NORTHERN COUNTIES CUP

Newmachar 1's quartet of defending champions - Mark McKechnie, Chris Simpson, John Duff and Richard Barr - are through to this morning's (SAT) of the 100th staging of the Northern Counties Cup inter-club double foursomes match-play tournament over the Moray Golf Club Old Course links at Lossiemouth. The North-east provides three of the last four and the North only one with Newmachar playing Meldrum House from Oldmeldrum in the first semi-final and, in the other, Brora tackle McDonald Ellon. RESULTS THIRD ROUND Newmachar bt Royal Aberdeen 1 by six holes (M McKechnie, C Simpson 4, S Buchan, D W MacAndrew 0; J Duff, R Barr 2, W D Barclay, D F MacAndrew 0). Peterhead bt Nairn Dunbar at 22nd. (P McLlean, C Forman 0, B Ford, R Johnston 0; L Cruickshank, Richard Gordon 0, D Bunker, H Bunker 0).  Nairn 2 bt Cruden Bay 1 by five holes. (S MacDonald, E Gordon 3, A Middleton, S McCulloch 0; G Asher, P Saggers 2, S Buchan, L Phillips 0). Meldrum House  bt Elgin 1 by two holes  (G Watson, CMcComrie 1, S H C Milne, C Kerr 0; N Robson, C Brodie 1, J MIlne,  D Ramsay 0).  Moray 1 bt Murcar Links by two holes (K Thomson, C Stuart 0, N McKinnon,  A Campbell 2;  R Sheils, S Tatters 4,  A Bews,L Vettese 0). Brora bt Royal Aberdeen 2 by two holes (L MacDonald- MacLeod, E Polson 0, D Purrdie, M Wilson 0; J MacBeath, I Stewart bt  R Laird, D Harris 2). McDonald Ellon bt Inverness 1 by seven holes (M Stewart, C Gilbert 2, A Cameron, EForbes 0; K Duncan, A Dunton 5, J Forbes, Brian Fraser 0). Nigg Bay bt Royal Dornoch 1 by one hole (I Welsh, S Jamieson 0, B Urquhart, K Sinclair 0; R Forbes, G Grimmer 1, N Munro, J Shepherd 0). QUARTER-FINALS Newmachar 1 bt Peterhead by two holes. Meldrum House bt Nairn 2 by two holes. Brora bt Moray 1 by one hole. McDonald Ellon bt Nigg Bay by seven holes. SATURDAY SEMI-FINALS 9am - Newmachar 1 v Meldrum House. 9.15am - Brora v McDonald Ellon. Final will tee off at 2pm.