ROBIN WILSON'S NORTH NEWS ROUND-UP

  North District Champion golfer, Bruce Thomson, marked his choice as a Nairn Golf Club home member when he won the Nairn Challenge Trophy for a second time last week beating Nairn Dunbar's Tom Dingwall in the final on the last green.

It was a memorable return to the Nairn course for Thomson. Now aged 31, he first won the same trophy as a member of Inverness Golf Club ten years ago, and now it is twenty five years since his father, Jocky Thomson, won the annual four day competition during the Nairn club's Centenary celebrations of 1987.

Not amongst the leading seeded players after the qualifying rounds, these were Freddie Brown of Nairn Dunbar and Euan Mackenzie (Cawder), Thomson fought his way through a ruck of players to reach  the last four where after Fotheringham put out the number two seed  Thomson would meet the local favourite, Fraser Fotheringham, winner of the previous week's Tain four day competition, and strongly expected to continue his winning run.

The Thomson-Fotheringham semi-final would have made an excellent ending to the competition, each attempting to add to previous trophy wins but only one of them could go through to the final and it was Thomson. 

Playing the second hole of sudden death the District Champion produced his shot of the week when to the par five green he struck a marvellous four iron to the pin then holed out for an eagle three to better Fotheringham's birdie four.

From the Nairn Dunbar professional's golf shop Tom Dingwall, who has ideas on becoming a professional himself, went  into the final after he beat a Nairn regular visitor from Newcastle, Jonny Todd, at the 19th hole in the other semi final. Both finalists held no more than a one hole advantage over the first twelve holes. Dingwall lost a ball from the 13^th tee and Thomson found trouble in a bunker at the next hole and with the 15^th hole halved in birdie threes Dingwall remained with a one hole advantage.

As is often the way a final can slip from grasp without warning and with only three holes to play Dingwall cracked making unnecessary bogey figures on the 16^th and 17^th holes. Thomson with more experience to his belt did not make the same mistake on the final hole and with the half in par five to remain one up  secured his second Nairn Challenge Trophy.

The Class 1 handicap section final was won by Michael Cushine from the new Craibstone golf course on the outskirts of Aberdeen with a comfortable 6&5 result over Nairn's Robert Bremner but the host club did produce a local winner in the Class 2 final. Robert Beattie beat Jim Robinson (Carlisle) by 4 and 2.

North of Scotland Championship at Tain this weekend.

 Four of the successful Scottish men's golf team who won the Home Internationals at Glasgow Gailes last week are included in the field for the North of Scotland Open Amateur stroke-play championship for the David Blair Trophy being played at Tain this weekend.

This is the first time the championship has been hosted on the Tain golf course  and the Internationalists in the field  include the defending champion James White (Lundin Links) joined by three of his Gailes team-mates who just also happen to be the leading three in the Scottish Order of Merit table, number one, Scott Borrowman (Dollar) 258 points, second Ross Bell (Downfield) 247 points  and third Mathew Clark (Kilmacolm) 225 points.