Triple whammy for Nairn's Neil Hampton at Brora

By ROBIN WILSON
Nairn's Neil Hampton enjoyed a triple trophy weekend in the James Braid and Royal Marine Hotel open events at Brora.
Making his now regular appearance on the Sutherland links course, where in 1991 he won his first of two North District Championships and three year later, the Howey Cup in the James Braid 36 hole open of 1994, scratch player Hampton repeated his 1994 weekend with rounds of 68 (one under par) and 70 (one over) to regain the Howey Cup by three shots from the holder, Iain Powell (Murcar Links).
Powell finished in a three way tie for second place with Golspie exile Gary Urquhart, home on holiday from Australia, and Royal Dornoch's Kevin Matheson.
Hampton's game is well suited to the Brora Links. Accurate iron play and sufficient length from the tees always pays dividends and his first nine holes were strict par figures for 35. He first got below par at the 10th hole and then a second birdie at the 14th before his only morning round bogey came at James Braid's signature hole, the 17th, for his one under par opening round of 68. His solid play was repeated in round two with equal halves of 35 for 70 and the chasing pack could not catch him.
Winner for the past two years, Iain Powell (Murcar Links), equalled the par of 69 in round one, one bogey one birdie in each half, but when it came to the start of his second round he was two over par after just three holes in his 73 for a three-way share of second place.
As a member of the James Braid Society, Hampton also regained the confined James Braid Trophy. Braid Society member Michael Heriot from Henley, a former five handicapper but now playing off 11, swept to a seven-shot nett victory over local junior Alister MacDonald to win the Royal Marine Hotel Handicap Trophy for the best overal nett aggregate.
As they did also in 1994, when Fiona Purvis was his fiancee, Hampton and now Mrs Hampton repeated their scratch win in the following day's open mixed event. A scratch card of 78 won the Links Trophy.
Results:
James Braid Trophy
(CSS 70 & 70 locals and visitors)
Scratch
138 N D Hampton (Nairn) 68 70.
141 G Urquhart (Gold Creek, Canberra) 72 69, I S Powell (Murcar Links) 69 72, K Matheson (Royal Dornoch) 72 69.
143 J Surtees (Tyneside) 74 69, C Mailley (Royal Dornoch) 71 72.
144 R S Cameron (Brora) 71 73.
146 J G MacBeath (Brora) 73 73.
148 T Matheson (Brora) 75 73, S Burt (Tyneside) 75 73.
Handicap
Class 1 - J Surtees (Tyneside) (5) 133, C MacDougall (Loch Ness) (10) 138, R Sutherland (Brora) (10), G Taylor (Brora) (11) 139.
Class 2 - A Macdonald (Brora) (20), B Bell (Brora) (14) 146, A Fairburn (King James V1) (13), K Leslie (Panmure) (15) 147.
Royal Marine Trophy - M Heriot (Henley) (11) 128.

Picture at top, by Robin Wilson, shows the James Braid Trophy winners at Brora, Neil Hampton (left), centre - Braid Society captain Malcolm Campbell and Michael Herriot (Henley) with the Sponsors' trophy.