WIND-TAMER IAN BRATTON WINS N E ALLIANCE AT MONTROSE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON Colin@scottishgolview.com Newburgh club pro Ian Bratton, pictured, just back from holiday, marked his return to the North-east Golfers' Alliance circuit by battling through a fierce wind to win today's competition over the Montrose Links with a three-over-par 74. It was the proverbial game of two halves for the field of 103 – the first three-figure entry of the season – with the inward half into the teeth of the wind and no surprise that there were  29 No Returns. Lost balls were common. One player lost five and even international Philip McLean (Peterhead) lost two balls at one hole, the par-4 ninth which cost him a 9 on his way to a 79 when, if anything the wind was even stronger than the early morning starters had to endure. "I'm used to playing in the wind at Peterhead but nothing like as strong as that," said McLean who will miss two Alliance fixtures, including one over his home course, as he plays at the Alps Tour Qualifying School in Italy. Amazingly McLean, when the wind was its strongest in his face, came home in only 36 shots, birdieing the short 12th and bogeying the 16th and 17th. Bratton highlighted his card with an eagle 3 at the downwind 490yd sixth where he easily got home in two and holed an 8ft putt. Sacrificing distance for control off the tee and driving with a No 3 wood almost throughout, Bratton also birdied the 14th and would matched par but for a double-bogey 6 at the 17th (unplayable lie in the gorse but only one putt!) and a bogey 5 at the last in halves of 39-35. Most players voted the par-4 17th into the wind the most difficult hole on the course. Last week's winner at Cruden Bay, Newmachar's +3 amateur John Duff, who has graduated from Aberdeen University, finished second on 75 with a double bogey 6 at the 11th but he had a total of 15 pars, noteworthy in conditions as tough as they were. Former Aberdeen Links champion Stewart Finnie was in a bunch who tied for third place on 76. Stewart had a double bogey 6 at the first and a double bogey 6 at the 17th. Give him pars at both these holes and he would have finished two shots ahead of winner Ian Bratton! LEADING SCRATCH Par 71 (4-4-3-4-4-5-4-4-4: 36 OUT. 4-4-3-4-4-5-3-4-4: 35 IN)   74 Ian Bratton (Newburgh) OUT: 4-4-4-4-4-3-4-4-4: 35. IN:  4-5-3-5-3-5-3-6-5: 39. 75 John Duff (Newmachar) OUT: 4-4-3-4-4-5-4-5-4: 37. IN: 4-6-3-4-4-5-3-5-4: 38 76 Craig Carnegie (Kemnay) 37-39, Fraser Clarke (Newmachar) 35-41, Patrick Lovie (P1 Corporate) 37-39, Ryan Fitzpatrick (Inchmarlo) 36-40, Stewart Finnie (Caledonian) 39-37. 77 Paul Simpson (Aboyne) 39-38. 78 George Paterson (Northern) 39-39, Alistair Fiddes (Murcar Links) 41-37, Greg Ingram (Inverurie) 41-37 79 David Leslie (Northern) 40-39, Philip McLean (Peterhead) 43-36  80 Colin Nelson (Mackenzie Shop) 37-43, Euan Kennedy (Newmachar) 39-41, Keith F Watson (Deeside) 39-41, David A Fleming (Portlethen) 43-37. 81 Donald Macandrew (Royal Aberdeen) 40-41, Gordon Munro (Fraserburgh) 42-39, Jordan Findlay (Fraserburgh) 40-41, Les Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 39-42, Bill Urquhart (Murcar Links) 40-41. 82 Albert J Smith (Turriff) 41-41, Charles Cassie (Nigg Bay) 40-42, Harry Roulston (Stonehaven) 41-41, David Brown (Kemnay). 83 Sandy Pirie (Hazlehead) 42-41. 84 Mike Booth (Kemnay) 42-42 85 Jim Duncan (Newburgh) 43-42, Neish Chisholm (Kemnay) 42-43. 86 Bryan Robson (Newmachar) 41-45, Brian Harper (Newburgh) 40-46, Manson Merchant (Newmachar) 44-42, Claire Prouse  (Hazlehead) 41-45, Jackie Forrest (Northern) 46-40. 87 John M Hamilton (Murcar Links) 41-46, Mike Duncan (Deeside) 44-43, David Bisset (Banchory) 43-44, Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) 43-44, Gary Ross (Meldrum House) 43-44. 88 John Forrest (Murcar Links) 42-46, Jim Murray (Banchory) 42-46, Les Roger (Royal Aberdeen) 40-48, David Nelson (Aboyne) 44-44, Clark Alexander (Murcar Links) 46-42 89 Graeme Mitchell (Braemar) 45-44  90 Jim Scott (Peterculter) 41-49, Sandy Davidson (Northern) 47-43. 