Senior caps for Bridges, Dawson, Campbell and Galbraith
Stackstown's Richard Bridges will make his debut for Ireland next month. Picture Pat Cashman
East of Ireland champion Colm Campbell, Irish Close winner John-Ross Galbraith, Stackstown's Richard Bridges and Faithlegg's Robin Dawson are the new senior caps in the Ireland team for the Home Internationals at Southerndown Golf Club in Wales from August 13-15.
While players such as Tullamore's Stuart Grehan, Portmarnock's Geoff Lenehan, Balbriggan's Robbie Cannon, Limerick's Pat Murray and Cork's Gary O'Flaherty were pushing for spots, captain Padraig Hogan and his team opted to add five of this season's most successful players to the six-man squad that finished second in the European Amateur Team Championship in Finland last month.
Former Irish Boys champion Dawson has excelled at underage level, losing just five of his 20 games for the Irish Boys and winning four and a half out of five for the winning Great Britain and Ireland Jacques Leglise team last year before reaching the final of last month's North of Ireland Championship at Royal Portrush.
Campbell won the East and reached the semi-finals of the Close while Selfridge has been a serial championship winner since 2012, picking up his second successive North of Ireland crown just a few weeks ago with victory over Dawson.
Delighted to announce that I will be wearing this bad boy representing Ireland in the Home Internationals in Wales. pic.twitter.com/Ra1XIfSVGr
— Colm Campbell (@ColmCampbell87) August 2, 2014
Galbraith has international experience at Boys level and while he did not excel at the Interpros, his victory over Murray in the Irish Close final at Seapoint was enough to see him over the line.
Bridges, 27, is one of the most improved players in the country over the past three years and his selection for Ireland for the first time can been seen as a reward for his consistency as well as a strong interpros.
Beaten in the third round of the West, he lost to Lenehan in the first round of the Spanish Amateur, tied for eighth in the East, lost to eventual champion Galbraith in the semi-finals of the Close and to Dawson in the semi-finals of the North.
With England severely depleted for the Home Internationals, Ireland will be hoping to give favourites Scotland a run for their money with a side that is certainly not lack in firepower at the top of the order with Open qualifier Paul Dunne, Walker Cup player and reigning Scottish Amateur champion Gavin Moynihan, Irish Open hero Gary Hurley and the in-form Cormac Sharvin enjoying great chemistry with the hugely impressive West of Ireland champion Jack Hume and the classy Dermot McElroy.
Ireland — Home Internationals 2014
- Richard Bridges (Stackstown) *
- Colm Campbell (Warrenpoint) *
- Robin Dawson (Faithlegg) *
- Paul Dunne (Greystones)
- John Ross Galbraith (Whitehead) *
- Jack Hume (Naas)
- Gary Hurley (West Waterford & NUIM)
- Dermot McElroy (Ballymena)
- Gavin Moynihan (The Island)
- Chris Selfridge (Moyola Park)
- Cormac Sharvin (Ardglass & Stirling University)
Team Captain: Padraig Hogan (Elm Park)
* New cap
