SCOTT Gregory will make his full England debut when he plays against France in the biennial match at Formby Golf Club next weekend.

The Corhampton ace has been rewarded for his achievement of reaching the Spanish Amateur final – when he was only beaten by France’s reigning British Amateur Champion Romaine Langasque.

The French ace made his debut in the Masters when Sheffield’s Danny Willett became the first Englishman to win at Augusta in 20 years.

Ironically Willett, and fellow European Tour winner Chris Wood, were in the England team that took on France in 2008.

Luckily for Gregory, who was fourth in last year’s European Amateur Championship in Slovakia, having lost in the English Amateur Final in 2014, Langasque won’t be in the French team for the clash in Lancashire on May 14 and 15.

He turned pro immediately after the Masters and has already made an impact in the pro ranks, finishing fifth in his first European Challenge Tour event the week after.

That should give further encouragement to Gregory, who has been making major strides of his own up the English amateur rankings, finishing third last year in the national Order of Merit, having also finished runner-up in the Lagonda Trophy, at Gog Magog, one of the top 72-hole strokeplay events in England.

Gregory was also in the mix in the national championship last summer, reaching the last eight at Alwoodley, in Yorkshire, and showed some early season form by helping England win the Costa Ballena Quadrangular tournament against three European teams, including hosts Spain, at the Cadiz Course in January, before returning to Seville in February, where he came so close to following in the footsteps of Lee-on-the-Solent’s Sam Hutsby, who won the Spanish title in 2006 by beating Edoardo Molinari 7&6 in the final.

Gregory was in action against Europe’s leading players over the weekend in the Lytham Trophy.

But the Lancashire links was playing brutally tough in rough weather, particularly on the first day.

Gregory, who won the Hampshire Courage Trophy on his home course at the end of last season, said: “Having played there last year in an Engalnd A versus the national squad game a couple of weeks before my debut in the Lytham Trophy, I can say this week was not only the toughest conditions I have seen there, but arguably as tough as I have played a major golf event in.

“The first round on Friday was very, very tough and I was pleased to come away with a five-over par 70.

“Conditions were easier on the Saturday and I was pleased to get around in 73. I played much, much better in the third round on Sunday morning but I was undone by a six on the par three 12th.

“My ball bounced through the green and ran through the back into the bushes and I ended up having to declare the ball lost.”

That saw him card a 77 but he bounced back with a 72 in the final round featuring two birdies and four bogeys, to finish 13 shots behind the champion.

Gregory was also in action with the England players at the end of April in a practice match at Royal Porthcawl, having had a disappointing weekend at the Hampshire Hog and Selborne Salver, when he could only finish 38th at North Hants, where he had a good chance of victory snatched from his grasp by bad weather which wiped out the second round when he was leading in 2014.

Now Scott is set to become the first Hampshire player to feature in a full international since Corhampton’s Neil Raymond played in the 2013 Home Internationals and the 16th to be capped in total.

He will team up with Lytham winner Alfie Plant, from Kent, Selborne Salver winner James Walker and the in-form Josh Hilleard, from Farrington, who won four times in April, including the Hampshire Salver – for the best 72-hole aggregate in the Hog and Salver – and the West of England Amateur Championship at North Devon’s Westward Ho!

England: Jamie Bower (Yorkshire); Scott Gregory (Hampshire); Josh Hilleard (Somerset); Paul Kinnear (Lancashire); Bradley Moore (Derbyshire); Alfie Plant (Kent); Ashton Turner (Lincolnshire) and James Walker (Yorkshire).