England Golf select eight to take on France

England has named a team of eight top players to play France in an international match later this month.

They are: Todd Clements of Essex, Bailey Gill and David Hague of Yorkshire, Ben Jones of Northamptonshire, Matthew Jordan of Cheshire, Billy McKenzie of Hampshire, Gian-Marco Petrozzi of Staffordshire and Andrew Wilson of Durham.

The biennial match will be played at Vidauban Golf Club, near Nice, on 12-13 May. It was first played in 1934 and England has won 29 times, conceding just five matches. The French team was last successful in 2010 in Chantilly.

The England team is in great form. Clements, Hague, Jordan and Petrozzi have just won the European Nations Championship by 20 shots in Spain. Clements, who is the English amateur champion, also won the individual title.

McKenzie and Petrozzi have also won individual titles this season, respectively claiming the Spanish amateur and the New South Wales amateur. Gill and Jones were joint runners-up in the Portuguese amateur.

Last season Jordan played in the GB&I Walker Cup team and won the St Andrew’s Links Trophy. Hague won the North of England amateur and the Lagonda Trophy. Wilson won the Lee Westwood Trophy and was runner up in the North of England.