Teenage golfer's first call from England

Royal Cromer teenager Amber Ratcliffe is in the pink after receiving her first England call-up.

The 14-year-old (pictured) has been selected for the English Women's Golf Association squad at the North of England U16 strokeplay championship at Pannal, Yorkshire from August 25-27.

'I'm really excited,' said Ratcliffe. 'I was really hoping I would get picked and when I opened my letter I looked round the room and just screamed!

'I played in this championship last year, as an individual, and I saw the squad girls in their pink England jumpers and thought 'I want to be one of them next year'.'

The letter arrived just as Ratcliffe had successfully cut her handicap to one in the Royal Cromer junior championship, where she had rounds of one-under and three-under par.

Remarkably, her second round included a triple bogey on the fifth where she first found a greenside bunker and then ping-ponged across the green. She made up for it immediately with a birdie on the sixth - one of six she amassed during her round. The others were on the first, fourth, 10th, 11th and 14th.

However, she wasn't the best in the field. Her brother, Ryan, returned a better gross score with rounds of one-under and four-under. 'He played awesome,' she said.

Ratcliffe's performance in the junior championship marked a welcome return to form and fitness after a hip injury spoiled her chances in the English girls' U15 championship at Market Rasen.

She battled on to finish 10th there and said: 'It was disappointing because I felt I could have done something there. It was frustrating - but I've got the British girls' [this] week.'

However, Ratcliffe has already picked up her share of titles this year with the Norfolk, South East of England and England U16 schools' championships.

She is a member of the English Women's Golf Association Select Midlands squad.