MURCAR LINKS WIN MAITLAND SHIELD FINAL AT BALGOWNIE

Murcar Links added to their long history of foursomes success when they beat neighbours Royal Aberdeen on their home patch, Balgownie links, to win the City of Aberdeen men's foursomes for the Maitland Shield tonight. Overall the margin was Murcar Links by eight holes. Anthony Bews and Clark Brechin, who recently moved from the Portlethen club to join Murcar Links, provided the foundation for the "visitors'" victory. They finished five up on Bill Barclay and Mark Halliday. Bews and Brechin, pictured left by Cal Carson Golf Agency, were only one up at the turn but they won five out of the next six holes to ensure that Murcar Links not only won the first string match they won it by a margin that would be decisive overall. There were some high quality play in the second match with Duncan Raitt and former Scotland cap Bryan Innes five under par but "only" two up at the turn on Allan Reith and Donald Macandrew junior. On the inward half it was a case for Murcar of "what we have, we hold," with Raitt and Innes defying their opponents' effort to pull back the deficit. In fact the Murcar pair were able to add another hole to their halfway lead. Result: FINAL Murcar Links bt Royal Aberdeen by eight holes (Anthony Bews and Clark Brechin 5, Bill Barclay and Mark Halliday 0. Duncan Raitt and Bryan Innes 3, Allan Reith and Donald Macandrew jun 0).