Michele Thomson qualifies to

play in North-east Alliance

pro-am foursomes

Ladies European Tour rookie professional Michele Thomson from Ellon will be the first female for many a long year - if ever? - to play in the North-east Alliance foursomes at Murcar Links next week.
Michele qualified as one of the eight leading professionals in the North-east Alliance championship over the past two competitions at Buckpool last Wednesday and Newburgh today.
She will be competing for the Evening Express Shield with
Golf Monthly writer Fergus Bisset, a two-handicapper at Banchory Golf Club.
All the pairings are computer-generated as was the draw for this and the Press & Journal Shield which is all-amateur and played under handicap. The pro-am foursomes is played off scratch.
Michele and Fergus will play former Turriff club professional James Mooney and Craig Stephen, the +1 Meldrum House player.
There will be two match-play rounds in both competitions next Thursday with both finals being contested at the same venue the Friday morning.
Richard (Dick) Cradock, the former Royal Aberdeen club champion and winner of the North-east Alliance championship trophy in the early 1960s, has kindly agreed to come along to the Murcar Links clubhouse and present the trophies next Friday at lunchtime.
Pairings and tee times:

EVENING EXPRESS SHIELD
Pro-am scratch match-play
FIRST ROUND
9.30 Richard Hyland (Craibstone) & John Nicolson (Auchmill) v Ross Cameron (McDonald Ellon) & Chris Robb (Inchmarlo).
9.38 Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) & Fergus Bisset (Banchory) v James Mooney (unattached) & Craig Stephen (Meldrum House).
9.46 David Naylor (Banchory) & Philip McLean (Peterhead) v Ian Bratton (Newburgh) & George Paterson (Northern).
9.54 Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) & Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) v Craig Dempster (Inchmarlo) & Anthony Bews (Murcar Links).

PRESS & JOURNAL SHIELD
Am-am match-play under handicap
FIRST ROUND
10.0 Craig Buchanan (Hazlehead) (9) & Benny Lumsden (Northern) (14) v John Hamilton (Murcar Links) (5) & Steven Kennedy (Craibstone) (12). Buchanan & Lumsden receive three strokes.
10.10 Ross Milne (Aboyne) (5) & Stuart Higgins (Royal Aberdeen) (10) v Steven Scott (Auchmill) (4) & Jim Scott (Peterculter) (11). Level match (no strokes to be conceded).
10.16 Brian Harper (Newburgh) (6) & Mike Booth (Kemnay) (10) v Colin Duffus (Kemnay) (6) & Nigel Parker (Murcar Links) (9). Level match (no strokes to be conceded).
10.24 John Roberts (Cruden Bay) (6) & Mike Brown (Craibstone) (16) v Craig Carnegie (Kemnay) (4) & Paul Simpson (Aboyne) (12). Roberts & Brown receive three strokes.