SPECIAL THANKS TO EDDIE SHERWOOD, "Mr Northern Counties Cup"

FROM RICHARD BARR
Member of Newmachar's Northern Counties Cup-winning quartet
On behalf of the Newmachar Golf Club team, and some of the fellow competitors I spoke to, a special thanks should be given to Eddie Sherwood, the tournament organiser, who manned his post at registration, and starting the matches off, from Thursday through to Saturday, at Lossiemouth.
I gather this was his 12th year at running the tournament, and for the three occasions i have played in the event it has run very smoothly - a credit to Eddie for this. Without his input, support and enthusiasm we may not have the event that we have.
I am also including some bullet points that i could find on the history of the event, and regarding Newmachar's back-to-back wins etc
+This was the 100th year of playing the event. Although it's been running since 1900, it was not played during the war years.
+Played Orkney in opening match, one of the founders, and Newmachar are the newest club to join the Northern Counties competition. Thrashed them (as Scottish Golf View put it) +16 holes: J Duff and R Barr +9, and M McKechnie and C Simpson + 7.
+Newmachar won in 1997, and also the 99th hosting at Royal Dornoch last year, with same team as this year. This is only the third time, since World War that the same team has successfully defended the Northern Counties Cup.
+It is the largest and oldest inter-club golf competition in the North and North-East. There was an entry of 40 teams at Lossiemouth.

Scores below for Newmachar Golf Club back-to-back victories in 2010 and this year:

2010
+10 v Cruden Bay
+12 v Elgin
+2 v Forres - Quarter Final
+4 v Moray - Semi Final
+2 v The Nairn - Final

2011
+16 v Orkney
+6 v Royal Aberdeen
+2 v Peterhead - Quarter Final
+2 v Meldrum House - Semi Final
+4 v Brora - Final

Total of +30 up against oppenents in each year, over the five rounds - could this be a record, given back-to-back victories?
Over the 10 matches played (2010 and 2011), each pairing has only lost once, albeit the team won.

Richard Barr
PS Also, over the 10 matches, each pairing only lost one golf ball...not bad for playing at times in +20mph winds!

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:  Eddie Sherwood (pictured right) tells me that he intends to make next September at Balgownie, his last as organiser of the Northern Counties Cup. Eddie discovered from his predecessor, Jim Hamilton, that running the Northern Counties Cup tournament is a one-man operation ... no help in the starting, no help collecting the scores.

How about some volunteers to make Eddie's last show one he will remember with pleasure?

And perhaps the member clubs should be making plans to make a suitable presentation to Eddie at Royal Aberdeen next September.
And they had better start looking now for a man to succeed the affable Eddie as the tournament organiser in 2013. Mr X  could "shadow" Sherwood, you might say, at the 2012 tournament and learn the ropes.

But don't hold your breath waiting for things to happen - Eddie tells me that only TWO club delegates attended this year's Northern Counties Cup annual meeting on the eve of the tournament hosted by Moray Golf Club.

COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com