THERE’S a decidedly youthful look to the field for the 2018 Selborne Salver, which takes place over 36 holes at Blackmoor Golf Club this Saturday (writes Kit Neilson).

That they’re getting their chance is down to a major exodus of proven players to the professional ranks, usual in any season, but more marked in a post-Walker Cup year.

Old Salver hands will be keeping a keen eye out for the next Justin Rose, Lee Westwood, or Luke Donald, all of whom played in the tournament in their day and who, like recent winners Ross Fisher, Andy Sullivan and Matt Fitzpatrick, all graduated to the Ryder Cup.

Last year’s champion, Jack Singh Brar (Remedy Oak), who triumphed in a play-off after holing a 35-footer for a three at the last, is playing on The Alps Tour, but last year’s Hampshire Hog winner Jake Burnage will be teeing it up.

Burnage went on to represent England in the 2017 Home Internationals after winning the South of England Championship at Walton Heath, and finishing runner-up in the English Stroke-Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy. The 22-year-old, who is off +4.2, would love to complete a Hampshire double.

Matchplay specialist Tom Sloman (Taunton & Pickeridge), also playing off +4, finished third in last year’s English Amateur and second in the Irish, so would be delighted to excel in a top strokeplay event.

David Langley, of Castle Royal, near Maidenhead, won the South African Strokeplay title in February and last year shot an astonishing 10-under 61 over the Blue Course at The Berkshire in qualifying at the English Amateur Championship. With such a medal-play pedigree, the former US college player shouldn’t be too far away.

His clubmate, Timothy Shin, and Hanbury Manor’s England Boys interational Harry Goddard, who are both off +3, will be keen to make an early-season impression, while Arran Edwards-Hill (Chelmsford), 18, would love to reprise his performance in last year’s North of England Amateur Youth Championship at Middlesbrough, when he shot a brace of 66s on the last day to win by two shots.

Thomas Plumb, the +3.8 man from Sherborne, won the South of England Boys’ Championship at 16 in 2016 – and already this year has finished sixth in the Portuguese Amateur.

Meanwhile fellow 18-year-old, Tom Stagg (Salisbury & South Wilts), off +3.0 and a former winner of the Daily Telegraph Junior Championship, cannot be discounted.

Seventeen-year-old Jensen Hull (Hever Castle), off +2, won the 2017 South of England Boys’ Championship and Joshua McMahon, from Wallasey, on The Wirral, was runner-up in last year’s Portuguese Amateur.

Stoke Park +2 player Taylor Paul is only 16, while a year older and keen to impress are the trio of George Young (West Malling), Melan Daubhadel (Calcot Park) and Barclay Brown, from The Hallamshire, the Sheffield course that spawned Fitzpatrick.

There’s no shortage of Hampshire interest with Rowlands Castle’s past county champion Tom Robson well-placed off a mark of +3.4. Host club members Colin Roope and Mark Burgess, both playing off +2, will enjoy plenty of support, with Burgess having won the Salver in 2009, his two brilliant 66s for 132 only twice bettered in the tournament’s 42-year history.

The latter is still the only Blackmoor winner. The club has also invited all the members of the Hampshire team that were crowned English County Champions at Trevose, last autumn, to take part.

But Billy Mackenzie is playing in the Spanish Open as the Spanish Amateur Champion and last year’s county captain, Martin Young, is in the USA, as vice-captain at The Concession Cup as GB&I’s Mid-Amateurs take on the Americans in Florida.

On Sunday, most of the field will head to Fleet, for the Hampshire Hog, at Justin Rose’s North Hants course, which is having a new green built at the third.

Matt Wilcox, the winner of last year’s Justin Rose Mid Amateur, could become just the fifth-ever winner of the Hog from the host club in 62 years.

On Saturday, the 46-year-old ex-tour pro became the fourth-ever Hampshire winner of the Berkhamsted Trophy, the curtain-raiser for the English amateur campaign.

The man from Hook, who gave up golf after failing at his crack at the big time while playing out of Wentworth, held off the challenge of Farnham junior Thomas Spreadborough and the host club’s England junior, Ben Pierleoni, to win by four shots.

Wilcox will be hoping for a good showing at Blackmoor to have a chance of landing the Hampshire Salver for the best 72-hole score.