Bad back KOs Hugh Stuart from

Northern Counties Cup this week

By ROBIN WILSON
Murcar Links Golf Club have been forced into two team changes when they tee off in defence of the B.D. Fraser Northern Counties Cup Trophy at Inverness Golf Club on Wednesday.
Centenary Year club captain and former Walker Cup player Hugh Stuart ruled himself out of the four-man line-up after injuring his back when playing his home course two weeks ago and he is joined on the sidelines by Bill Fyfe.
Called in to join the remaining two team members from last years winning line up at Duff House Royal, are John Hamilton and septuagenarian David Hird.
As the holders, Murcar Links have received a bye into the second round where they await the winners of the Wednesday morning first round tie between Brora 2 and Elgin’s first team.
Inverness Golf Club who failed at their first attempt to lift the cup when the competition last visited the Highland Capital in 2003 includes three of the team who won the following year at Cruden Bay.
Fraser Urquhart, Bob McAdam and Jock Thomson are joined by Jim Elliot and on their home turf where they will have a big advantage over the other 23 teams in the draw and will be hoping to add the senior cup to the main cup which their under-55 team won last September in Tain.
Inverness’s 2003 semi-final defeat by Strathpeffer Spa allowed Brora go on and win the cup for the first time and Brora remain the only club to have won twice since the competition's inauguration in 2002.
Brora won for the second time on home turf three years later and their team remains the same since 2003, Jim Miller, Ronnie Sim, Ian Hamilton and Robin Wilson.But the double winners have a difficult opening day ahead of them having to play both the Nairn clubs.
Cruden Bay, last years runners up, field Bill Livingston, Mike Keddie, Jim Smith and Martin Foster and play the Elgin's second team in the first round.
DRAW
Wednesday
Round 1
AM – Brora 2 v Elgin 1. Elgin 2 V Cruden Bay 1. Inverness 2 V Strathpeffer. Nairn Dunbar 2 v Moray. Torvean v Fortrose & Rosemarkie 2. Inverness 1 v Forres. Brora 1 v Nairn Dunbar 1. Round 2
PM. Murcar Links v Brora 2 or Elgin 1. Tain v Elgin 2 or Cruden Bay 1. Ellon v Inverness 2 or Strathpeffer. Deeside v Nairn Dunbar 2 or Moray. Cruden Bay 2 v Torvean or Fortrose & Rosemarkie 2. Turriff v Inverness 1 or Forres. The Nairn v Brora 1 or Nairn Dunbar 1. Fortrose & Rosemarkie 1 v Royal Dornoch.