FERRIER v O'MALLEY AND STEWART
v BREMNER IN SEMI-FINALS
OF BOYS' CHAMPIONSHIP

This afternoon's semi-finals of the Scottish boys' match-play championship at Dunbar Golf Club will feature Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck), the No 2 seed and the only seed to get to the quarter-finals, against William Bremner (Edzell, and Paul Ferrier (Baberton) versus Jeff O'Malley (Newbattle).
Ferrier squeezed through at the 19th in the first quarter-final agaisnt Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton), conqueror of top seed James Byrne (Banchory) yesterday.
In a tight match in which there was never more than a hole in it, Ferrie led momentarily by winning the short third but Campbell square at the next and went one up with a birdie 4 at the ninth. Ferrier squared the contest with a par 4 at the 12th but Campbell regained the lead with a par 4 at the 14th.
The ding-dong battle continued with Ferrier squaring the match at the3 12th and moving one ahead with a birdie 3 at the 13th.
NAIL-BITING HALVES
Campbell was not done with yet. He birdied the 15th to get back on level terms. A series of nail-biting halves followed before Ferrier won with a birdie 4 at the 19th.
Ferrier was level par for the holes played.
O'Malley ended the great run of Germany-based Simon Taylor, the 16-year-old son of the club professional at Nuremberg Golf Club. O'Malley won by 6 and 4 at winning the second, third, foufrth, eighth, 11th and 14th. Sadly, Simon was not able to win a hole.
O'Malley was level par for the 14 holes.
Bremner advanced to the last four with a 2 and 1 win over Scott Clark (Ayr Belleisle). Bremner, who is bound for Illinois and a golf scholarship in the autumn, was never behind in a contest which perhaps swung on the ninth hole. Clark had cut a two-hole deficit to one hole but bogeyed the long ninth which Bremner birdied.
That put the Angus teenager two up and he never looked back after that, going three up at the 10th. Clark won back the 14th with a birdie 3 and the 15th was halved in birdie 3s as Bremner maintained his two-hole lead to the finish.
Bremner, who conceded the seventh, was approximately one over par for the 17 holes.
Stewart was a 5 and 4 winner against Fraser McKenna (Balmore) who birdied the first two holes to be one up on the third tee (Stewart matching his 4 at the second). Stewart squared the contest with a par 3 at the short third and was never behind after that.
The Troon lad went one up with a birdie 3 at the sixth and then won the seventh, eighth, 10th and 11th to take a stranglehold on the tie whcih finished on the 14th green.
Stewart was two under par for the holes played, which amounted to the best scoring of any the four quarter-final winners.

This morning's results

QUARTER-FINALS
Paul Ferrier (Baberton) bt Andrew Campbell (Dumbarton) at 19th.
Jeff O'Malley (Newbattle) bt Simon Taylor (Germany) 6 and 4.
William Bremner (Edzell) bt Scott Clark (Ayr Belleisle) 2 and 1.
Michael Stewart (Troon Welbeck) bt Fraser McKenna (Balmore) 5 and 4.