Great Britain & Ireland held off a strong Continental Europe fightback to claim victory on the final day of the Vivendi Seve Trophy at St-Nom-La-Breteche in Paris.

PAUL MCGINLEY must play through the pain barrier at the €2m Mercedes Benz Championship after a freak accident in practice yesterday.

SHANE LOWRY, Paul Cutler and Niall Kearney, all members of Ireland’s winning team at the 2008 European Amateur Team Championships, have been included in the Great Britain & Ireland squad ahead of September’s Walker Cup.

The United States won the Curtis Cup for the 26th time today, beating Great Britain & Ireland by 13 points to seven over the Old Course at St Andrews.

Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell has won the Royal Trophy, Seve Trophy, Walker Cup and Palmer Cup and is confident his recent run of consistent form can thrust him into Nick Faldo’s mind for the ultimate team showdown at Valhalla in September.

Great Britain and Ireland captain Colin Montgomerie is confident his side can win the Seve Trophy for the third successive time when they take on Continental Europe next week.

Ryder Cup team-mates Paul Casey and Thomas Levet have been selected by their respective captains as the wild cards for the Seve Trophy next week.

Gary Wolstenholme has set his sights on yet another Walker Cup appearance after Great Britain & Ireland’s narrow defeat to the US at Chicago Golf Club yesterday.

Frankie Dettori led the Rest of the World team to a convincing 138-102 victory over Great Britain & Ireland in the Shergar Cup at Ascot .

Champion jockey Kieren Fallon will lead the Great Britain & Ireland team of jockeys for the Blue Square Shergar Cup, which takes place at Ascot next month.

THE forthcoming Seve Trophy contest between Continental Europe and Great Britain & Ireland at the Campo de Golf Parador El Saler, Valencia, Spain, will now be played over four days in early November (6-9), rather than three.