Up with the cup, Neil Hampton (left) and Colin Taylor with the Black Isle Foursomes trophy (image by Robin Wilson).

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Hampton, Taylor win Black Isle Foursomes for fifth time

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By ROBIN WILSON
Neil Hampton (Nairn) and Colin Taylor (Kinloss), the leading qualifiers for the match-play stages, twice came from behind to win the ICR Solutions Black Isles Foursomes championship for a fifth time at Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club.

Hampton, a one time Fortrose junior member, and his Kinloss partner are now only one win short of the record six recorded by Brora's Jimmy Miller and Jocky Thomson (Inverness) between the years of 1982 to 1991.

The title-holders, Inverness's Ewan Forbes and Alan Cameron, Cameron also a local member, had won on four previous occasions: 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2009 and were this year attempting to emulate the Miller/Thomson hat-trick of 1989-90-91.

Hampton and Taylor's rounds of 74 and 76 earned them top seeding status with a total of 150 in difficult windy conditions.

Four local couples went through to the handicap ties on Sunday morning led by Tom Cornwall and Robert MacKintosh but they went out on the final green in their semi-final tussle with Stuart Gammie and Stuart Hillis who in turn lost in the handicap final to the lowest handicap qualifiers, Alistair Tait and Garry Moore.
Second scratch seeds were local father and son Kenny and Chris Gaittens with cards of 75 and 76, and they met the holders, Forbes and Cameron, in the semi-finals. Level after 18 holes the first extra hole was halved but at the second extra hole the Gaittens short game failed with a fluffed green side chip, allowing Cameron and Forbes to win their way into the final.

Hampton and Taylor's place in the final came at the expense of former Fortrose greenkeeper, George Paterson, now Moray GC, and his local brother-in-law Johnston Bellshaw.

Hampton and Taylor won by 3 and 1 after their opposition were bunkered at the 17th hole.
Sunday's weather was an improvement, allowing a gripping final between the best two couples in the field. The final began well for Forbes and Cameron who were three up after only four holes.

The par-3 fifth was won by Hampton and Taylor with the first of many birdies that followed. The long sixth was shared in birdie 4 and after winning the ninth, Hampton and Taylor were just one behind.
Both couples bogeyed the first inward hole but in a run of sub-par figures Hampton and Taylor won the 11th with birdie to square but then found themselves behind again when Cameron and Forbes won the 13th and 14th holes with sub-par 3s. The par-4 15th was halved in 3s before the first chink in the Cameron-Forbes armour was revealed at the next hole.
The holders overclubbed and went into the bushes behind the 16th green and their lead was cut back to one. A huge drive left by Taylor from the 17th tee was lucky to find open space on the 15th fairway from where Hampton, playing blind to the green, ended up just four feet from the pin with a great second shot.
Eighteenth tee and the tie was as it started, level, and when the short hole was completed Hampton and Taylor were in the lead for the first time to collect the trophy after Forbes missed the green with his tee shot.
Alistair Tate and Garry Moore went into the handicap final against club-mates Stuart Gammie and Stuart Hillis on the back of a 16th green semi final result over Ian Morrison and David Lackie.

Retired Rosemarkie Academy teacher Tait in former years had already savoured both a scratch and handicap win. With new partner Garry Moore they held a two hole lead after nine and although pegged back to one hole Tate's birdie putt on the 15th green saw them lift the handicap cup a hole later by 3 and 2.
Qualifying Scores:
Scratch

150 N D Hampton (Nairn) & C J Taylor (Kinloss) 74 76.

151 K Gaittens & C Gaittens (Fortrose & Rosemarkie) 75 76.

156 R A L Cameron & E Forbes (Inverness) 78 78.

157 G Paterson (Moray) & J Bellshaw (Fortrose & Rosemarkei) 80 77.
Handicap

(All Fortrose & Rosemarkie)

145 T Cornwall & R Mackintosh (12).

149 I Morrison & D Lackie (14.5).

150 A Tait & G Moore (7).

151 S Gammie & S Hillis (9.5).
Scratch Match-play:

Semi-finals – Hampton & Taylor bt Paterson & Bellshaw 3 and 1, Cameron & Forbes bt K Gaitens & C Gaittens at 20th.

Final – Hampton & Taylor bt Cameron & Forbes 1 hole.
Handicap Match-play:

Semi-finals – Gammie & Hillis beat Cornwall & MacKintosh 1 hole, Tait & Moore bt Morrison & Lackie 5 and 4.

Final – Tait & Moore bt Gammie & Hillis 3 and 2.