The Jacques Léglise Trophy is set to take place this week at the magnificent Golf de Chantilly near Paris.
Two talented nine-player teams of boys from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland will compete for the 55th time as they look to lift the prestigious trophy on Saturday afternoon.
The home team, having won the last three matches in a row in England (2019), Sweden (2021) and Scotland (2022) will have the chance to secure their first ever fourth consecutive win in the match's history this week.
The contest is played in matchplay with four foursomes matches on both mornings and eight singles matches in the afternoon of Day 1 and nine singles matches on the afternoon of Day 2.
With 25 total matches and points available, 13 is the magic number needed to guarantee victory.
THE TEAMS
The Continent of Europe team:
Louis Anceaux (FRA)
Lev Grinberg (UKR)
Hugo Le Goff (FRA)
Peer Wernicke (GER)
Tim Wiedemeyer (GER)
Simon Hovdal (SWE)
Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson (SWE)
Jorge Siyuan Hao (ESP)
Marcel Fonseca Aguilar (ESP)
The GB&I team:
Hugh Adams (ENG)
Donnacha Cleary (IRL)
Monty Holcombe (ENG)
Sean Keeling (IRL)
Kris Kim (ENG)
Oliver Mukherjee (SCO)
Jack Murphy (IRL)
Dylan Shaw-Radford (ENG) (C)
Niall Shiels Donegan (SCO)
GB&I's Kris Kim (ENG) is the most in form player coming into the match. The English 15-year-old claimed the prestigious R&A Boys' Amateur Championship last Sunday, and will look to continue his matchplay winning streak at Chantilly.
The visitors have three returning players from last year. Niall Shiels Donegan (SCO), Oliver Mukherjee (SCO) and Dylan Shaw-Radford (ENG), who will captain the side this week, will look to avenge last year's defeat at Blairgowrie Golf Club. The other six players will make their first appearance for GB&I.
On the home team, Tim Wiedemeyer (GER) will make a rare third straight appearance in the match alongside Jorge Siyuan Hao (ESP), who helped the team to victory last year. Wiedemeyer will not only lead the team in terms of past experience in the match, but will also be the highest ranked player on either side this week.
THE VENUE
Golf de Chantilly, located near Paris, will set the stage for the matches this week.
Chantilly has hosted countless international events in its impressive history, including 11 French Opens and no fewer than 14 EGA championship and international matches.
The club held the European Boys' Team Championship (2019) and the European Amateur Team Championship (2016) in recent years and will welcome the Jacques Léglise Trophy for a second time this week.
In 2001, the Continent of Europe defeated GB&I 16-8 in the boys match over the same layout, with current Continent of Europe captain, Joachim Fourquet, on the side.
The Old 'Vineuil' course will be played as a par-70 this week, totalling approximately 6450 metres (7053 yards). Playing softer than usual at this time of year, and with additional rain in the forecast for the coming days, the players will be able to get aggresive with their approaches.
5TH VICTORY ON THE LINE FOR FOURQUET
Having been a member of the winning Continent of Europe team as a junior in 2001, Joachim Fourquet will have the chance to get his hands on the Jacques Léglise Trophy for a 5th time this week.
The former French international has led the European side to victory in all of the last three editions of the match, and as a member of Golf de Chantilly, will look to make home advantage count for a fourth straight win as captain and a fifth overall.
ABOUT THE JACQUES LÉGLISE TROPHY
The Jacques Léglise Trophy is an annual boys match played between nine-player teams from the Continent of Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.
A match between the two sides was first played in 1958, although it was dominated by Great Britain & Ireland to such an extent that it was discontinued in 1966. The contest was rejuvenated in 1977 when Jean-Louis Dupont presented a trophy in memory of Jacques Léglise, giving the match its name.
Jacques Léglise was a renowned French amateur player, champion and captain and also served both the EGA and the French Golf Federation as President.
The match takes places over two days, with four foursomes matches on both mornings, eight singles matches on the afternoon of the first day, and nine singles matches on the afternoon of the second day. With 25 total points on offer, 13 points are needed to guarantee victory.
The Continent of Europe team is selected by the EGA, while the GB&I side is selected by The R&A.
