Craibstone's Brimmond Bistro sponsor all three sections

Duncan and Duff dig in at the top of the NE Alliance Scratch Order of Merit table

By COLIN FARQUHARSON 

Cruden Bay's Kevin Duncan and John Duff (Newmachar), two of the most consistent performers on the North-east Alliance circuit dug in to the Nos 1 and 2 positions they hold in the current Brimmond Bistro-sponsored Scratch Order of Merit table with top-10 finishes at the ninth competition of the season, at Cruden Bay.
Dimcan, pictured, tied for third place with a one-under 69 behind runaway winner with a 62, Greig Hutcheon.
Kevin leads the table with a tally of 3,412pt.
Duff tied for sixth place with a 70 and, with an aggregate of 2,828, is the best par of 600pt adrift of the leader.
Hutcheon scored his first NE Alliance win of the season and is 20th in the table with 926pt.
Gavin Chalmers (Alford) has a substantial lead at the top of the Handicap Class 1 table but it's much tighter at the top of Class 2. Jim Stewart (Banchory) leads second-placed Stephen Ross (Hazlehead) by only 13 points.
Gary Homer (Northern), after his Class 2 win at Cruden Bay on Wednesday is in third place.
The three sections of the Order of Merit will end with the second round of the Alliance championship at Craibstone Golf Club in March.

LEADING SCRATCH
1 KEVIN DUNCAN (Cruden Bay)         3,412
 2 JOHN DUFF (Newmachar)                  2,829                                 

3 PHIL McLEAN (Paul Lawrie GC)       2,700                            

4 SEAN LAWRIE (Paul Lawrie GC)      2,317                           

5 CHRIS LAMB (Newmachar)               2,051                               

6 GREG McBAIN (Paul Lawrie GC)      1,979

7 ADAM DUNTON  (McDonald Ellon) 1,847
8 JOEL HOPWOOD  (Royal Aberdeen) 1,805
9  SAM KILOH (Paul Lawrie GC)          1,701                                

10 ALAN STUART  (Paul Lawrie GC)   1,448

11 DAVID BROWN   (Kemnay)              1,255                     

12 TERRY MATHIESON  (Murcar Links) 1,235

13 BILLY FYFE  (Paul Lawrie GC)         1,219                         

14 BRIAN RITCHIE (Inverallochy)         1,164                     

15 KRIS NICOL  (Paul Lawrie GC)         1,159                            

16 GARY ESSON (Portlethen)                 1,151                        

17 COLIN NELSON  (MacKenzie Golf) 1,048                     

18 TONY ROBERTSON (Peterculter)     1,025

19 DAVID LAW (Paul Lawrie GC)            993                              

20 GREIG HUTCHEON  (P Lawrie GC)   926

21 GRAEME RILEY (Craibstone)              922                    

22 MURRAY PATTERSON (Cruden Bay) 905

23 CRAIG LAWRIE (Paul Lawrie GC)      884                       

24 DAVID LESLIE (Northern)                    862                         

25 STEWART FINNIE (Royal Aberdeen)   861

26 LEE VANNET (Craibstone)                    842

27 RAYMOND REID (Tarland)                   729                      

28 SCOTT MACKIE  (Kemnay)                  724                      

29 JOHN BORTHWICK  (Craibstone)         722               

30 GAVIN CHALMERS  (Alford)                698              

LEADING HANDICAP

CLASS 1 (0-9)

1 GAVIN CHALMERS    (Alford)       1,604

2 SCOTT MACKIE (Kemnay)             1,235                           

3 GARY ESSON (Portlethen)               1.187                                    

4 BRIAN RITCHIE (Inverallochy)       1,150

5 SCOTT MELVIN (Newmachar)        1,127                        

6 TONY ROBERTSON (Peterculter)    1,061                    

7 LES FOWLER (Royal Aberdeen)       1,042

8 DONNY ADAM (Westhill)                 1,000                             

9 DAVID LANE (Deeside)                        994                               

10 DAVID LESLIE  (Northern)                 966
11 GRAEME RILEY (Craibstone)            932                        

12 DEREK CRAIGIE (Portlethen)            894                       

13 STEVE SHAND (Kemnay)                 835                         

14 WILLIE SKENE (Deeside)                 794                     

15 BLAIR McPHERSON (Portlethen)     788
16 JOHN BORTHWICK (Craibstone)     766                 

T17 KEITH McGILLIVARY  (Craibstone) 730            

T17 HARRY ROULSTON  (Stonehaven)   730              

19 SAMMY LESLIE (Aberdeen Ladies)    720                        

20 CHARLIE CASSIE  (Nigg Bay)            696

CLASS 2 (handicaps 10 to 18)

1 JIM STEWART (Banchory)                   1,307                            

2 STEPHEN ROSS  (Hazlehead)              1,294                        

3 GARY HOMER (Northern)                    1,015                             

4 WILLIE BEATTIE (Craibstone)                951                 

5 LENNY DUNCAN (Northern)                  749                       

6 RAYMOND REID (Tarland)                     706                        

7 LES ROGER (Royal Aberdeen)                670                          

8 HAMISH McNAUGHTON (Cruden Bay) 616

9 ROBBIE DUNCAN (Deeside)                   569                     

10 DAVID BISSET  (Banchory)                   557                         

11 NIGEL PARKER (Murcar Links)            540
12 PETER LOW (Craibstone)                      525                              

13 GRAHAM ALLAN (Auchmill)              522                   

14 PETER WALKER (Oldmeldrum)           513                      

15 DONALD LAWRIE (Aboyne)               509                   

16 PETER CHEYNE  (Northern)                497

17 NEISH CHISHOLM (Kemnay)              448

18 JIM MURRAY (Banchory)                     420       

19.DAVID McKAY (Caledonian)                397

20 MIKE RENDALL (Stonehaven)             392