Strong team will defend European Nations title England will field a strong team to defend the men’s title at the European Nations Championship in Spain later this month, while a women’s team will challenge for only the second time. The men’s team is: James Allan of Essex, Adam Chapman of Cumbria, Marco Penge of Sussex and Ashton Turner of Lincolnshire (image © Leaderboard Photography). England won the men’s championship last year for the sixth time, when the team held off a charging Spanish side to secure a one-stroke victory. All four members of that team have since turned professional. The women’s team is: Gemma Clews of Cheshire, Sammie Giles of Cornwall and Sophie Lamb of Lancashire, who were all in the winning England team at last year’s women’s Home Internationals.   The European Nations Championship will be played at La Reserva Golf Club in Sotogrande, Spain, from 24-27 February. It is contested over 72 holes of stroke play, with the best three cards each day in the men’s event, and the best two in the women’s, counting towards the team event. An individual competition runs simultaneously with the Nations Championship. The players James Allan, 21, (Chelmsford) was runner-up on the 2015 England Men’s Order of Merit, having won the West of England stroke play and tied for the Hampshire Salver. He has just represented England in the South American Amateur where he finished 20th. Adam Chapman, 20, (Carus Green) is the 2015 North of England champion and has just completed an England Golf tour of Australia where he reached the matchplay stages of the Australian and New South Wales championships. Marco Penge, 17, (Golf at Goodwood) won the 2015 England Boys’ Order of Merit having won two junior titles and the Scottish men’s stroke play championship. He was sixth in the South American Amateur. Ashton Turner, 19 (Kenwick Park) also toured Australia where he had top 20 finishes in the Master of the Amateurs and the Lake Macquarie Amateur, reached the second round of the Australian Amateur and also made the matchplay in the New South Wales Amateur.  Gemma Clews, 21, (Delamere Forest) had top ten finishes in last year’s English women’s amateur and the Scottish and Irish stroke play championships. She tied 20th in the European Amateur and represented GB&I in the Vagliano Trophy.  Sammie Giles, 21, (St Mellion) is the English women’s stroke play champion, adding it to her win in the 2014 English mid-amateur. She was sixth in the English women’s amateur and won the Royal Birkdale scratch trophy. Sophie Lamb, 18, (Clitheroe) was runner-up in the 2015 England Girls’ Order of Merit for 2015 and sixth on the women’s table. She was also runner-up in the ANNIKA Invitational Europe 2015 in Sweden. She was England’s leading scorer in last week’s Portuguese Amateur, finishing 21st.  Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 07825 752 193