IRELAND will have four new caps in a significantly changed team for the Men's Home Internationals at Moray GC, Lossiemouth, Scotland on September 11th to 13th. In fact only six players remain of the 11 member side which competed at Royal Portrush last season.
The newcomers are led by Peter Lawrie, who captured the Irish Close Championship at Royal Co Down last Wednesday. He is joined in the side by East of Ireland champion Noel Fox North of Ireland winner Michael McGinley and Munster interprovincial, Graham Spring.
Adrian Morrow the recent winner of the South of Ireland Championship, is restored to the side having last played in 1993.
Meanwhile, Eamonn Brady, the 1995 West of Ireland champion, is a notable casualty. Less than a week after travelling to Woodhall Spa as a member of a Royal and Ancient panel for the St Andrews Trophy matches, he failed to get among the qualifiers at Newcastle: last Sunday and has now paid the ultimate price.
The players gone from last year's line up are Padraig Harrington and Gary Murphy, who have turned professional, and Ken Kearney, Brady and Power, who have been dropped. Kearney's chances of retaining his place were effectively scuppered by a non appearance in the Close.
Given that all four newcomers are aged 22 or under, it is one of the youngest teams to represent Ireland in recent years, despite the presence of Morrow and McGimpsey, who are both in their forties. The promotion of Fox is particularly interesting for the fact that his father, also Noel, won an All Ireland Gaelic Football medal with Dublin in 1963.
