Happiness is cup-shaped for Nairn's winning quartet (left to right) Robert Smith, Neil Hampton, Fraser Fotheringham and Steve MacDonald at Peterhead. Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency. Click on it to enlarge.

Nairn 1's Smith, Hampton, Fotheringham

and MacDonald win Counties Cup

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Nairn Golf Club won the Northern Counties men's double foursomes match-play golf tournament at Peterhead today for a fourth time since 1998. Their No 1 team of Fraser Fotheringham, Steve MacDonald, Neil Hampton and Robert Smith finished a combined two holes up on Cruden Bay 1's quartet of Michael Buchan, Alan Duff, Dave Milne and Dominic King in the final. Fotheringham and MacDonald finished three holes down to Cruden Bay's Buchan and Duff in the first-string tie but Hampton and Smith, who have partnered each other in each of Nairn's previous wins recently in 1998, 1904 and 2007, came to the rescue by finishing five holes to the good over Cruden Bay's Milne and King. The destination of the trophy which has been contested since 1900, making it one of the oldest amateurs tournaments in Scotland if not farther afield, was still in the balance over the closing holes. Nairn's Fotheringham and MacDonald, always in arrears, were four down after 17 holes but won the 18th, which was to prove crucial. Second-stringers Hampton and Smith were "only" three up with two to play but won the 17th and the 18th to finish five up and these holes were the double whammy clincher, to coin a phrase! Next year's tournament will be played at Royal Dornoch, a classic venue which is persuading Hampton and Smith to partner each other "just one more time!" In fairness to 20-year-old Fotheringham, who will soon be off to spend our winter playing golf in Australia's summer, and MacDonald, who were the losing Nairn pair in the final, it should be stressed that it was their performance in the semi-finals against Nairn 2 that made the difference between victory and defeat. They finished six up while Hampton and Smith finished two down. SATURDAY RESULTS SEMI-FINALS Nairn 1 beat Nairn 2 by four holes F Fotheringham & S MacDonald 6, G Burnett & N Howitt 0. N D Hampton & R Smith 0, P Tomisson & P Saggers 2. Cruden Bay 1 beat Moray 1 by three holes. M Buchan & A Duff 3, I S Geddes & R MacPherson 0. D Milne & D King 0, R Clarke & K Thomson 0. FINAL Nairn 1 beat Cruden Bay 1 by two holes Fotheringham & MacDonald 0, Buchan & Duff 3. Hampton & Smith 5, Milne & King 0.