The three pupils are team captain Callum Jones (18) from Birkdale, near Southport; Jack Milton (17) from Cadiz, Spain; and Sebastian Leigh (16) from Germany, played a series of knock-out rounds to qualify for a place in the Lancashire finals at Haydock Park Golf Club.

After winning their semi-final in the morning rounds, they were in the nail-biting County Cup finals in the afternoon.

All the teams were level after an exciting 18 holes, leaving the Stonyhurst trio with one match lost, one won and one halved.

They then played a sudden-death play off, finishing as runners up which qualified them for the prestigious national finals.

"This is a first for Stonyhurst golf and is a tremendous achievement," said Tim Strain, Master in Charge of Golf at Stonyhurst.

"The boys have put in a great deal of effort on the golf course and their dedication is paying off. We'll all be cheering them on when they play in the finals."

Team captain Callum Jones is no stranger to large golf tournaments.

Earlier this year, he was one of eight boys from other independent British schools who took part in the Independent Schools' Swifts American Golf Tour.

The tour lasted three weeks and he played matches in North Carolina before travelling north along the eastern seaboard, including a visit to New York.