Holders Nairn the team they all

have to beat to win Northern

Counties Cup at Tain this week

By ROBIN WILSON

With all four first-team players holding + handicaps, Nairn Golf Club will make it a stern test for the 39 other teams, to dislodge the Northern Counties Cup away from them when this year's competition gets under way at Tain Golf Club on Thursday.
Inaugurated in 1900 when the cup was purchased by donation from eight clubs - Aberdeen, Aberdeen Victoria, Dornoch, Inverness, Moray, Nairn, Tain St Duthus, and Orkney Golf Club - the first competition was played over the links of Balgownie (Royal Aberdeen) in 1900 with four students from Aberdeen University the first winners.
The inter-club competition has taken place every year since and only suspended during the two World Wars, with Tain succeeding the defunct St Duthus club as a venue. This year will be the 97th competition for the 108-year old cup involving clubs from Aberdeen to Kirkwall and all others in between.
Nairn, the holders,have a changed team from the four players who won last year at Royal Dornoch and after a first round bye play Elgin in the second round.

Introduced into the first team for the first time are 19-year-old Fraser Fotheringham, the club's lowest rated handicapper at + 2 and 20-year-old Neil Howitt, handicap +1.

Making way for the two young newcomers are Steven MacDonald and Alex Scott but remaining the backbone of the Nairn team and making their fourth defence of the cup playing together are Neil Hampton (picture above by Cal Carson Golf Agency) and Robert Smith, both with +1 ratings. Hampton and Smith were winning partners in Nairn's last three successes of 1998, 2004 and 2007.
MacDonald and Scott will play again together but in the second team with Peter Saggers and Gordon Morrison.
Given the addition home advantage and striving to change last year's silver medals to gold are the hosts. Tain have never won the competition but have been to the last four twice in the past four years and this week hope to emulate the two other Ross shire clubs who have their name on the cup, Muir of Ord and Fortrose & Rosemarkie, the latter enjoying their first of two wins when the competition was last played at Tain in 2002.
Tain have been unlucky that both the Macleod brothers, James and Ross are unavailable but the other siblings in the club, Munro and Bill Ferries, have hit form at the right time with a first and second place at Fortrose and Rosemarkie last weekend.

They are most likely to be joined by James Cameron and Peter Renwick when they line up against Peterhead in their opening game.
Fortrose won again at Royal Aberdeen in 2006 when the hosts surprisingly lost their first team in only the third round and Royal Aberdeen have not recorded a cup win since Gordon Fraser, Joe Little, Ian Creswell and Hugh Adam in 1975.

Despatched to Tain to try and put this right are Mark Halliday, Bill Barclay, Steven Buchan and Alan Reith who play the Torvean second team in round one.
Nigg Bay have history against them in round two when they meet the club with more trophy wins than any other, Royal Dornoch, 21 one times but unsuccessful since 1988 at Nairn.

THURSDAY'S DRAW
FIRST ROUND

From 8am:

Inchmarlo v Nairn 2.

Strathpeffer 1 v Royal Dornoch 2.

Torvean 1 v Brora.

Royal Aberdeen 1 v Torvean 2.

Moray 2 v Muir of Ord.

Forres v Banchory.

Cruden Bay 1 v Turriff.

Strathpeffer 2 v Murcar Links 1.

SECOND ROUND

From 10.15am

Nairn 1 v Elgin 1.

Nigg Bay 2 v Inchmarlo or The Nairn 2