Reigning Riversdale Cup holders Jordan Sherratt and Ashlee Dewhurst will return to defend their titles in the historic international amateur golf championship in Melbourne this year. They are among the early entrants for the Cups which get underway on February 21-24 for the women’s and March 5-8 for the men’s. Entries for both Cups close on January 29. National Squad member Sherratt, from South Australia, set a course record 63 in taking out his first major title before going on to be the best placed Australian in the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship when he tied for third. Tasmanian Dewhurst had a stellar year last year winning the Tasmanian Amateur Championship and the Riversdale Cup, as well as narrowly missing the Queensland Match Play Championship and the South Australian Stroke Play Championship. The men’s Riversdale Cup is the second highest ranking amateur tournament in Australia on the R&A s world ranking calendar; second only to the Australian Men’sAmateur Championship. This year will be the 115th year of the Championship. The winner of the Cup, which is also a national team selection event, including the Eisenhower Cup, is invited to play in the British Amateur Championship (The Amateur). He also gains points for entry into the European Amateur Championship and towards the Mark H McCormack Medal, which is presented annually by the R&A to the leading player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. The Women’s Riversdale Cup, now in its 52nd year, is a Karrie Webb Series Event and national ranking event. The Australian Women’s and Men’sAmateur Foursomes Championships are played at Riversdale prior to the Cups on February 19 and March 3 respectively.