VIVENDI TROPHY DAY ONE:CHRIS WOOD and Anthony Wall marked their debuts for Great Britain and Ireland in record-equalling fashion in Paris yesterday.

Their 65 thrashing of Ryder Cup pair Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson matched the biggest margin of victory in any session of the Vivendi Trophy since it started in 2000 and helped Paul McGinley’s side to a 3-2 lead over Continental Europe after the opening fourballs.

In Karlsson’s defence this was his first competitive action since May because of a blister behind his left retina.

But Continental captain Thomas Bjorn must have been hoping for more from his top-ranked player Stenson against a duo who would not have been in the match but for the withdrawal of some star men.

Graeme McDowell would not have played either, yet he teamed up with fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy to beat Dane Soren Kjeldsen and big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros 43 in the top game.

Britain and Ireland’s other point came from Oliver Wilson and Simon Dyson.

With Dyson fit again after suffering food poisoning in the build-up, they defeated Soren Hansen and Peter Hanson 32 – an exact repeat of the result when they clashed in foursomes in Ireland two years ago.

However, Continental Europe kept the gap down to only one point thanks to Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari and then Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

Hansen, who had a superb seven birdies in the first 12 holes, and Molinari beat Robert Rock and Steve Webster 43.

Fernandez-Castano and Jimenez – the only player to be an ever-present since the series started in 2000 – came from two down to beat Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty 21.

Bjorn’s men were made favourites given that they had lost only Sergio Garcia and the injured Martin Kaymer from their strongest possible line-up.

Britain and Ireland were without six players in all – Paul Casey, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Justin Rose – but they have won the last four matches.

Wood said: “I wanted to play Stenson at some point. At the start of the week I was on the range and he was giving me a bit of stick and chucking balls at me.” He and Wall turned in a six-under 30 and were nine under for the 13 holes played.

Wall commented: “I think I raise my game against really top players. You have something to prove – they are the benchmark. They are the favourites and the better team, but we are going to fight all the way.”

McDowell and McIlroy, the only non-Englishmen in their side, were ahead from the moment the former sank a 25-footer on the first. They were lucky not to go back on terms at the third, though, as McIlroy’s chip was going a long way past until it hit Kjeldsen’s ball a few feet past the flag.

“I was amazed he didn’t mark it,” said the 20-year-old, and his partner agreed it was a key point. By the eighth they were three up and McIlroy’s birdie on the 11th stretched the gap to four.

“I hope it’s the start of a long partnership,” he added.

“As long as we stay fit there’s no reason why we can’t have a partnership for the next 10 years.”

Poulter defended his absence from the competition saying he wanted to avoid burn-out.

Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie had criticised Poulter – top-scorer against the Americans last year – for turning down the chance to play.

“I really want to be fresh and strong for all of the Ryder Cup qualifying events that I’m going to play in – the Ryder Cup means everything to me,” Poulter told his Twitter followers.“It would have been great to play the Seve Trophy (the old name for the Vivendi Trophy), but the schedule becomes very difficult to play every event – so important not to burn out.”

Vivendi Trophy Day One

FOURBALLS

(Continental Europe names first)

S Kjeldsen (Den) and A Quiros (Spa) lost to G McDowell and R McIlroy (both N Ire) 4 3

H Stenson and R Karlsson (both Swe) lost to A Wall and C Wood (both Eng) 6 5

S Hansen (Den) and P Hanson (Swe) lost to S Dyson and O Wilson (both Eng) 3 2

A Hansen (Den) and F Molinari (Ita) bt R Rock and S Webster (both Eng) 4 3

M A Jimenez and G Fernandez-Castano (both Spa) bt R Fisher and N Dougherty (both Eng) 2 1.

Continental Europe 2 Britain and Ireland 3.

TODAY’S DRAW

Fourballs (Sky Sports 2, 10.30am-4.0pm)

10.35: Stenson and Quiros v Dyson and Wilson

10.50: Hanson and S Hansen v Dougherty and Fisher

11.05: A Hansen and Molinari v McDowell and McIlroy

11.20: Fernandez-Castano and Karlsson v Rock and Webster

11.35: Jimenez and Kjeldsen v Wall and Wood