Twenty holes needed to separate golfing rivals

Nairn beat Nairn Dunbar in Northern Counties Cup Final at Peterhead

Nairn's Cup-winning quartet (left to right): Bruce Thomson, Robert Smith,  SandyScott and Fraser Fotheringham. Picture by Gary Abel.

Nairn, represented by young Sandy Scott - what a season he's had! - Fraser Fotheringham, Robert Smith and Bruce Thomson,  beat town rivals Nairn Dunbar (Brian Watson, Freddie Brown, Graham Burnett and Willie Barron) in the final of the Northern Counties Cup double foursomes match-play tournament at Peterhead Golf Club today.
 Nairn had ended the great run by local hopes Peterhead in the morning semi-finals while Nairn Dunbar had the measure of Tain in the other penultimate tie.

The final went down to the wire with top quality golf all round, topped off with Freddie Brown of Nairn Dunbar's  holing his pitch shot at the last to get all square with Nairn in the first-string match. 
Nairn Dunbar, two up with two to play in the second-string match, lost the 17th and the 18th to be pulled back to all square.
At the 19th, Willie Barron (Nairn Dunbar) holed a 14ft putt for a half in birdie 3s by the teams' first-string pairings.
Nairn won the Northern Counties Cup at the 20th where 
Nairn Dunbar's Graham Burnett missed from 3 feet 
It is Nairn's 10th win in the long history of the tournament which was first played in 1900. They were the winners of the trophy in 1902 and their other successes have been in 1928, 1958, 1959, 1973, 1998, 2004, 2007 2009 and now 2015.
Robert Smith has collected gold medals for being in the winning team four  times. 

Bruce Thomson has one previous gold medals playing for Inverness in 2001. Fraser Fotheringham played in the Nairn winning team of 2009 at age 20. Sandy Scott (17) has had his first win.

time the cup was played for, no competition during the two world wars. in 2001. Fraser Fotheringham played in the nairn winning team of 2009 at age 20. Sandy Scott (17) has had his first win.

 

Nairn Dunbar have never won the Northern Counties Cup but there were so close to getting their hands on the trophy at Peterhead.  

 

SATURDAY RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS

Nairn Dunbar bt Tain by 3 holes

G Burnett, W Barron 0, M Ferris, D Thorburn 1; B Watson, F Brown 4, F Mackle, B Ferris 1;

Nairn bt Peterhead 1 by 3 holes

S Scott, F Fotheringham 2, C Foreman, C Leslie 0; B Thomson, R Smith 1, C Crawford, D Buchan 0

FINAL

Nairn bt Nairn Dunbar at 20th

S Scott, F Fotheringham 0, B Watson, F Brown 0; B Thomson, R Smith 0, G Burnett, W Barron 0.