XAVIER STILL SHINES IN ENGLISH CONQUEST

England beat Spain 16-8 at Walton Heath on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten record over their Continental rivals but it was the visitors who had the star of the day.

Xavier Guzman celebrated his 18th birthday by completing his fourth victory of the weekend when he beat English champion Mark Sanders three and two.

Only Gary Wolstenholme, England's most experienced campaigner at 38, matched Guzman's record over the two days to emphasise that the contest was not as one-sided as the scoreline suggests.

The Guzman/Sanders match produced the best golf of the day. The Spaniard, with a birthday balloon attached to his trolley, was four under par when the match finished on the 16th green while Sanders was level par.

England, who began the day seven points ahead and needed just three more for victory, were pegged back in the morning foursomes which Spain took 2-1 with one match halved.

But although the overall result was never in doubt, the young Spaniards - only one was over 20 - battled hard in the singles with five matches going to the 18th green.

After Yorkshire's Simon Dyson had won the top match two and one against 25-year-old Antonio Pons, the oldest of the Spaniards on view, Wolstenholme was involved in a tight tussle with Roger Albinana, who at 19 was half his opponent's age.

The Englishman found himself one-down after 13, then had to hole a tricky downhill 15-footer for a half at the long 14th to stop going two-down with four to play.

It was the pivotal moment, Wolstenholme then cashed in on the Spaniard's wayward shotmaking to win the 16th and 17th for a one-hole success and his fourth victory of the weekend.

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