PLYMOUTH Argyle's Centre of Excellence manager, Allan Evans, has named nine local schoolboys in an 18-strong under-15 squad to represent the club in next week's Northern Ireland Milk Cup.

From Plymouth, they are: Aaron Bentley, a student at St Boniface RC College, Lloyd Jones (Devonport HSB), River Allen (Tamarside), Andy Parker (Estover), Tyler Harvey (Ivybridge) and Eddie Dann (Plymstock).

From across the Tamar are three pupils at Saltash Community College: Connor Brimicombe, Scott Coombe and Ryan Taylor, plus Louis Rooney from Torpoint.

Ryan Lane (Ivybridge) and Callum Hall (Heals, Plympton) are among four players Evans has put on standby in case of late withdrawals.

The Milk Cup, which takes place in the Coleraine district of Ulster, is rated the best tournament of its kind to be staged in the Britain.

It has attracted 54 teams from all corners of the globe.

It is the 28th year the competition has been staged and the third time Argyle have sent a squad.

Last season's party excelled coming fourth.

The young Pilgrims face County Tyrone in their opening match on Monday (12noon).

On Tuesday they meet their counterparts from Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Haifa (12noon).

Results from the opening two days are used to draw up a league table that determines match schedules for the remaining three days of the competition.

The top eight teams go through to quarter-finals.

Everton have won the competition for the last two years and are returning this year to defend their crown.

Chelsea are also competing, while the foreign entry includes Spartak Moscow, Japan's J-League champions Kashima Antlers, Club Marcet from Barcelona, Cruz Azul and Pueblo (both from Mexico), top Israeli club Hapoel Beer-Sheba, Aspire from Qatar, Vaag FC from Norway, and USA club South Coast Bayern.