GB&I team announced for St Andrews Trophy

The nine-man team, to be captained by Colin Dalgleish, will take on the Continent of Europe at Kingsbarns Golf Links, near St Andrews.

"We have selected our best available team to retain the St Andrew s trophy against what we expect to be a very strong Continental side," said Tony Disley, Chairman of The R&A Selection Committee. "Colin Dalgleish s nine are a good mixture of experience and youth who have excelled in events across the world."

Kingsbarns has been one of the host courses for the annual Dunhill Links Championship since 2001, and will be one of the Local Final Qualifying courses for The Open when it returns to St Andrews in 2010. This will be the first time that it has hosted the St Andrews Trophy.

The St Andrews Trophy is a biennial match in which a team of the finest amateur golfers from Great Britain and Ireland play a team of their counterparts from the Continent of Europe. It was first played in 1956 at Wentworth, and takes place in years when the Walker Cup is not played. The two days of competition both follow the same format: four foursomes matches in the morning followed by eight singles matches in the afternoon.

The members of the team are as follows: Wallace Booth (Comrie) - Winner of this year's Scottish Stroke Play, and posted the best individual score in the stroke play section of this year's European Team Championship.

Jonathan Caldwell (Clandeboye) - A member of the GB&I Walker Cup team who narrowly lost to the American team at Royal County Down last September, and played on the winning Irish teams in both the 2007 and 2008 European Team Championships.

Matthew Haines (Rochester & Cobham Park) - Consistent results this season include a victory in the Lytham Trophy and making the cut at the Estoril Open de Portugal on the European Tour in April.

Sam Hutsby (Liphook) - The 2006 Spanish Amateur champion is in consistent form this season, with good results including finishing a close second behind Chris Wood at the Welsh Open Stroke Play.

Shane Lowry (Esker Hills) - Has shot up the World Amateur Golf Ranking this year with a string of good results that have taken him to seventh in the world, making him the top-ranked player in the side. Also on the winning Irish team at the European Team Championship.

Callum Macaulay (Tulliallan) - Won the Scottish Amateur Championship at Carnoustie at the beginning of August to climb to a new high of 17th in the WAGR ranking, making him the top-ranked amateur golfer in Scotland.

Chris Paisley (Stocksfield) Has produced a string of excellent finishes in 2008 both in US collegiate golf and back in Britain, including an appearance in the final of the English Amateur Championship last week.

Steven Uzzell (Hornsea) - Won this year's Brabazon Trophy and recently made the cut at the Russian Open on the European Tour, eventually finishing 43rd.

Dale Whitnell (Five Lakes) - Enjoying an excellent 2008 with wins in both the Tillman Trophy and Lagonda Trophy, and finished runner-up to Matthew Haines in the Lytham Trophy.