Local hero Ferries wins North Alliance at Tain

By ROBIN WILSON
Out of the frame when the previous North Golf Alliance competition was played at Royal Dornoch in mid-November, Tain's Munro Ferries and Thurso's Bryan Ronald took the first two places at Tain on Sunday, the home player nicking first place from Ronald with a 73 to a 74.
Fifty-one members braved a very cold but dry 18 holes and over the first nine of these Ferries had a count of 36 (one over the winter par) which left the visitor with a lot of catching up to do.
The Thurso member had begun brightly with a birdie 3 and made par 3 from the winter second hole tee, but from a bogey at the third hole Ronald went into a downward spiral. He left the par-5 fourth green with a 7 on his card and three holes later ran up another double bogey to add up to an outward 40 - four more than Ferries.
Ferries, the local champion, who has already won twice on the North circuit, dropped two shots at the “Alps” but got one back with a birdie at the downwind 13th hole but Ronald left his recovery too late. He matched the local's birdie at the 14th and then got himself into the mix with successive birdie 2s on the 16th and 17th greens.
Despite Ferries taking three from the edge of the final green for a bogey 5, Ronald's recovering inward count of 34 still left him a stroke behind in second place. Ronald has already won once on this year's circuit and this was his second runner up place behind Ferries.
The Caithness travelling members to Tain had only one other score below 80, Wick's Ronald Taylor who fell back from his 71 at Royal Dornoch to a 78 (39-39) over Tain.
Andrew Watt's 75 (39-36) over his home course, also with a birdie 2 on the 16th, was in third scratch place and then first handicap (off 7) with net 68. Clubmate Alan MacKenzie included a triple bogey 7 on his card at the ninth hole but still made a gross 78 (38-40), net 72, for second handicap place .
Outgoing Brora captain Ken Lorimer improved four shots on his outward 43 for an inward 39 to make the difference in his card play-off with local Steve Holmes for 3rd/4th place and Charlie Burness (Thurso) managed a fifth place with net 74, off 6.
But what a turn up in the Class 2 Section when Thurso's senior Alliance member, Alf Williamson, led the way in Class 2 with the best low net of the day. His 66 from a handicap 16 left the remainder of his section in his slipstream by seven shots after he carded two halves of 41. Williamson matched his clubmate Ronald's birdie at the first hole then also followed Ronald to a couple of double bogies before the tenth was reached but a steadier inward half followed and he finished strongly with three par figures to hold 41 again.
Steve Mackay and John Avison kept the Durness club prominent once again, second and fourth places in Class 2, and Angus MacDonald (Ullapool) a repeat of his Royal Dornoch third position.
Before the mid season break the popular three-ball-better-ball competition will be played at Brora on December 13 with lots of Christmas and Hogmanay fare as the prizes.
Results:
SCRATCH
73 M Ferries (Tain).
74 B Ronald (Thurso).
75 A Watt (Tain).
77 M Sangster (Tain), S Holmes (Tain).
78 A Mackenzie (Tain), R W Taylor (Wick), C Stewart (Brora).
HANDICAP
Class 1 – A Watt (Tain) (7) 68; A Mackenzie (Tain) (6) 72; K Lorimer (Brora) (9), S Holmes (Tain) (4) 73; C Burness (Thurso) (6) 74.
Class 2 – A Williamson (Thurso) (16) 66; S Mackay (Durness) (15) 73; A MacDonald (Ullapool (16) 77; J Avison (Durness) (16) 78.