Hamburg's very wet course for the

Vagliano Trophy match

It is a British characteristic that we tend to think all the rain in Europe falls on us during the summer.

It doesn't. The Continent, in some parts, gets just as much summer rain as we do.

For instance, Hamburger Golf Club, Falkenstein in northern Germany, the venue for the Vagliano Trophy women's amateur international match between the holders, the Continent of Europe, and the challengers, Great Britain & Ireland on Friday and Saturday, was flooded earlier this week.

Look at the image above to get an idea of how much rain fell in a short space of time. The GB&I team had to cut short their practice round.

The ties for the opening session of play on Friday over the woodland and inland course at Hamburg should be avialable later today and when we get them we'll put them up on display.

Mary McKenna, of course, is the GB&I captain. Macarena Campomanes from Spain is the Continent's captain. She says in confident frame of mind despite the fact that Europe's No 1 player, Carlota Ciganda, is not playing.

Should she be confident? Well, the Continent beat GB&I by a record margin at St Andrews Bay two years ago.

But it's a different GB&I line-up from then of course and we'll see if they can avenge that defeat.

The Hamburg golf course will be as far removed from the links golf we've watched from the Open at Turnberry last week as you can get. This will be a very wet course, very little run on the ball and soft holding greens that will stop the high approach shot in its tracks.

There are seven new Great Britain & Ireland caps in the team of nine which is:

JODI EWART (Catterick), Age 21.
RACHEL JENNINGS (Izaak Walton), Age 20.
LEONA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell), Age 14.
LISA MAGUIRE (Slieve Russell), Age 14.
DANIELLE McVEIGH (Royal Co Down Ladies), Age 21.
PAMELA PRETSWELL (Bothwell Castle), Age 20.
RHIAN WYN THOMAS (Vale of Glamorgan), Age 22.
KYLIE WALKER (Buchanan Castle), Age 22.
SALLY WATSON (Elie & Earlsferry), Age 18.

The Continent of Europe line-up is:

Laura Gonzales-Escallon (Belgium).

Lucie Andre (France).

Rosanna Crepiat (France)

Marion Ricordeau (France)

Carolina Masson (Germany)

Pia Halbig (Germany)

Marieke Nivard (Netherlands)

Adriana Zwank (Spain)

Caroline Hedwall (Sweden).