Brora's winning squad. See below report/results for a caption to the image (by courtesy of Robin Wilson). Click on it to enlarge.Brora win Dornoch Firth League
at home after nine-year wait
By ROBIN WILSON
Brora Golf Club ended a nine-year wait for the return of the Dornoch Firth League Targe at the weekend, building up a 4pt win over the holders, Royal Dornoch when the five-club league competition was played over their own course.
Once the dominant club in the league with 16 victories since 1973, as the players of this era grew older or left the village, Brora went through a lean spell, even having to take a home loss five years ago to Royal Dornoch.
Even at the beginning of the week there was a struggle to fill the three places below the club's present leading four players and with their promising juniors, Calum Stewart and Liam MacDonald not available for all four games due to exam study or in MacDonald's case attending a Clubgolf examination for a Level 1 Coaching certificate, it was to the “old hands” the club turned to to heal the sore of 2004.
Showing the same enthusiasm as he did when leading Brora to the majority of their previous 16 wins, Jim Miller came out of retirement and with him brought a sense of belief back to the team.
James MacBeath and Roddy Cameron, who have shared most of the Brora club championships since Miller's day, spearheaded the Brora attack in Saturday morning's opening clash with Tain, winners six years ago, and between, Cameron, MacBeath, Miller and club secretary Tony Gill highlighted the score board requiring only 53 holes of the 72 to scatter Tain in a 6-1 match result.
Brora were off to a flier with the other tie between Invergordon and Golspie finishing level at 3 1/2pt each.
Golspie, making a return to the league after a three-year absence, were dependent on their greenkeeper and club champion leading their revival but when Alec MacDonald had to make a late call off, a former junior star of the club, Robert Bremner, now resident in Aberdeen, and returning from a 12-year golfing absence since joining Murcar Links, made a surprise return. Playing No. 2 behind former Ross County footballer Chris Somerville, they gave Golspie the ideal start, beating Invergordon's Allan Gilmour and Lyle McAlpine in the first two games before Golspie's last man, Larry Stewart, beat Craig Cameron final game to share the points.
Golspie then caused the upset of the weekend with another shared result against the hosts who rested Miller and replaced him with schoolboy Calum Stewart who took a break from his school books and required just 12 holes to bring down Bremner as Brora were again quick off the mark. But old neighbourly rivalries are difficult to stop and Golspie's tail wagged again.
Overnight, Brora, after two games played, led by 2 1/2pt from Golspie, with the other three clubs all having a game in hand for crunch time on Sunday.
The big tie came on Sunday morning, Brora v the holders, Royal Dornoch. The result of the corresponding match five years ago gave the title to Dornoch after the overall tied result was decided on this individual game. This was Brora's chance to wipe the slate clean. Miller, now in his 66th year, was reinstated and added also to the home squad was his former team-mate Robin Wilson.
This time club champion MacBeath led the team against his Dornoch opposite, Chris Mailley but MacBeath was in blistering form, five birdies in succession from the fifth to 11th holes and although Mailley all but holed his second to the 14th green MacBeath holed a birdie putt to match the 3 and win 5 and 4, Brora's first point.
Daniel Holden got one of Dornoch's two points in the match result of 5-2 and by doing so matched Brora's MacBeath as the only two players with four-game 100% individual weekend win records.
The Ross shire tie between Tain and Invergordon proved what many thought was possible, Invergordon had a team capable of repeating their success of 2007. Talented teenagers McAlpine and Peter Renwick were of age to send out in the first two ties and Invergordon took three points from the first four matches.
McAlpine lost narrowly to Munro Ferries but Renwick beat the in- form Craig Smith and Invergordon's next two points came from Allan Gilmour who beat Mike Sangster, then Glen McAlpine beat Graham MacKintosh in the overall result of 5 1/2-1 1/2.
Invergordon were unable to sustain their pressure on Brora in the final Sunday afternoon fixture, Brora holding onto their unbeaten record with a 5-2 result to bring their points total to 19 1/2.
The other three clubs were involved in the three-some games, Golspie v Tain, v Royal Dornoch where 14 points were available to each club. None of the three teams took advantage, the results of Golspie 2, Tain 5; Tain 3, Royal Dornoch 4; and Royal Dornoch 4 1/2, Golspie 2 1/2 gave final point totals of:
Brora 19 1/2
Royal Dornoch 15 1/2
Invergordon 13
Golspie 11 1/2
Tain 10 1/2.
Which meant Brora were back on top of the waves, recording their 17th Firth League title.,
MATCH RESULTS
Saturday am- Brora 6, Tain 1; Invergordon 3 1/2, Invergordon 3 1/2.
Saturday pm Brora 3 1/2, Golspie 3 1/2; Invergordon 2, Royal Dornoch 5.
Sunday am - Brora 5, Royal Dornoch 2; Tain 1 1/2, Invergordon 5 1/2.
Sunday pm – Brora 5, Invergordon 2; Golspie 2, Tain 5; Tain 3, Royal Dornoch 4; Royal Dornoch 4 1/2, Golspie 2 1/2.
Caption for picture (by courtest of Robin Wilson): Ten of the Brora twelve man squad who recaptured the Dornoch Firth League Trophy. At the back, Liam MacDonald and Roddy Cameron. Front left to right. - John Sutherland, Graham Grant, Robin Wilson, James MacBeath, Calum Stewart, Jim Miller, Mike MacKintosh, Tony Gill. Missing: George Duncan and Jimmy Murray who played on Saturday.
at home after nine-year wait
By ROBIN WILSON
Brora Golf Club ended a nine-year wait for the return of the Dornoch Firth League Targe at the weekend, building up a 4pt win over the holders, Royal Dornoch when the five-club league competition was played over their own course.
