NOT SO EASY FOR MURCAR LINKS AND ROYAL ABERDEEN

         Murcar Links team who are defending the City of Aberdeen foursomes title for the Maitland Shield. Left to right: Neil McKinnon, Adrian Styles, Corin Stewart, Anthony Bews

 Picture by courtesy of Walter Rae.

Last year's finalists, title-holders Murcar Links and Royal Aberdeen, were pushed all the way in tonight's opening ties in the City of Aberdeen men's foursomes for the Maitland Shield at the Kings Links.

Royal Aberdeen squeezed past Hazlehead by one hole overall in the double foursomes format. Both matches were all square playing the last but the Balgownie first pair of Buchan and Macandrew were able to secure a winning par 3.

Murcar Links finished two holes up on Nigg Bay in a match that was very close until the final holes. Murcar's second string of Stewart and Bews won the 17th and 18th with par figures that proved decisive.

Bon Accord, title winners two years ago, had a fairly comfortable seven-hole win over Craibstone with top pairing of Barrie Edmond and newly recruited Graeme Mitchell winning by six holes.  The second Bon Accord pairing won their last five holes to finish one up.

RESULTS

FIRST ROUND

Royal Aberdeen bt Hazlehead by one hole

(S Buchan, D Macandrew 1, A Strachan, J Laing 0; I Middleton, G Joss 0, K Ross, I Murray 0).

Murcar Links bt Nigg Bay by two holes

(N McKinnon, A Styles 0, R Nielsen, I Welsh 0; C Stewart, A Bews 2, R Young, G Grimmer 0).

Portlethen bt Auchmill by six holes

(C Brechin, S Kiloh 6, J Newcombe, R McConnachie 0; G Innes, K Horne 0, A Milne J Smith 0).

Bon Accord bt Craibstone by seven holes

(B Edmond, G Mitchell 6, I Still, F Buchan 0; M Greig, M Dunn 1, A Bloice, D McIlroy 0).

TUESDAY MATCHES
FIRST ROUND
4.47pm Caledonian v Northern.
5.01pm Deeside v Peterculter
5.15pm Banchory v Newmachar