England defeat France in biennial international match

England Golf won their biennial international match against France after a 13-11 victory at Golf de Chantilly on Sunday.

A storming 8-4 win on Saturday, including a 4-0 clean sweep in the morning foursomes, left England requiring just 4.5 points from 12 available on Sunday.

They went down 2.5-1.5 in the foursomes, meaning France needed to win six of the eight afternoon singles matches to turn the contest around, but the hosts could only win 4.5, as England regained the trophy.

It means England have won 27 of the 33 matches between the sides, and it is back-to-back wins on French soil following the victory at Saint-Nom-la-Breteche in 2022.

Jamie Van Wyk was England’s star man going unbeaten in all four matches played, winning three of them, while Eliot Baker, Ben Bolton, Lewy Hayward, Max Hopkins, Luke Jenkins, Tom Osborne and Jake Sowden all played key roles in the win. Click here to see all the results.

England Golf Men’s Performance Manager Ben Gorvett said: “Against such a strong French team in such a historic match, at a fantastic venue, and to come away with trophy, is true testament to the quality that our players possess. It was a battle out there. Winning the Saturday foursomes 4-0 gave us a great platform but we knew the French team would come out fighting in every session after that and that they did!

"The resilience and grit our players showed Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon is a trait that the players should be immensely proud of. They dug deep and they played hard for the Rose, for each other and our travelling support group.

"We are fortunate, and I am grateful, to have a world-class coach in Rob Watts, and to have our Performance Director, Nigel Edwards, Madam President and our CEO providing vital support to myself and the players during this victory, which enables us to keep our momentum moving forward."