Four new players join England Golf’s boys’ squad

Four teenagers are celebrating an outstanding season in 2018 by winning places in the England Golf national boys’ squad.

They are Dubai-based Josh Hill, Habebul Islam of Suffolk, George Leigh of Cornwall and Ben Schmidt of Yorkshire.

They join eight established members of the squad, including Carris Trophy winner Barclay Brown and Boys’ Amateur Champion Conor Gough.

The four newcomers have been on great form this season with Hill and Islam playing in the England team which won the Boys’ Home Internationals. Schmidt and Leigh both represented England in the Italian U16 championship, where Schmidt finished runner-up.

Hill, Leigh and Schmidt also helped England beat Ireland in the recent mixed U16 international.

The full squad:

Barclay Brown, 17, (Hallamshire, Yorkshire) beat an international field to win the English U18 boys’ open for the Carris Trophy. He captained GB&I to victory in the Jacques Leglise Trophy against continental Europe.

Enrique Dimayuga, 17, (Walton Heath, Surrey) was a quarter finalist in the French boys’ and reached the matchplay stages of the Boys’ Amateur Championship.

Matthew Freeman, 17, (Notts, Nottinghamshire) was in England’s winning team at the Boys’ Home Internationals and had a top ten finish in the Carris Trophy.

Conor Gough, 16, (Stoke Park, BB&O) had a stellar season, winning the Boys’ Amateur Championship, the U16 McGregor Trophy and the Fairhaven Trophies. He represented Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup.

Josh Hill, 14, (Jumeirah, Dubai) was 10th in the McGregor Trophy and a strong challenger in the U18 Carris Trophy. He reached the last 32 in the Boys’ Amateur.

Max Hopkins, 15, (Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire) is an England and GB&I boy international who reached the last eight in the Boys’ Amateur Championship and was fourth in the Italian U16s.

Habebul Islam, 17, (Ipswich, Suffolk) has had consistently high finishes this season, with top tens in the Sir Henry Cooper Junior Masters and the Tillman and Waterford Trophies.

George Leigh, 16, (Trevose, Cornwall) was sixth in the McGregor Trophy and in England’s winning teams for the U16 internationals against Wales and Ireland.

Joe Pagdin, 16, (Lake Nona, Florida) was a semi-finalist in the Boys’ Amateur, represented Team GB in the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina, England in the Boys’ Home Internationals and GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy.

Ben Pierleoni, 16, (Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire) was in England’s successful U16 teams against Wales and Ireland. He was joint runner-up in the Berkhamsted Trophy and fourth in the North of England boys’ championship.

Ben Schmidt, 16, (Rotherham, Yorkshire) is the English Boys’ County Champion of Champions and the winner of the Lee Westwood Trophy. He was runner-up in both the McGregor Trophy and the Italian U16s.

Robin Williams, 17, (Peterborough Milton, Northamptonshire) played for Europe in the Junior Ryder Cup, sank the winning putt for GB&I in the Jacques Leglise Trophy and was in England’s successful team at the Boys’ Home Internationals.