Scotland and Skinns Defend in Argentina

Internationals Zane Scotland and David Skinns will be in charge of England's defence of the Juan Carlos Tailhade Championship in Argentina in December.

The tournament, which was won by Nick Dougherty and Gary Wolstenholme a year ago, will be played at Los Largartos Country Club in Buenos Aires on 13-16 December.

Scotland, 19, from Surrey, has been on the international scene since 1997 when he made his debut for the Under-16 boys team against the England Girls at Bristol. Since then he has been a regular in the England boys team before making his full England debut against the French at Chart Hills in May 2000. In the Home Internationals at Woodhall Spa in September, Scotland played a major role in helping England regain the title, winning all his five matches.

Skinns, 19, another former boy cap, was one of five newcomers in the England team for the Home Internationals. That call-up came in the wake of a series of consistent performances, including winning the Lagonda Trophy, finishing fourth in the West of England and reaching the fourth round of the Amateur Championship. Skinns, from Lincolnshire, recently enrolled at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and will travel from there to Argentina.

The pair's inclusion for the Argentina trip is an extension of the EGU's policy of giving players experience of overseas competition, which proved a vital factor in the recent Walker Cup triumph.

A year ago, Dougherty and Wolstenholme finished tied with pairs from South Africa and Finland but a Wolstenholme birdie at the first extra hole sealed England's victory.