SHORT GAME: The Irish Boys team to play Wales in the annual match at Cardigan Golf Club, Wales, starting tomorrow is: Garth Boyd (Donaghadee), Chris Drumm (Rosslare), Michael Durcan (Co Sligo), Garth McGee (Malone), Ruaidhrí McGee (Rosapenna), Seán Morrison (City of Derry), Richard O'Donovan (Lucan) and Reeve Whitson (Mourne).

The team is captained Richard Cusack from Greystones.

The inaugural Four Nations Development Cup gets under way at The Royal Dublin GC tomorrow when teams from The Netherlands, Scotland and Wales join Ireland in an under-16 event.

The Ireland team is: Stephen Barry (Navan), Gary Collins (Rosslare), Graham Donohue (Enniscorthy), Paul Dunne (Greystones), Dermot McElroy (Ballymena), Matthew McKnight (Lisburn), Daniel Murphy (Portarlington) and Chris Selfridge (Moyola Park). The non-playing captain is Liam Martin from Castletroy.

Irish quartet help university to claim first NCAA title

Four young Irish men played their part in Francis Marion University (FMU) winning their first NCAA Division One title last week.

Ronan O'Connor and Andrew Pitcher, both from The Island, with Peter McGibney from Elm Park and Keith Crowley from Lee Valley in Cork, helped the South Carolina university to a seven-shot victory in a field of 19 teams over the famed Kingsmill River Course in Ohio.

The Patriots, who led by four strokes after the opening 18 holes, carded a day's best 283 team score on the final day to stretch their margin to seven over second-place University of Detroit Mercy (569 to 576). Gardner-Webb University (585) were third.

Detroit Mercy's Mark Sommerfield sank a birdie on the first play-off hole to claim the individual medal, beating FMU's Christopher Couch after both finished on five-under-par 137.

O'Connor, who also led the par-three scores at 2.63, tied for fifth place on 143 after rounds of 69 and 74, while McGibney shot 144 (74-70) to be tied for ninth. Pitcher (73-74 for 147) tied for 22nd place, and Crowley (78-72) tied for 41st position.

Including its two-year transitional period, this is Francis Marion's best team finish as a Division One member since placing second at the 2005 Raines Development Group Intercollegiate tournament.

The win is FMU's first since the 2004 Peach Belt Conference Tournament, and the first regular-season team title since the 2003 AFLAC/Cougar Invitational in Columbus, Georgia.

The Patriots, under the direction of head coach Mark Gaynor, now own a 63-42 record for 2007-08 and will return to action this weekend when they compete in the 39th-annual Furman University Intercollegiate Tournament.

Browne in Hilary lead as last looms

In the race for the the gold medal, Paul Browne from Laytown and Bettystown will take a three-shot lead into the final outing of the Hilary Golf Society at Sutton on Friday.

Browne leads from Martin Kelly of Forrest Little and Joe Murray from the Open Centre.

Meanwhile, competition for the Niall O'Brien medal (best gross overall) is close, with Alan Dowling from Hermitage just one shot clear of Robbie Cannon from Laytown and Bettystown.

The Seniors category is down to a race between Jim Harnett from Portmarnock and Royal Dublin's Paddy Walshe.

The final outing, sponsored by Joe Duffy BMW Motors, at Sutton on Friday is a shot-gun start at 2pm.

Stunning win for Leona Maguire in France

Thirteen-year-old Leona Maguire from the Slieve Russell Club in Cavan sensationally won the Under-18 French International Amateur Championship for the Claude Roger Cartier trophy in St Cloud Golf Club in Paris yesterday.

Leona defeated Valentine Gevers from Germany on the final hole in an exciting final.

Leona brings the cup home to Bangor tonight where she is taking part in the Irish Girls Interprovincial championship representing the Ulster team, along with twin Lisa.

Equally remarkable, Lisa had qualified for the Under-21 matchplay by virtue of finishing in 10th place from a field of 120 competitors following 36 holes qualifying, and then reached the semi-final stage of the matchplay competition where she was narrowly defeated by one hole by Curtis Cup reserve Rachel Jennings from England.

In the other semi-final, Spain's Ane Urchegui beat compatriot and the number one seed Carlota Ciganda 2 and 1.

Jennings continued her good from by beating Urchegui in yesterday's 36-hole final.

Ulster girls favourites for four in a row

Ulster are the favourites to capture their fourth successive Under-18 Girls' interprovincial title when the three-day tournament starts at Bangor Golf Club, Co Down, tomorrow.

The defending champions once again look the strongest of the four sides as they field five players from last year's line-up. Victoria Bradshaw, playing on home soil, is joined again by 13-year-old Leona and Lisa Maguire from Slieve Russell.

The only newcomer to last year's squad is US-based student Stephanie Meadow from Royal Portrush, last year's Girls' Close runner-up, who makes a welcome return to the Ulster underage squad.

Nearest challengers Munster also field five from last year's team, with Sarah Cunningham (Ennis) and Holli Snelling (Tralee) hoping to lead their side to victory on Friday afternoon. Connacht field four players from last year's team, while Leinster's Niamh O'Connor (Naas) and Ciara Sharkey (Enniscorthy) are the only survivors from last year.

Emerald double for Cullen

There was a double success to record last week on the Emerald Pro Tour as Beaverstown's Gary Cullen secured back-to-back wins, first at Roganstown on St Patrick's Day and then at The Heritage on Good Friday.

Cullen shared the spoils with Team Ireland's David Mortimer in Roganstown.

Both were three under par, one ahead of Darren McWilliams (Royal Portrush) and the host club's Geoff Loughrey.

Cullen, despite being hampered by a bad back, then shot a two-under-par 70 in The Heritage on Friday to win outright.