Boys Home Internationals start today

The England team is captained by 17-year-old Tommy Fleetwood, the Southport-based player who came very close to becoming the youngest ever winner of The Amateur Championship at Turnberry earlier in the summer.

Alongside Fleetwood are a string of other players who have shown good form in 2008, including Eddie Pepperell, who got to the semi-finals of the Spanish Amateur earlier this year, and Stiggy Hodgson, who won the Carris Trophy last month.

The Irish team will be hoping to repeat the home-ground success of Scotland in the 2006 matches, and in their attempts to do so will draw hope from the efforts of Alan Dunbar, the Rathmore-based player who had a great run in the recent North of Ireland Championship at Royal Portrush.

Scotland, meanwhile, will be looking to Mark Bookless of Sandyhills for inspiration. He won the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship in fine style just two weeks ago, finishing six under par for four rounds and establishing a new course record at Blairgowrie's Landsdowne course in the process. Alongside Bookless will be that week's runner-up, Sam Binning; if the pair can keep their run of form going then the Scottish team could be strong contenders this week.

From Wales, the man in form is without doubt Ben Enoch, the Cornwall-based 18-year-old who made it to the final of the Welsh Amateur Championship at the weekend before losing out to Ben Westgate, a man 11 years his senior. Enoch had already recorded good finishes at the Welsh Open Stroke Play and the St David's Gold Cross in the past few months, and has been steadily climbing the World Amateur Golf Ranking throughout the year.

Each of the round-robin matches consists of five morning foursomes followed by ten afternoon singles matches. In the first round, holders England will play Wales while Ireland take on Scotland; the second day sees day one's winning teams play day one's losing teams; and on the third day, all teams play the nation they have yet to face.

The full teams are as follows:

England

Captain: Tommy Fleetwood

Jonathan Bell, Royal Blackheath

Tom Boys, Royal Liverpool

Tommy Fleetwood, Formby Hall

Stiggy Hodgson, Sunningdale

Gary King, Tyrrells Wood

Tom Lewis, Welwyn Garden City

Adam Myers, Northamptonshire

Eddie Pepperell, Drayton Park

Darren Renwick, Worthing

Jake Shepherd, Wisley

Max Smith, Newbury Racecourse

Ireland

Non-Playing Captain: Richard Cusack

Barry Anderson, Co Sligo

Garth Boyd, Donaghadee

Chris Drumm, Rosslare

Alan Dunbar, Rathmore

Paul Dunne, Greystones

Michael Durcan, Co Sligo

Luke Lennox, Moyola Park

Garth McGee, Malone

Richard O'Donovan, Lucan

Chris Selfridge, Moyola Park

Reeve Whitson, Mourne

Scotland

Non-Playing Captain: Barrie Douglas

Stuart Ballingall, Dunston Hall

Sam Binning, Ranfurly Castle

Mark Bookless, Sandyhills

David Law, Hazlehead

Andrew McLachlan, Bonnyton

Chris Robb, Inchmarlo

James Ross, Royal Burgess

Paul Shields, Kirkhill

Kyle Smith, Kilmarnock (Barassie)

Michael Stewart, Troon Welbeck

Colin Thomson, East Renfreshire

Wales

Non-Playing Captain: Mark Heames

Richard Bentham, Celtic Manor

Ben Enoch, Truro

Michael Evans, Clays

Rhodri Harston, Felixstowe Ferry

Llion Lloyd Kerry, Royal St David's

Oliver Lewis, Ludlow

Ross McLister, Cardiff

Matthew Moseley, Carmarthen

Patrick Mullins, Whitchurch

Christopher Nugent, Fulford Heath

Rhys Pugh, Vale of Glamorgan