England regain Seve Ballesteros Trophy

England scored a convincing 19 to eleven win over Spain to regain the Seve Ballesteros Trophy at the end of the two-day mixed international at Burnham & Berrow. The team built on a four-point lead with a steady foursomes performance – sharing the morning points – and a runaway success in the singles, winning six of the matches and halving two more. The result extends England’s outstanding record in the biennial match, which started in 1985. The team lost last time at El Prat in 2013, but in total now have 14 victories to Spain’s two – and have never been beaten at home.

This is the first time that women have been included in the team and they certainly played their part. Gemma Clews, like Ashley Chesters and Jimmy Mullen, won all four of her matches and in the final day’s singles the women won 2½ matches out of a possible four.

Steve Robinson, the women’s captain, said, “I am really proud of how they have worked this week, how they have risen to the challenge of playing what, on paper, was a very, very strong Spanish women’s team. Every player has played their part this week. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity of coaching a small group of players at a venue like this and I feel it’s been massively beneficial to the women’s squad to have been invited to play in this match.”

Graham Walker, the England men’s captain stated, “It’s a fantastic result. The welcome we have received from the members and staff at Burnham and Berrow, has really played a part because it has made it feel like a real home venue.”