NORTH NEWS FROM ROBIN WILSON AT BRORA

Ross-shire League Finals at Invergordon

Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club, last winners in 2010 of the Highland Fabricators Ross League, recaptured the silverware at Invergordon last Sunday. 

Showing one change of line-up from the five players who qualified for last weekends semi-finals and final at Invergordon, Lewis Reid in for club secretary Michael MacDonald, the Black Isle team came up against Tain in Sunday afternoon's final and after the closest of matches they emerged 3-2 winners with three of the individual games going into extra holes.

Fortrose had little difficulty booking their place in the final, 5- 0 winners over Tarbat while Tain beat  the 2011 winners Strathpeffer Spa by 3.5 games to 1.5. 

Chris Gaittens assumed the mantle of first player for Fortrose and was comfortably three holes in front of Tain's Munro Ferries with four to play. After getting two hole back Ferries's par on the final hole forced the tie to the 19^th. 

Commenting on the very windy conditions which was sweeping west to east through the Cromarty Firth Munro Ferries said afterwards, “I  cannot remember the first hole, just 134 yards,  ever playing so difficult” 

He overshot the green from the tee and then missed a seven foot par-saving putt to allow Gaittens to win his club's first point.

The tie was levelled in the next game when Billy Ferries bounced back from a semi-final defeat to Strathpeffer's senior statesman James Garrow to beat Fortrose's Lewis Reid by 3and 2.   

Then extra holes were required for Tain to take the third tie and the lead. Ross Mackenzie benefited from a lost ball at the 20^th hole to beat Peter Cameron.

The fourth game also went into extra time. Fortrose's Andrew Brown managing to account for Tain's Frank Mackle at the 19^th. With the result depending on the fifth and final game Ken Gaittens held over some of his form which recently saw him win the Davidson Trophy at Royal Dornoch and with a 17th green win over Graeme Mackintosh the cup was once more on its way to Fortrose and Rosemarkie.

Match Results

Semi-finals

Tarbat 0, Fortrose and Rosemarkie 5

M Keay lost to C Gaittens 3 and 2

H Skinner lost to L Reid 8 and 6

D Mackay lost to P Cameron 4 and 3. 

J Simmons lost to A Brown 5 and 4

A Small lost to K Gaittens 5 and 4. 

Strathpeffer Spa 1.5, Tain 3.5

S Duff lost to M Ferries 4 and 3.

J Garrow bt B Ferries 4 and 3.

S Crossley lost to R I Mackenzie 3 and 1.

J Gordon halved with F Mackle. 

M Mackenzie lost to G Mackintosh 2 and 1. 

Final

Fortrose and Rosemarkie 3, Tain 2

C Gaittens bt M Ferries at 19^th

Reid lost to B Ferries 3 and 2.

Cameron lost to Mackenzie at 20^th. 

Brown bt Mackle at 19^th. 

K Gaittens bt Macintosh 2 and 1

TAIN, DORNOCH LADIES IN SENIOR HOMES TEAM

After being named as first reserve Tain's Anne Ryan will have to wait for a call-off by one of the other four players if she is to join her elder sister Mary Smith and Royal Dornoch's Alison Bartlett in the Scotland team for the Senior Home Internationals next month in Wales.

The team of six selected for the internationals being played at Llandudno Maesdu Golf Club, North Wales from October 1 to 3 is:

Alison Bartlett (Royal Dornoch)
Lorna Bennett (Ladybank)
Fiona de Vries (St Rule)
Alex Glennie (Kilmarnock Barassie)
May Hughes (Lanark)
Mary Smith (Tain)
Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies).

Reserves
1 Anne Ryan (Tain)
2 Elaine Allison (Stirling).