BALLATER PLAYER IS NE DISTRICT HANDICAP CHAMPION

David McNeill, an 11-handicapper playing over his home course, was the overall winner of the 2nd North-east District men's handicap championship, contested by a field of 54 players at Ballater Golf Club today.
McNeill won Section 2 (handicaps 11 to 28) by two shots with a net 65 and that was a shot better than the four players who were involved in a card play-off at the top of Section 1 (handicaps scr to 10).
Ballater players dominated the leading Section 1 places with victory going to Steve Gow, who returned his net 66 off five. Runner-up with the same score was clubmate Mike Rattray (7) and third, also with a net 66 was Paul Sinclair (Auchenblae) (10).

Runner-up in Section 2 with a net 67 off 13 was G McCann (Oldmeldrum) with Ballater player Peter O'Shea (14) third with a net 69.

LEADING RETURNS

CSS 69
Section 1 (scr to 10)

Steve Gow (Ballater) (5), Mike Rattray (Ballater) (7), Paul Sinclair (Auchenblae) (10), Richard Farquharson (Ballater) (5) 66;

Mike Pocock (Oldmeldrum) (4) 68; Gary Thom (Ballater) (3) 69; Gary Kemp (Ballater) (10) 71; Scott Grieve (Ballater) (9), Graeme Porter (Ballater) (8), Dylan Smith (Alford) (10) 72; Scott Thomson (Ballater) (5), Patrick Wildblood (Ballater) (10), William Bremner (Ballater) (6) 73; Robert Cattanach Auchenblae (9), John Sinclair (Ballater) (10), Callum Coutts (Alford) (9), George M Young (Inverallochy) (8) 74.
Section 2 (11 - 28)
David McNeil (Ballater (11) 65; G McCann (Oldmeldrum) (13) 67; Peter O'Shea (Ballater) (14) 69; Matthew Holley (Ballater) (14), Richard Denning (Newmachar) (14) 70; Fraser Grove (Ballater) (20) 71; Bob Yates (Ballater) (13) 72; Graham Freeland (Nigg Bay) (18), John Senior Oldmeldrum (17) 74; Jim Hunter (Ballater) (15) 76; Mike Garden (Nigg Bay)  (13), Derek Kemp (Ballater) (14) 78; Ken Bennions (Longside) 20 79.