Thurso's Stanley Ross receives the Alliance Quaich from
Secretary Tony Gill (second left) in place of the winner John Forbes (Muir of
Ord) who had left before the presentation in the Brora clubhouse. In the
background are the Durness members Alister McGowan, Ali Morrison, Martin Mackay
and John Morrison who will have the Team Trophy delivered to them when it is
returned by last years winners. Picture by Robin Wilson
ROBERT MACDONALD IS LOCAL HERO
WITH A 79 AT BRORA
BY ROBIN WILSON
(just back from Australia)
Summer time was still a week away when the final fixture of
the North Golf Alliance season was played at Brora last Sunday in what we hope
was a final bite of Winter.
Snow flurries were intermittent in the cold north wind and the
low entry was marked by only one player breaking 80.
Local Robert
MacDonald, who also led the scratch returns last November at the Golspie
fixture, fought his way to the turn in 42 blows, eight of them at the third
hole, but with the cold wind assisting on the back nine he had a courageous
inward nine holes of 37 for 79.
MacDonald was followed onto the scratch leaderboard by Caithness's Dougie Thorburn 81, Alex Gunn
(Tain) 82, and his Tain clubmate Steve Holmes 83.
There were no cards
returned at Brora from any of the three
contenders for the scratch aggregate Quaich.
John Forbes (Muir of Ord) remained
on 275, Munro Ferries (Tain) 282 and
Darren Hexley (Golspie) 283 so after being pipped for the Quaich last season by
Dougie Thorburn, Forbes won the scratch Quaich for the first time.
Approaching the final fixture four members were still in
close contention for the handicap aggregate MacKintosh Salver – Stanley Ross
(Thurso) 277, Andrew Watt (Tain) 278 plus scratch winner Forbes and Golspie's
Hexley who both had nett totals of 279.
Ross's nett 72 at Brora made no improvement to his already posted total
of 277 and as Watt was not in the field the Thurso member became a first time
winner of the Salver by the narrowest margin - one stroke.
Tain six-handicapper Alex Gunn headed the low handicap
section returns at Brora with nett 76 followed by clubmate Holmes whose
gross 83 reduced to 78.
In third place was local Ken Colorimeter, one of the
early starters who endured the worst of the weather, but he plodded on to a
nett 80, off eight.
Salver winner Ross who plays from ten handicap. was among
the scratch leaders with a gross 82 and his nett 72 was without doubt one of the
two outstanding scores of the day.
He won his high handicap section by three
from clubmate Eva Sutherland who shared a nett 75, off 28, with Glister
McGowan (Furness), handicap 11.
Only two clubs, Durness and Tain, provided the
requisite numbers of players able to post four scores in the team competition.
Durness, with the help of McGowan's 75, Ali Morrison's 77, John Morrison's 80 and Martin MacKay's 83
for a total of 315, regained the Alliance
Shield after an absence of six years from the Durness clubhouse.
Brora Results
Scratch
R MacDonald (Brora) 79, D Thorburn
(Thurso/Tain) 81. A Gunn (Tain), S Ross (Thurso) 82, S Holmes (Tain) 83.
Handicap
Class 1 – A Gunn (Tain) (6) 76. S Holmes (Tain) (5) 78. K Lorimer (Brora) (8) 80.
Class 2 –
S Ross (Thurso) (10) 72. E Sutherland (Thurso), A McGowan (Durness) (11) 75.
Team Trophy – Durness 315. Tain 318
DOUBLE-HEADER AT BRORA AND
GOLSPIE THIS WEEKEND
The golfing season get under way in earnest this weekend
when the Brora and Golspie Golf Clubs work in tandem to host two 18 hole open
events, Golspie on Saturday and Brora on Sunday with the weekend sponsored by
Kincraig Fabrics of Brora and Dornoch.
The events are open to both ladies and gentlemen golfers and
starting times are available to book with each club.
The entry fee at Golspie
is £12 for members of each club and £15
non members. At Brora the fees are the same.
In addition to daily prizes at
each venue there will be 36 hole winners over the weekend and if entering for
both days the fees are £20 for members of Brora and Golspie and £25 non members.
The Golspie Inn and the Royal Marine Hotel Brora are
offering discounted rates for competitors from afar who wish to stay overnight.
Depending of the success of the weekend the two clubs involved are hoping to
make this an annual event.
Labels: Alliance