SCOTT Gregory was delighted with his England debut and admitted his team-mates had been really buoyed by the good luck message from Masters winner Danny Willett, which arrived after the first day’s play.

Scott said: “Our head coach Graham Walker knows Danny very well obviously from his days as an England amateur.

“With the match all square after the first day, when that text arrived on Graham’s phone we were all pretty pumped up for the Sunday when there was obviously everything to play for.

“It is pretty similar with the Hampshire guys and Justin Rose. We have all come through the same junior development programme as the one that he was involved in the mid-1990s.

“Some of the same people are still involved around the county so they tell us what he was like when he was younger.

“We know what he won and play in the same events with his name on many of the trophies and it gives us all a massive lift to know he ended up winning the US Open, has been European number one and played in the Ryder Cup.

“Justin sent us a good luck message when Hampshire played in the English County Finals in September and he quite often congratulates players via Twitter if they win something big.

“It definitely helps motivate and inspire us to play well and go on to bigger and better things.

“Now Danny has become the first Englishman to win the Green Jacket in 20 years, I am sure anyone who pulls on an England shirt in the next year or two will feel inspired by that amazing win, knowing he was playing in the same events just a few years ago.”

Gregory and Hilleard certainly wasted no time in impressing the head of the England squad, having both pushed themselves up the pecking order with their early season form.

Scott was named in the Great Britain and Ireland squad for the St Andrews Trophy match against Continental Europe at Prince’s in Kent, in August.

His clubmate Neil Raymond played in the same match in 2012 before making his Walker Cup debut against the Americans the following year in New York and Gregory will be aiming to follow in his footsteps if he is to reach the top in the amateur ranks before pursuing his dream of playing his way on to the European Tour, as Sam Hutsby did after his Walker Cup match against Rickie Fowler back in 2009.

Gregory is the 16th player from Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Channel Islands to be capped by England in 93 years of internationals.

That list includes European Tour players Matt Blackey, from Hayling, and Stoneham’s Richard Bland as well as Rose, who played 17 times in 1997 and 1998.

Blackey made the most appearances of the Hampshire mainland players in his four years wearing an England shirt in the mid-1990s, winning 23 of his 34 games and is one of only 11 players to go unbeaten in six matches during the Home Internationals, which he managed in 1997.

Gregory is unlikely to remain as an amateur long enough to get close to that record. Raymond, one of his regular practice partners at their home club, played 26 times, winning a very respectable 12 times between 2011 and 2013.

But Scott is now firmly in the selectors thoughts for this summer’s Home International series against Scotland, Ireland and Wales, which will be played at Nairn, in August.

England manager Kevin Tucker said of the win: “All credit to the French team – they came back hard, as we knew they would. It’s never easy to win an international match and the experience will do my lads a lot of good, especially our four debutants, Scott Gregory, Josh Hilleard, Bradley Moore and James Walker.”

Gregory, who was watched by his father Mike, the new Hampshire under-18s junior manager, will be preparing to head to Harlech this weekend for the Welsh Amateur Strokeplay Championship, which is being held at Royal St David’s from May 22-24.

The only Hampshire winner in the competition’s history was Rowlands Castle’s Darren Wright, back in 2011.

Wright missed the cut by one shot in last week’s Challenge Tour event in Italy, which was reduced to 54 holes. Liphook Golf Club’s Sam Hutsby, who hails from Lee-on-the-Solent, finished in 47th place, 11 shots behind Surrey’s Gary King, who recorded his maiden win on tour – the second Englishman to win on the second string tour in four tournament’s since Willett’s Augusta triumph.