England won the Girls & Boys Home Internationals for a fifth consecutive year in Cork, Ireland – with Charlotte Naughton, Alex Boyes and Tom Hartshorne all featuring in the victory.
On a dramatic final day, all eyes were on England and Scotland as the two battled it out for the combined trophy for a second successive year.
In an identical finish to the 2024 tournament, England beat Scotland 4-3 in the foursomes and 9-5 in singles to win 13-8 and claim the title.
England enjoyed a memorable week in Ireland – with the girls topping the leaderboard with three wins from three and the boys finishing second behind Scotland.
The result means England has won all five events since the amalgamated tournament began in 2021.
Starting on Tuesday, England secured a 13-8 victory over Wales and an emphatic 14.5-6.5 victory over Ireland 24 hours later, before winning the final match of the event.
“We’re incredibly proud of the team this week,” said assistant women’s performance manager India Clyburn. “Everyone played their part, with both sides winning important points in some incredibly tight matches. I played in a few of these when I was coming through the system, and I know how great it feels to win after a long three days of golf.”
Jamie O’Connor, assistant performance manager, added: “I’m delighted we were able to secure the Home Internationals and I want to thank everyone who played their part. The girls’ team were fantastic this week, and their continued success in this competition is amazing. I would like to congratulate them all on their amazing achievement. Regarding the boys, I’m incredibly proud of our effort this week, and we’ll take a lot of learnings as a team. It’s been a valuable week.”
Picking up 23.5 points out of a possible 27, the girls stamped their authority in the singles. Winning 6.5 out of nine in the foursomes, the group would only lose one singles match out of 18, adding 17 points to the total.
The girls’ staggering run of Home International titles continues, making it seven in a row since 2016 and 15 wins from the last 16 tournaments – with only Ireland halting the run in 2016.
Longhirst Hall-based Charlotte, Annabel Peaford (Walton Heath) and Elizabeth Wilson (Norwood Park) each won all six of their matches during the event.
“We wanted to win, but the performances across the board have exceeded expectations,” added India. “To win 17 out of 18 is a considerable achievement, and everyone deserves the plaudits they receive.”
The boys, meanwhile, were led by unbeaten Alex – who added 5.5 points out of a possible six. Winning all three singles matches, Alex also had a strong partnership with fellow Teessider Tom – the pair securing two-and-a-half points from their three foursomes matches.
