PEEBLES golfer Darren Howie will cap an outstanding final year in the junior ranks when he lines for the Great Britain and Ireland boys side which takes on Europe in this weekend’s Jacques Léglise Trophy.

The 17-year-old was the only Scot selected by The R&A for the nine-player team, who take on Europe’s finest in the match which gets underway at Ballybunion in Ireland today (Friday).

The match is the junior equivalent of the Walker Cup, with Darren joining the cream of boys talent from England, Ireland and Wales for the two-day event comprising of foursomes and singles on both Friday and Saturday.

He follows in the footsteps of players such as Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald who have competed for Europe and GB&I in the past, while Renato Panatore who played in the event just three years ago was a winner on the European Tour this season.

Peebles Golf Club captain Graham Lowther said: “We congratulate Darren on yet another fantastic achievement in being selected for the Great Britain and Ireland side.

"It is a huge honour for the club to have one of our members in the side for such a prestigious event and he and his brother Craig continue to be superb ambassadors for Peebles on the national and international stage.

"We wish him all the best for the next two days of competition.”

Howie has enjoyed a superb season and is the runaway leader of the Scottish Boys Order of Merit.

He finished top of the qualifying for last month’s British Boys Amateur Championship at Nairn, having also led the stroke play qualifying for the Scottish Boys Championship earlier in the summer.

Howie was a winner of the Scottish Junior Tour in April, runner-up in the Henry Cooper Junior Masters and finished third in the Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship as well as reaching the last-16 of the Scottish Men’s Amateur Championship.

You can follow Darren’s progress this weekend via the R&A website at www.randa.org.