Europe lead Great Britain and Ireland 6 1/2-5 1/2 in the main event, the women's nine-a-side contest, while GB and I trail 6 1/2-1 1/2 in the six-a-side Under-16s Junior Vagliano Trophy match.
There was a distinct lack of information coming back to the clubhouse, much to the frustration of yours truly, the only golf writer of any nationality on the premises.
The positions of the matches were relayed only every third hole.
Had it been a Ladies Golf Union enterprise, there would have been hole-by-hole reports for an event of this status.
And it was not until the players started to come in from the course late in the day that we came to realise that there had been some very good golf played by both sides in both the Vagliano and Junior Vagliano matches.
The conditions were ideal for scoring with the many international flags hanging limply on the main flagpole outside the clubhouse on an overcast - but never cold - day when there was rain to start the day but it never came back again with any determination.
Captain Tegwen Matthews' team took the morning foursomes 3-1 and were leading 4-2 until the last hour or so of play. Then the tide turned in favour of the Continentals who seem to produce generation after generation of players whose short games are sharper than the GB and I opposition over the years.
The home squad eventually took 5 1/2 of the eight points at stake in the singles.Georgia Hall, holder of the British women's and girls' championships, lost the top singles tie to the reigning European women's amateur champion, Celine Boutier (France) by 2 and 1 after being one down at the turn and three holes in arrears on the 13th tee.
Stephanie Meadow, the other top 10 world-ranked player in the GB and I line-up, was two down after six holes to Spain's Camilla Hedberg and lost by 4 and 2.
GB and I's only singles winners were Hayley Davis and Bronte Law. Davis was six up at the turn against Quirine Eijkenboom, the German girl who was not played in the morning foursomes. Davis went on to win 4 and 3. It was the Dorset player's second win of the day. She had partnered Georgia Hall to a morning foursomes win.
Law beat Sophia Popov by two holes, having been two up at the turn.
Amy Boulden was two up after 12 against Noemi Jimenez but had to settle for a halved match in the end. She took 1 1/2pt out of two from Day 1, the same as Bronte Law.
Welsh champion Becky Harries, who sat out the foursomes, was two up after six against Nicole Larsen but was pulled back to all square by the 12th and went down to a one-hole defeat in what was a tight match.
Alexandra Peters was all square after 12 against Karolin Lampert who had taken a one-hole lead by the 16th tee and the German player, world ranked No 12, went on to win by one hole.
Teenager Gabriella Cowley was three up at the turn against Sophia Popov and still one up after 12 but her German opponent finished the stronger for a 2 and 1 win.
"I was satisfied with the morning foursomes performance but in the singles it was a tale of missed opportunities," said the GB and I captain.
"We put ourselves in a good position early in the afternoon but seemed to take our foot off the pedal - and paid the price. We can still win but it will take a sustained effort over the whole of the second day."

Samantha Fuller in action at Chantilly today. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

The Continent of Europe, leading 6 1/2-2 1/2, are in a stronger position in the second staging of the Junior Vagliano Trophy. They led GB and I 2-1 after the foursomes and increased that lead with three singles wins before Alice Hewson, the Scottish Under-16 girls open champion, stopped the rot with a 2 and 1 win over a Hungarian player, Csilla Laytai.
Alice had been two up at the turn.
German-born Scot Fiona Liddell, whose Falkirk-born father is a club pro in Germany, won her foursomes tie in partnership with Sophie Lamb, but lost by 4 and 3 to France's Eva Gilly in the singles. Gilly was two up after six holes against an opponent who was eight-under-par at the finish.
Sophie Lamb halved her match against Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland) with never more than a hole in it either way. It was a quality match with a better ball of 10 under par.
Olivia Mehaffey from Northern Ireland was all square coming down the 18th against Mathilda Cappeliez. The French girl won the hole. That just about summed up GB and I's day overall.

VAGLIANO TROPHY - End of first day scoreboard

CONTINENT OF EUROPE 6 1/2, GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND 5 1/2
Chantilly Golf Club, nr Paris

FOURSOMES (1-3)
Nicole Larsen and Emily Pedersen (Denmark) lost to Georgia Hall and Hayley Davis (England) 5 and 3.
Celine Boutier (France) and Natalia Escuriola (Spain) halved with Bronte Law and Gabriella Cowley (England).
Sophia Popov and Karolin Lampert (Germany) lost to Amy Boulden (Wales) and Alexandra Peters (England) 3 and 2.
Camilla Hedberg and Noemi Jimenez (Spain) halved with Stephanie Meadow (Ireland) and Amber Ratcliffe (England).

SINGLES (5 1/2-2 1/2)
Boutier bt Hall 2 and 1.
Larsen bt Becky Harries (Wales) 1 hole.
Lampert bt Peters 1 hole.
Quirine Eijkenboom (Germany) lost to Davis 4 and 3.
Jimenez halved with Boulden.
Popov lost to Law 2 holes.
Escuriola bt Cowley 2 and 1.
Hedberg bt Meadow 4 and 2 

JUNIOR VAGLIANO TROPHY - End of first day scoreboard

CONTINENT OF EUROPE 6 1/2, GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND 2 1/2

FOURSOMES (2-1)
Covadonga Sanjuan and Alejandra Pasarin (Spain) bt Sophie Madden and Samantha Fuller (England) 2 holes.
Csilla Laytai  (Hungary) and Eva Gilly (France) lost to Sophie Lamb (England) and Fiona Liddell (Scotland) 4 and 2.
Mathilda Cappeliez (France) and Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland) bt Olivia Mehaffey (Ireland) and Alice Hewson (England) 1 hole.

SINGLES (4 1/2-1 1/2)
Sanjuan bt Madden 6 and 5.
Pasarin bt Fuller 3 and 2.
Laytai lost to Hewson 2 and 1.
Gilly bt Liddell 4 and 3.
Valenzuela halved with Lamb.
Cappeliez bt Mehaffey 1 hole.
ends first day