BRYAN FOTHERINGHAM WINS K M CAMERON TROPHY

Prize winners at Wick : left to right – Robert MacDonald (Brora), Hamish MacLean (Wick Golf Club captain), John Forbes (Muir of Ord), Darren Hexley (Golspie) and Alliance Secretary Tony Gill (Brora)

By ROBIN WILSON

Alan Cameron, Fortrose and  Rosemarkie club champion travelled from the Eastern side of the Black Isle to its Western boundary at Muir of Ord  last Saturday where his two under par score of 66 gave him his second win this winter on the North Scottish Golfers' Alliance circuit. 

His final effort still left him outside the aggregate prizes for season's best six rounds. 

Cameron rarely strayed from par golf during his round and over the 18 holes he bogied only once, the 4th hole, but birdied the 3rd, 6th and fifteenth holes to head the scratch scoring by four shots from Neil McWilliam (Elgin).

Bryan Fotheringham emerged winner for a second year of the K M Cameron Trophy for best six scratch scores, a total of 413. Other totals were John Campbell (Grantown on Spey) 416, Kevin Thomson (Moray) 417 and Cameron 418.

In the high handicap aggregate totals W J Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) finished third on 410, nine behind the winner M Lyall (Torvean) 401 and second placed L Hutchison (Inverness) 404.   

Muir of Ord Results

LEADING SCRATCH

66 R A L Cameron (Fortrose and Rosemarkie).

70 N. McWilliam (Elgin).

71 R.H. Stewart (Torvean), G.S. MacDonald (Torvean).

72 K Barnett (Torvean), A.J. England (Moray).

73 J S D Campbell (Grantown).

74 G H Hay (Grantown), S Wilson (Inverness), B. Fotheringham (Inverness), A Macintosh (Torvean), W. Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie).

75 R Stewart (Nairn Dunbar), I. Murray (Boat of Garten), W. Hutchison (Inverness), P. Masson (Rothes).

76 A Henry (Inverness), A. Hutchison (Torvean), A. Cowie (Moray);

77 W Weatherall (Muir of Ord).

78 B Cruickshank (Spey Bay)

79 L. Stewart (Grantown), N MacAskill (Forres), V. Tilman (Muir of Ord), J.A.G. Innes (Elgin), M Lyall (Torvean).

Class 2

66 G S MacDonald (Torvean) (5).

67 A Macintosh(Torvean) (7).

69 I Murray (Boat of Garten) (6), W. Hutchison (Inverness) (6), P Masson (Rothes) (6), W Donnelly (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) (5), A Cowie (Moray) (7).

Class 2

69 T Loynes (Boat of Garten) (14).

70 L Hutchison (Inverness) (14), M Lyall (Torvean) (9), A McWilliam (Moray) (14).

71 I Ross (Grantown) (9), N. MacAskill (Forres) (8).

North Alliance at Wick.

Dougie Thorburn (Reay), with a par-matching 69, edged Darren Hexley (Golspie) and John Forbes (Muir of Ord) into second place two strokes behind in the final fixture of the North Golf Alliance at Wick last Sunday. 

The cold weather kept the entry down to only 26 and so few were the cards returned by each club that no club could provide the requisite four scores to complete in the team competition so the Alliance Shield was not awarded.

Despite the difficult conditions Thorburn was in superb form and went to the turn in two under par 33 after birdies at the second and third holes. After getting to three under par with a starting home birdie he then went off the boil and bogied the next three holes before completing his remaining five holes in par for an inward 36.

The Thurso player's 69 enabled him to complete a four-score aggregate of 281 to win the Alliance Quaich for a second year with Hexley runner-up on 285.  

Hexley had the consolation of winning the MacKintosh Salver with his net aggregate total of 278. Brora's Robert MacDonald finished second on 284.

Hexley and Forbes had almost inseparable 71s , Hexley halves of 35 and 36 and Forbes the same  order with Hexley given the second scratch position on a last six-hole count.

Forbes, even with his +1 handicap, ended up with first handicap prize in Category 1, ahead of two local members, greenkeeper James Taylor and Gordon Steven junior. 

The trip over The Ord for Invergordon's Davie Duncan  was rewarded with first place in Class 2, a net 72 off 13, beating off the challenge from Thurso pair Pat Valentine (10) 76 and Stanley Ross (13) 77.

Wick Results

Scratch

69 D Thorburn ( Reay) 33-36.

71 D Hexley (Golspie) 35-36, J Forbes (Muir of Ord) 35-36. 

74 G Steven (Wick) 34-40. 

76 T Gill( Brora) 36-40. 

77 R W Taylor (Wick) 36-41, B Ferries (Tain) 38-39.

79 J Taylor (Wick) 39-40.  

80 R MacDonald (Brora) 37-43.

Handicap 

Class 1 – J Forbes (Muir of Ord) (+1), J Taylor (Wick) (7), G Steven (Wick) (2) 72.   

Class 2 – D Duncan (Invergordon) (13) 72. P Valentine (Thurso) (10) 76. S Ross (Thurso) (13) 77.