Selectors turn to youth in team for internationals
By Peter Donald - Electronic Telegraph

BARRY HUME of Haggs Castle, the 17-year-old Scottish boys' strokeplay champion, is the youngest of three teenagers named by the Scotland selectors in a much changed side for the home internationals at Royal County Down on Sept 22-24.

The emphasis is on youth with Craig Watson, 33, the 1997 Amateur champion, and former Scottish title-holder Simon Mackenzie, 29, the oldest in the team.

"We have selected a side for the future," said captain George Macgregor. It has been a year when many of our promising younger players have taken that one step forward and it is time to give them the chance to shine in the international arena."

Hume said he was not surprised at his selection. "It was one of the goals I set myself at the start of the season. I have already met and played with and against a lot of the guys I'll come up against in the home internationals so I'm not going to be overawed by any of them."

The West of Scotland youngster said that winning the boys' strokeplay event by a massive 13 shots at Nairn Dunbar was his best achievement of the year, but playing for Scotland will be the highlight. But he says: "I haven't made up my mind about my immediate future, such as going to an American college. I have got time on my side so I'm not rushing into things."

Apart from Hume, the newcomers for the home internationals are Mark Loftus, Steven O'Hara, Craig Heap and Chris Campbell. The five survivors from the 1998 series are David Patrick, Graham Fox, Steven Carmichael, Watson, and Mackenzie, while Roger Beames is recalled after last playing in 1996.

The other two teenagers in the side are O'Hara, 19, the British and Scottish boy champion last year, and Campbell, also 19, who reached the quarter-finals of this year's Scottish Amateur championship which was won by Heap.

"The home internationals are a tiring week, coming as they do at the end of a long hard season," pointed out Macgregor. "That is why we have not considered for selection Lorne Kelly and Graham Rankin, who in the two weeks prior to the home internationals are playing in the Walker Cup and then the pre-qualifying for the European tour.

"Thirteen years is too long a gap since our last win in 1986 at Harlech which does not reflect the consistency and top-class performances of our individual players."

Team

SCOTLAND: R Beames (Carnegie Club at Skibo), C Campbell (Grantown-on-Spey), S Carmichael (Cardross), G Fox (W Kilbride), C Heap (E Kilbride), B Hume (Haggs Castle), M Loftus (Cowglen), S Mackenzie (W Linton), S O'Hara (Colville Pk), D Patrick (Mortonhall), C Watson (E Renfrewshire). Reserves: E Forbes (Turriff), L Rhind (Uphall).