The draw for next month's Astor Trophy women's amateur international team match-play tournament in Australia has not been kind to defending champions Great Britain and Ireland.
The draw for next month's Astor Trophy women's amateur international team match-play tournament in Australia - played every four years - has not been kind to defending champions Great Britain and Ireland, winners of the title at Fairhaven in 2011.
With five countries in the field for this all-play-all team tournament from January 12-16, a different team gets a day off each day during the five-day programme. GB and I don't get their idle day until the Friday, the last day of the tournament, which means they will be playing four days in a row in the anticipated heatwave conditions of South Australia' southern hemisphere summer at the Grange Golf Club, Adelaide.
Coping with the heat through two morning foursomes ties and five afternoon singles games is expected to be one of the biggest challenges for captain Elaine Farquharson-Black's team of five players. Aberdeen solicitor Elaine, who played in the winning GB and I side - she and partner Catriona Matthew won all their foursomes matches - when the event was known as the Commonwealth Tournament, at Northumberland Golf Club in 1991.
The GB and I team is: Hayley Davis (England), Connie Jaffrey (Scotland), Bronte Law (England), Charlotte Thomas (England), Chloe Williams (Wales),
2015 ASTOR TROPHY DRAW
The Grange Golf Club (West Course) Adelaide, South Australia
Foursomes Matches will commence at 8am
Singles Matches will commence at 12.30 pm
Monday 12 January
New Zealand v Great Britain and Ireland
Canada v Australia.
Tuesday 13 January
Australia v New Zealand
South Africa v GB and I
Wednesday 14 January
GB and I v Canada
South Africa v New Zealand
Thursday 15 January
Canada v South Africa
GB and I v Australia
Friday 16 January
Australia v South Africa
New Zealand v Canada
Photograph: Bronte Law (England)
