Maguire twins named in preliminary Vagliano Trophy squad

THE outrageously talented 13-year-old Maguire twins from Ballyconnell in Cavan have been named in a Great Britain & Ireland preliminary squad for the 2009 Vagliano Trophy match against the Continent of Europe in Germany next July.

It is an indication how far Lisa and Leona, who won’t be 14 until the end of November, have progressed in the short time since they began playing.

Leona is the current Irish women’s amateur champion, having beaten Lisa in the final. Lisa is the Irish girls’ champion, and won this year’s European Junior Masters’ girls’ championship, beating Leona into second place. Their Masters’ performances earned them both automatic selection for Europe in the junior Ryder Cup match against the United States.

All eight members of this year’s GB&I Curtis Cup team who played in the match against the United States over the Old Course, St Andrews have been named, while four of the squad, including Roseanne Niven (California) are currently students at American colleges.

Ireland’s Mary McKenna will again captain the GB&I team in 2009, and is aiming to overturn the Continentals’ record-margin win in the last Vagliano Trophy match at the Fairmont St Andrews in 2007.

The breakdown of the nationalities of the 2009 squad is: English 9, Scottish 8, Irish 5, Welsh 4.

Preliminary squad: H Barwood (Eng), L Bennett (Eng), C Booth (Sco), A Boulden (Wal), H Burke (Eng), K Caithness (Sco), T Delaney (Carlow, Irl), N Edwards (Eng), J Ewart (Eng), S Hassan (Wal), R Jennings (Eng), N Kitching (Claremorris, Irl), B Loucks (Wal), K MacDonald (Sco), Leona Maguire (Slieve Russell, Irl), Lisa Maguire (Slieve Russell, Irl), D McVeigh (Royal Co Down. Irl), R Niven (Sco), F Parker (Eng), P Pretswell (Sco), K Smith (Eng), R Wyn Thomas (Wal), M Thomson (Sco), K Tidy (Eng), K Walker (Sco), S Watson (Sco).

Ireland captain Phil Gorman says her players are relishing the challenge in the World women’s amateur team championship for the Espirito Santo Trophy starting in Adelaide this morning.

“We just cannot wait to get started. All our preparation is complete — we have played and practiced a lot since arriving,” said O’Gorman.

In the first of the four rounds this morning Ireland will play alongside Singapore and Chile with the leading two scores from each side counting.

Niamh Kitching, Claremorris, leads Ireland into action over the Grange West course and will be followed by Danielle McVeigh, a Curtis Cup reserve this year, and Tara Delaney, who played in the 2006 Curtis Cup in Oregon and the 2007 Vagliano Trophy match at St Andrews Bay.

Kitching, the 23-year-old Limerick University student has had a great season, winning the Munster title, the Cork and Curragh Scratch Cups and ending runner-up in the Welsh Open stroke-play championship.

McVeigh, 20, from Royal Co Down won the 2007 World Students title and Delaney, also 20, one of the Carlow sisters, has just graduated from Kent State University in Ohio and is the Leinster champion.

This is an Irish side with plenty of experience and anxious to erase the memory of the home international performance at Wrexham when their eight-player team finished with the wooden spoon.

There are 48 teams in all competing in this 72-hole contest — six more than two years ago — and South Africa defend the title they won on home soil in 2006.