ENGLAND BOYS SUPREME ON GLOBAL STAGE

When it came to boys golf England were supreme on a global stage and, arguably, more successful in 1999 than their senior colleagues. They carried all before them, securing a clean sweep of World, European and National titles.

It began in June across the other side of the globe in Japan when the four-strong England team won the World Junior Golf Championship for the second successive year. The lineup of Scott Godfrey, David Porter, Nick Dougherty and Sandeep Grewal finished six strokes ahead of the United States while Dougherty also won the individual competition.

A few weeks later in Sweden, England tackled the European Boys Team Championship and again came out on top, beating Italy in the final, three of whose side had been in the winning European men's team championship a week earlier.

Then it was on to the Boys Home Internationals at Conwy in North Wales and a clean sweep of their three matches meant England retained the title. Add to these the Under-16 victory over Italy at Fairhaven and the English flag was flying high.

As with the mean, the boys also acquitted themselves in individual competition. Porter won the Peter McEvoy and Carries Trophies, James Heath lifted the McGregor Trophy, Zane Scotland took the Lagonda Trophy, David Griffiths finished third in the Junior Orange Bowl in Miami behind a Japanese and Sergio Garcia, Yorkshire's Michael Skelton was runner-up in the British Boys, while to round things off Simon Robinson won the International Foundation for Junior Golf World Boys Championship after topping the European qualifier.

In the Young Masters tournament in Italy, England finished runners-up to Spain while Craig Stevenson was third in the individual and David Porter fourth.

Then England supplied five players to the nine-strong Great Britain & Ireland Jacques Leglise Trophy team that beat the Continent of Europe at Burnham & Berrow Golf Club.

"These are a wonderful set of results", says Roy Case, Chairman of Boys Selection Committee. "This is the result of our coaching system. We are getting boys at a younger age while we are exposing them to international competition much earlier with our matches at Under-16 level against Italy, Scotland and the Under-18 English girls. We are setting our own standards and the biggest compliment I've had this year came from Bill Kerydk, Chairman of the World Junior Golf Team Championship Committee after we had retained the title in Japan. He said there was no doubt in his mind that England had the finest coaching programme of anyone in the world. But we mustn't be complacent. W e must continue this work and thanks to the sponsorship of Marsh and Royal and SunAlliance we are giving youngsters the opportunity to improve."

The England junior coaching goes on this winter at county and regional level and on to the elite group from which the internationals teams are chosen. And judging by recent results, some of these youngsters will be the stars of the next Millennium and the Ryder Cup heroes of tomorrow.