Vagliano Trophy report and results

Saturday morning clean sweep by Team Europe but GB and I not ready to throw in the towel

Still smiling, Helen Hewlett (second left) and Elaine Farquharson-Black (fifth left) with the GB and I team at Bogogno GC, near Milan, Italy.

COLIN FARQUHARSON

reporting from Italy 

It all went pear-shaped for Great Britain and Ireland in the Day 2 foursomes of the Vagliano Trophy women's amateur international match at Bogogno Golf Club, near Milan, Italy.

Giving as good as they got in the opening day 6-6 scoreline, GB and I's hopes of scoring a first win in the biennial match since 2005 were given a severe knock when Team Europe won all four Saturday morning foursomes to go into the final set of eight singles with a 10-6 lead.

But the GB and I leadership are certainly not ready to throw in the towel.

Said team captain Elaine Farquharson-Black:

"Yes, of course, we are disappointed that we did not play nearly as well as we did on the first day. But give Team Europe their due. They did play well, very well in fact.

"We may have lost this morning's 'battle,' but we have not lost the 'war' yet. Four points are a lot to make up over eight singles but it's been done before and it can be done again.

"Our players are ready to go out there and show what they can do when the chips are down."

Said Team Manager Helen Hewlett, who beat Elaine in the British women's open amateur championship final at Hoylake in the early 1990s:

"We have to believe we can still win it. And I think that if we get the momentum going in the singles, it is not impossible for us to make up the leeway this afternoon."

Alice Hewson lost her 100 per cent winning record over the first day when she and India Clyburn lost by two holes to Dewi Weber and Puk Lyng Thomsen. All square after 15, the Team Europe pair won the 17th and the 18th for the match.

Gemma Clews and Sophie Lamb went down by 4 and 3 to Virginia Elena Carta and Albane Valenzuela after being all square through the turn. The Continentals gained the edge with successes at the 10th, 13th and 14th for a three-hole lead.

Clews and Lamb were three over par for the holes played.

Leona Maguire and Olivia Mehaffey, GB and I's top world ranked players, got off to a bad start, slipping three down after five holes and they could not recover against Mathilda Castren and Morgane Metraux who won by 3 and 2.

It was a first defeat of the tournament for both Leona and Olivia.

Team Europe's biggest win of the morning came from the Swedish pairing of Linnea Strom and Julia Engstrom who beat Maria Dunne and Annabel Wilson by 6 and 4 after being three up at the ninth, and added to that with successes at the 10th, 13th and 16th.
The Under-16s Junior Vagliano Trophy has been retained by the Continent after only three sessions of play. Leading 7-2 overnight, Team Europe took the foursomes 3-0 to establish an unassailable lead of 10-2 with only six singles to come in the afternoon




VAGLIANO TROPHY
OVERALL SCORE: GB and I 6, TEAM EUROPE 10
DAY 1 SCORE: GB and I 6, TEAM EUROPE 6
DAY 2 SCORE GB and I 0, TEAM EUROPE 4
FOURSOMES (0-4)
GB and I names first
Alice Hewson (England) and India Clyburn (England) lost to Dewi Weber (Netherlands) and Puk Lyng Thomsen (Denmark) 2 holes.
Gemma Clews (England) and Sophie Lamb (England) lost to Virginia Elena Carta and Albane Valenzuela (Switzerland) 4 and 3.
Leona Maguire (Ireland) and Olivia Mehaffey (Ireland) lost to Matilda Castren (Finland) and Morgane Metraux (Switzerland) 3 and 2.
Maria Dunne (Ireland) and Annabel Wilson (Ireland) lost to Linnea Strom (Sweden) and Julia Engstrom (Sweden) 6 and 4

JUNIOR VAGLIANO TROPHY
OVERALL SCORE: GB and I  2, TEAM EUROPE 10
DAY 1 SCORE: GB and I 2, TEAM EUROPE 7
DAY 2 SCORE: GB and I  0, TEAM EUROPE 3
FOURSOMES (0-3)
Sara Byrne (Ireland) and Carys Worby (Wales) lost to Blanca Fernandez Garcia-Poggio (Spain) 2 and 1.
FfionTynan (Wales) and Caitlin Whitehead (England) lost to Emilie Alba Paltrinieri (Italy) and Alessia Nobilio (Italy) 5 and 3.
Euphemie Rhodes (England) and Lily May Humphreys (England) lost to Amanda Linner (Sweden( and Isabella Holpfer (Austria) 3 and 2.

ENDS