Once the dominant club in the league with 16 victories since 1973, as the players of this era grew older or left the village, Brora went through a lean spell, even having to take a home loss five years ago to Royal Dornoch.
Even at the beginning of the week there was a struggle to fill the three places below the club's present leading four players and with their promising juniors, Calum Stewart and Liam MacDonald not available for all four games due to exam study or in MacDonald's case attending a Clubgolf examination for a Level 1 Coaching certificate, it was to the “old hands” the club turned to to heal the sore of 2004.
Showing the same enthusiasm as he did when leading Brora to the majority of their previous 16 wins, Jim Miller came out of retirement and with him brought a sense of belief back to the team.
James MacBeath and Roddy Cameron, who have shared most of the Brora club championships since Miller's day, spearheaded the Brora attack in Saturday morning's opening clash with Tain, winners six years ago, and between, Cameron, MacBeath, Miller and club secretary Tony Gill highlighted the score board requiring only 53 holes of the 72 to scatter Tain in a 6-1 match result.
Brora were off to a flier with the other tie between Invergordon and Golspie finishing level at 3 1/2pt each.
Golspie, making a return to the league after a three-year absence, were dependent on their greenkeeper and club champion leading their revival but when Alec MacDonald had to make a late call off, a former junior star of the club, Robert Bremner, now resident in Aberdeen, and returning from a 12-year golfing absence since joining Murcar Links, made a surprise return. Playing No. 2 behind former Ross County footballer Chris Somerville, they gave Golspie the ideal start, beating Invergordon's Allan Gilmour and Lyle McAlpine in the first two games before Golspie's last man, Larry Stewart, beat Craig Cameron final game to share the points.
Golspie then caused the upset of the weekend with another shared result against the hosts who rested Miller and replaced him with schoolboy Calum Stewart who took a break from his school books and required just 12 holes to bring down Bremner as Brora were again quick off the mark. But old neighbourly rivalries are difficult to stop and Golspie's tail wagged again.
Overnight, Brora, after two games played, led by 2 1/2pt from Golspie, with the other three clubs all having a game in hand for crunch time on Sunday.
The big tie came on Sunday morning, Brora v the holders, Royal Dornoch. The result of the corresponding match five years ago gave the title to Dornoch after the overall tied result was decided on this individual game. This was Brora's chance to wipe the slate clean. Miller, now in his 66th year, was reinstated and added also to the home squad was his former team-mate Robin Wilson.
This time club champion MacBeath led the team against his Dornoch opposite, Chris Mailley but MacBeath was in blistering form, five birdies in succession from the fifth to 11th holes and although Mailley all but holed his second to the 14th green MacBeath holed a birdie putt to match the 3 and win 5 and 4, Brora's first point.
Daniel Holden got one of Dornoch's two points in the match result of 5-2 and by doing so matched Brora's MacBeath as the only two players with four-game 100% individual weekend win records.
The Ross shire tie between Tain and Invergordon proved what many thought was possible, Invergordon had a team capable of repeating their success of 2007. Talented teenagers McAlpine and Peter Renwick were of age to send out in the first two ties and Invergordon took three points from the first four matches.
McAlpine lost narrowly to Munro Ferries but Renwick beat the in- form Craig Smith and Invergordon's next two points came from Allan Gilmour who beat Mike Sangster, then Glen McAlpine beat Graham MacKintosh in the overall result of 5 1/2-1 1/2.
Invergordon were unable to sustain their pressure on Brora in the final Sunday afternoon fixture, Brora holding onto their unbeaten record with a 5-2 result to bring their points total to 19 1/2.
The other three clubs were involved in the three-some games, Golspie v Tain, v Royal Dornoch where 14 points were available to each club. None of the three teams took advantage, the results of Golspie 2, Tain 5; Tain 3, Royal Dornoch 4; and Royal Dornoch 4 1/2, Golspie 2 1/2 gave final point totals of:
Brora 19 1/2
Royal Dornoch 15 1/2
Invergordon 13
Golspie 11 1/2
Tain 10 1/2.
Which meant Brora were back on top of the waves, recording their 17th Firth League title.,
MATCH RESULTS
Saturday am- Brora 6, Tain 1; Invergordon 3 1/2, Invergordon 3 1/2.
Saturday pm Brora 3 1/2, Golspie 3 1/2; Invergordon 2, Royal Dornoch 5.
Sunday am - Brora 5, Royal Dornoch 2; Tain 1 1/2, Invergordon 5 1/2.
Sunday pm – Brora 5, Invergordon 2; Golspie 2, Tain 5; Tain 3, Royal Dornoch 4; Royal Dornoch 4 1/2, Golspie 2 1/2.
Caption for picture (by courtest of Robin Wilson): Ten of the Brora twelve man squad who recaptured the Dornoch Firth League Trophy. At the back, Liam MacDonald and Roddy Cameron. Front left to right. - John Sutherland, Graham Grant, Robin Wilson, James MacBeath, Calum Stewart, Jim Miller, Mike MacKintosh, Tony Gill. Missing: George Duncan and Jimmy Murray who played on Saturday.
Labels: Amateur Men
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | Monday, May 11, 2009
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