North of Scotland Alliance

Sangster and
surprise packet
Gordon share
honours at
Golspie

By ROBIN WILSON
A better turn-out from Caithness raised the entry at last Sunday's North of Scotland Alliance competition to 50 at Golspie. Thurso's Jim Sangster, with two birdies and two bogeys for an inward half of 33 and a gross 74, became the fourth different scratch winner of the season.
The weather was typical Alliance, one minute bright and sunny the next a course white with hail, raising the scores and leaving Sangster and surprise package, Tarbat's James Gordon, sharing the scratch honours over a Golspie course that is improving with every visit.
Sangster, picture above by courtesy of Robin Wilson, and his partners were caught in the hail storm at the furthermost point from the clubhouse and a resulting double bogey on the ninth hole raised Sangster's outward card to 41 leaving only an inward nine holes to make amends.
The Thurso one-handicapper had to wait until the 13th to make a birdie which was then discarded three holes later and his birdie 2 on the penultimate hole was given back on the final hole for his inward level par 33 that, on the count back, beat Gordon's inward 35.
Nine-handicapper Gordon found himself an the unfamiliar position among the scratch leaders after his outward 39 but his final 74 for a net 65 topped the Class 1 handicap section by three from Tain's Andrew Watt. Watt had halves of 39 and 36 for 75.
Gordon's clubmate and playing partner, Hamish Skinner, with a net 69, was in third place behind Watt's net 68. With Watt installed in second scratch position, the Tarbat duo finished first and second handicap in Class 1.
At the previous Thurso fixture, scorecards in the Class 2 section from Reay's Davie Gray and Andy Mackay were not discovered until after the results were published.. Their net 71s have been added to the prize list so it was an extra careful Gray who made sure his net card of 70 was placed in the correct box at Golspie. Gray won by one from Tain's Ali Melville who in turn was two ahead of Lachie Ross (Durness). Ross edged third place ahead of Ian Ross (Reay) on a better inward half. Finally, Tarbat handicap winner, Brora's Peter Etheridge was in the prizes again this week but slipping back to fifth place.
The fixtures this week continue at Invergordon.

LEADING SCORES
Scratch
74 J Sangster (Thurso) , J Gordon (Tarbat).
75 A Watt (Tain).
76 M J Sangster (Tain), S Holmes (Tain).
77 H Skinner (Tarbat).
79 S R Sutherland (Bonar-Bridge), E MacKenzie (Thurso), A Gill (Brora).
80 B Ronald (Thurso).
Handicap
Class 1 - J Gordon (Tarbat) (9) 65; H Skinner (Tarbat) (8) 69; S Holmes (Tain) (5) 71; S R Sutherland (Bonar Bridge) (7) 72.
Class 2 – D Gray (Reay) (12) 70; A Melville (Tain) (12) 71; L Ross (Durness) (11), I Ross (Reay) (12) 73; P Etheridge (Brora) (12) 75.