LOTHIANS ARE AREA CHAMPIONS AGAIN
- WITH 5-4 WINS OVER NORTH-EAST
AND PERTH & KINROSS IN FINAL

Lothians, the hot favourites, have won the Scottish Golf Union men's area team championship yet again - but it was much closer than neutral observers expected the weekend semi-finals and final at Powfoot Golf Club to turn out.
In Saturday's semi-finals, Lothians edged a 5-4 win over North-east while Perth & Kinross were winners over South by 5 1/2 to 3 1/2.
So it was title-holders Lothians in Sunday's final against Perth & Kinross whose line-up was packed with Scotland internationals.
It went down to the wire, as they say, with Lothians winning 5-4, by taking a 1pt lead in the foursomes and sharing the singles 3-3.
The last three ties all went to the 18th green with P&K winning two of them.
Next year's area team championship semi-finals and final will be held at Tain Golf Club.
Results:

SEMI-FINALS
PERTH & KINROSS 5 1/2, SOUTH 3 1/2
Foursomes (3-0)
K McAlpine & M Cameron bt D Sutton & I Thomson 3 and 1.
W Booth & G Campbell bt B Scott & M Grunwell 4 and 3.
S Hume & G Dear bt G Sharp & C Riddick at 21st.
Singles (2 1/2-3 1/2)
Booth bt Sutton 1 hole.
McAlpine lost to Thomson 2 and 1.
Cameron lost to Scott at 19th.
D Simpson lost to Gunnwell 1 hole.
Dear halved with Sharp.
Campbell bt Riddick 2 and 1.

LOTHIANS 5, NORTH-EAST 4
Foursomes (2-1)
M Kerr & R Carson bt M Halliday & P McLean 1 hole.
S Armstrong & S McAllister bt L Phillips & G Esson 2 and 1.
M Hillson & S Walker lost to B Innes & T Mathieson 1 hole.
Singles (3-3)
Armstrong bt Esson 3 and 2.
McAllister lost to Phillips 1 hole.
G Turner lost to Halliday 3 and 1.
Carson bt Innes at 19th.
Kerr bt Mathieson 4 and 2.
Hillson lost to McLean 2 and 1

FINAL

PERTH & KINROSS 4, LOTHIANS 5
Foursomes (1-1)
McAlpine & Cameron bt Hillson & Walker 3 and 1.
Booth & Campbell lost to Kerr & Carson at 20th.
Hume & Dear lost to Armstrong & McAllister 5 and 3.
Singles (3-3)
Booth lost to Armstrong 2 and 1.
McAlpine bt McAllister at 20th.
Simpson lost to Turner 3 and 2.
Cameron lost to Carson 1 hole.
Dear bt Kerr 1 hole.
Campbell bt Hillson 1 hole.