91 Laurence Prouse (Hazlehead) 42-49, John Borthwick (Craibstone), Dave Wilson (Duff House Royal). 92 Paul McIntosh (Newburgh), Alistair Petrie (Oldmeldrum), Josh Turner (Kemnay). 93 Nigel K Parker (Murcar Links), 94 David Mackay (Newmachar) 46-48, John Hosie (Hazlehead) 46-48, Michael Holley (Ballater) 50-44 95 Mike Rogers (Kemnay) 48-47, Chris Brindley (Banchory), George Stevely (Murcar Links). 96 Ray Brown (Newburgh) 50-46, Mike Smith (Turriff) . 98 Steve Kennedy (Craibstone) 45-53 100 Gary Homer (Northern) 47-53 101 Michael Randall (Stonehaven) 53-48 102 Mike Brown (Newburgh) 46-56 105 Ben Lumsden (Northern) 51-54 109 Ian Grant (Keith). LEADING HANDICAP Class 1 – C Carnegie (Kemnay) (3) 73; D Leslie (Northern) (5) 74; D A Fleming (Portlethen) (5), H Roulston (Stonehaven) (7), K Watson (Deeside) (5) 75. Class 2 – M Booth (Kemnay) (11), N Chisholm (Kemnay) (12) 73; L Roger (Royal Aberdeen) (12) 76; S Davidson (Northern) (13) 77; J Murray (Banchory) (10) 78. Next Wednesday's  NE Alliance switched from Peterculter to Craibstone Due to unforeseen circumstances, next Wednesday's NE Alliance has been switched from Peterculter to Craibstone whose general manager Billy Sim was glad to help out at short notice. The scheduled fixture for Craibstone on Wednsday, December 14 is not affected by the move. The Craibstone clubhouse now offers a full catering service. SLOW PLAY AT MONTROSE MEANT END-OF-FIELD PLAYERS RAN OUT OF LIGHT TO FINISH ROUNDS NE Alliance joint secretary Davie Wilson, who always goes out last in the field after handling the clubhouse administration, was raging at the slow play which meant that players at the end of the field ran out of light to finish their rounds. Others complained of four or five groups waiting on every tee from very early in the round due to some players not letting faster players play through. The biggest field of the new season - 103 - coincided with the first NE Alliance fixture since the clock changed. To get everybody round in daylight, play would have had to be at a brisk tempo. It was anything but. Davie Wilson is going to read the riot act to players before next week's meeting at Craibstone. He will also introduce two-tee starts where possible as there is less and less light to get players round in the Alliance fixtures between now and the mid-winter break. At Craibstone, players will go off from the first and the seventh tees. One player at Montrose Links today complained that seven-minute intervals between the groups of three setting out was not nearly long enough and led to the field clogging up early on in the round. Another suggested that the field should be capped at say 80 players, reducing by 10 every week until the second half of the season. But who's going to decide who plays and who doesn't play - and can you imagne the discord that would create. At times like this the North-east Alliance is a victim of its own success. There is simply not enough light to get everybody who wants to play round in daylight. PRAISE FOR MONTROSE LINKS ... EVEN THE BUNKERS! By common consent, the Montrose Links were in tip-top condition and I even heard praise for the quality of the sand in the bunkers! ... the second week in a row that the NE Alliance competitors have been fulsome in their praise of the course, following last week at Cruden Bay.

SCOTT LARKIN MAKES COMEBACK  AFTER WRIST OPERATION

North-east District team player Scott Larkin (Royal Aberdeen) made his comeback today at Montrose Links after being out of action for six months with a wrist injury which required an operation.

Not surprisingly in conditions that were as much a physical test as a golfing one, Scott went round in 87 shots (43-44). He has a handicap of +2.

ALLIANCE CLUBHOUSE HUMOUR

Player 1 to Player 2: "I had a bright green shirt like that - it didn't suit me either."