EAST Lancashire duo Jon Hurst and Mark Young are confident of keeping the Red Rose flying high in the English County Champ-ionship finals that begin in Norfolk today.

They are part of a strong seven-man Lancashire team that, over the next three days, locks horns with three other regional winning counties, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Channel Islands, Somerset, and Worcestershire at the testing links of Hunstanton.

Back in 2008, Longridge member Young and Shaw Hill’s Hurst helped Lancashire to County Championship glory at Hollinwell, in Nottingham-shire, and the northern champions are favourites again with an elite squad packed with talent.

Despite losing teenage sensation Tommy Fleetwood to the professional ranks, the team boasts England internationals Matthew Nixon and Jack Senior, along with current Lancashire champion Sean Towndrow.

“It’s a privilege to play for Lancashire,” said Clitheroe-based Young, the 2009 Lancashire champion. “I played in Nottingham in 2008 and that was an honour.

“It won’t be easy, it’s the elite golfers in England going head to head. It’s nice to take part in such an event.

“I don’t think there’s necessarily any pressure on Lancashire. We’ve lost one or two very decent players, such as Tommy Fleetwood, and that may affect things a little.”

Lancashire qualified after powering to the Northern Counties Championship back in June, when winning by an astonishing 30 shots over rivals Yorkshire at Wallasey.

Young, 28, was the star turn on that occasion, going withing one shot of breaking the record at the Birkenhead course.

Both he and Hurst will now hope that an excellent showing at Hunstanton will be enough to earn an England call-up.

Hurst has enjoyed a fantastic 2010, enjoying his biggest breakthrough in golf after finishing sixth in the South of England Open Championship, and then reaching the quarter-finals of the English Amateur Championship.