[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"></v:path> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"></o:lock> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='position:absolute; margin-left:0;margin-top:0;width:300pt;height:184.5pt;z-index:251658240; mso-wrap-distance-left:7.5pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-right:7.5pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:7.5pt; mso-position-horizontal:left;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text; mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f"> <v:imagedata src="http://eu.vocuspr.com/Publish/2999329/vcsPRAsset_2999329_62492_1e04ac95-99a9-4a59-80f4-17096023b1c8_0.jpg"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="square"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]Five English players have been selected for the GB&I team of eight which will take on the USA in the 39th Curtis Cup match at Dun Laoghaire Golf Club near Dublin from June 10 to 12.
They are world number four Bronte Law of Cheshire (pictured top), Alice Hewson of Hertfordshire, Meghan MacLaren of Northamptonshire, Rochelle Morris of Yorkshire and Surrey-born Charlotte Thomas.
This will be Law’s third appearance in a Curtis Cup team, having made her debut in the winning side at Nairn in 2012; and a second consecutive appearance for Thomas.
The team will be completed by three Irish players: world number one Leona Maguire, Olivia Mehaffey and Maria Dunne.
Six of the players were selected automatically. They were the top four GB&I players on the World Amateur Golf Ranking - Maguire (1), Law (4), Mehaffey (9) and Hewson (36); and the top two players not otherwise exempt from the LGU order of merit – MacLaren and Morris. Thomas and Dunne were selectors’ picks.
The team will be captained by Aberdeen solicitor Elaine Farquharson-Black (Deeside), who played in the 1990 and 1992 Curtis Cup matches.
"We have an extremely talented team which has considerable experience of playing amateur golf at the highest level," said Elaine. "I am looking forward to meeting up with the team at The Castle Golf Club to prepare for the match. With some of the best players in the world on both sides, it is going to be a really exciting Curtis Cup.
Manager of the GB&I team is Lincolnshire's Helen (Dobson) Hewlett who played in the 1990 Curtis Cup match and also won the 1989 Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship.
The United States leads the Curtis Cup series with 28 wins to GB&I's seven. Three matches have been drawn.
The England players:
[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='position:absolute;margin-left:46.25pt;margin-top:0;width:86.25pt; height:86.25pt;z-index:251659264;mso-wrap-distance-left:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:right; mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f"> <v:imagedata src="http://eu.vocuspr.com/Publish/2999329/vcsPRAsset_2999329_62783_98607612-87d2-42f5-94e5-9263d63eb8b9_0.jpg"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="square"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]Alice Hewson, 18, (Berkhamsted) is an England and GB&I international who has played in both the Vagliano Trophy and its companion junior match. She has been a regular winner since capturing the English U13 girls’ title and her successes have included the Scottish U16 stroke play, the U18 prize at the St Rule Trophy and the girls’ title at the Telegraph Junior Championship. She has helped England beat Spain in the biennial international, to win the girls’ and women’s Home Internationals and the team event at the European Young Masters. She has won twice since starting at Clemson University in South Carolina last year.
[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1028" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='position:absolute;margin-left:46.25pt;margin-top:0;width:86.25pt; height:86.25pt;z-index:251660288;mso-wrap-distance-left:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:right; mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f"> <v:imagedata src="http://eu.vocuspr.com/Publish/2999329/vcsPRAsset_2999329_62786_ffe525bd-2817-401b-ba0a-4845c777d16c_0.jpg"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="square"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]Bronte Law, 21 (Bramhall) is the world number four and will be playing in her third Curtis Cup team, having made her debut as a member of the winning side at Nairn in 2012. She has won the English women’s amateur for the past two years and was runner-up in the 2016 South American women’s amateur. She has represented England since she was 14, notably winning a world championship bronze medal in 2014. She has also represented Europe in the Junior Solheim and Ryder Cups and has won four times on the US women’s college circuit, where she is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='position:absolute;margin-left:46.25pt;margin-top:0;width:86.25pt; height:86.25pt;z-index:251661312;mso-wrap-distance-left:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:right; mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f"> <v:imagedata src="http://eu.vocuspr.com/Publish/2999329/vcsPRAsset_2999329_60450_7e02dbcf-f198-4973-9c45-9affb037bb4c_0.jpg"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="square"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]Meghan MacLaren, 21, (Wellingborough) is a prolific winner on both sides of the Atlantic. She is a past British and Irish stroke play champion and has won eight times on the US college circuit where she is a student at the Florida International University. She is an England and GB&I international, having played in the Vagliano Trophy, and she represented Europe in this season’s inaugural Patsy Hankins Trophy against Asia Pacific. She has had top ten finishes this season in both the South American Amateur and the Helen Holm Scottish stroke play championships.
[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1030" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='position:absolute;margin-left:46.25pt;margin-top:0;width:86.25pt; height:86.25pt;z-index:251662336;mso-wrap-distance-left:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:right; mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f"> <v:imagedata src="http://eu.vocuspr.com/Publish/2999329/vcsPRAsset_2999329_62784_30a8355b-2d8c-4b15-b47d-122ea60e56ff_0.jpg"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="square"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]Rochelle Morris, 20, (Woodsome Hall) is knocking on the door of a big title after securing a number of second places. She was the runner-up in two national championships last year: the English women’s amateur at Hunstanton and the English women’s open stroke play at St Annes Old Links. In addition she was runner-up in qualifying for the English women’s open match play at Trentham. This year she was second in The Leveret, the prestigious stroke play event which is one of the season’s curtain raisers and reached the matchplay stages of the French U21 championship.
[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_s1031" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="" style='position:absolute;margin-left:46.25pt;margin-top:0;width:86.25pt; height:86.25pt;z-index:251663360;mso-wrap-distance-left:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:7.5pt; mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:right; mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical-relative:line' o:allowoverlap="f"> <v:imagedata src="http://eu.vocuspr.com/Publish/2999329/vcsPRAsset_2999329_62785_ef3d8ea1-87d2-44b6-bff8-c243974694ee_0.jpg"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="square"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]Charlotte Thomas, 23, is an England international who will represent GB&I for the second time in the Curtis Cup and has also played in the Vagliano Trophy. She is Surrey-born, but based overseas, and has a thoroughly international record. She’s a past winner of the English mid-amateur championship and runner-up in the English stroke play; she’s a student at the University of Washington, Seattle, and has won this college season and had seven top ten finishes. She was the winner of the inaugural Annika Invitational at Mission Hills in Shenzhen, China.