Bristol golfer Chris Wood and playing partner Anthony Wall marked their debuts for Great Britain & Ireland in record-equalling fashion yesterday.

Their 6&5 thrashing of Ryder Cup pair Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson matched the biggest margin of victory in any session of the Vivendi Trophy since it started in 2000 and helped Paul McGinley's side to a 3-2 lead over Continental Europe after the opening fourballs.

In Karlsson's defence, of course, this was his first competitive action since May because of a blister behind his left retina, but Continental captain Thomas Bjorn must have been hoping for more from his top-ranked player Stenson against a duo who would not have been in the match but for the withdrawal of some star men.

Nailsea golfer Wood said: ''I wanted to play Stenson at some point. At the start of the week I was on the range and he was giving me a bit of stick and chucking balls at me."

Graeme McDowell would not have played either, yet he teamed up with fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy to beat Dane Soren Kjeldsen and big-hitting Spaniard Alvaro Quiros 4&3 in the top game.

Britain and Ireland's other point came from Oliver Wilson and Simon Dyson.

With Dyson fit again after suffering food poisoning in the build-up, they defeated Soren Hansen and Peter Hanson 3&2 – an exact repeat of the result when they clashed in foursomes in Ireland two years ago.

However, Continental Europe kept the gap down to only one point thanks to the efforts of first Anders Hansen and Francesco Molinari and then Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

Hansen, who had a superb seven birdies in the first 12 holes, and Molinari beat Robert Rock and Steve Webster 4&3, while Fernandez-Castano and Jimenez – the only player to be an ever-present since the series started in 2000 – came from two down to beat Ross Fisher and Nick Dougherty 2&1.

Wood and Wall return to action today, facing Jimenez and Kjeldsen in the fourballs.

Draw and tee-off times for today's fourballs (Continental Europe first): 10.35 Henrik Stenson & Alvaro Quiros v Simon Dyson & Oliver Wilson, 10.50 Peter Hanson & Soren Hansen v Nick Dougherty & Ross Fisher, 11.05 Anders Hansen & Francesco Molinari v Graeme McDowell & Rory McIlroy, 11.20 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano & Robert Karlsson v Robert Rock & Steve Webster, 11.35 Miguel Angel Jimenez & Soren Kjeldsen v Anthony Wall & Chris Wood.