"Probably 68 years of not being here," said Murray. "In a small country where there are more sheep than people (1.8m residents), Northern Ireland can bask in the glory of an outstanding achievement and they delivered one of the best Opens in modern times. Townsend made six changes to the side that thrashed Tonga last weekend as he sent out a team featuring 14 of the 15 players who started the historic win in Paris in March. He said: "It's fantastic seeing another event added to the UK calendar for the UK fans and everybody in Europe will be excited to have a big tournament there. I am really looking forward to it and I cannot wait to see what the setup is. Matchroom are doing good things for pool, and this is massive for UK pool." "This is a powerhouse team and I can't wait to get started," Bessell said. "I know that the team I have pulled together is not just exciting, but has calibre, spirit and experience.