Irish Ladies hoping to retain Home International golf crown

There will be no love lost between Ireland and England today as they kickstart the Ladies and Girls Home Internationals at Ballybunion Golf Club.

Ireland pipped England to claim the Ladies crown in 2017 with a 5-4 victory on the final day, while England overcame Ireland to win the Girls last year at Little Aston Golf Club, England.

The Ladies have a lot of firepower coming into this week, with Curtis Cup star Paula Grant leading the team, while Irish Close Champion Sara Byrne is the in-form player on the Girls’ team.

The format is teams from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete against each other in individual matches.

Each match consists of three foursomes in the morning and six singles in the afternoon

Day 1: Ireland v England, Wales v Scotland; Day 2: Scotland v England, Wales v Ireland; Day 3: England v Wales, Ireland v Scotland.

Ladies Home International Matches – Team Ireland: S Burke (Ballinrobe), L Coffey (Malone), P Grant (Lisburn), M Martin (Kanturk), J Ross (Clandeboye), L Walsh (Castlewarden), Al Wilson (Lurgan); Team Captain: D McVeigh, Team Coach: D Scott.

Girls' Home International Matches – Team Ireland: S Byrne (Douglas), V Clancy (Killarney), B Coulter (Kirkistown Castle), A Donegan (Woodstock), A Foster (Elm Park), N Joyce-Moreno (Royal Portrush), K Lanigan (Hermitage); Team Captain: H Jones, Team Manager: S Hayes, Team Coach: C Jelly.