North Scottish Alliance due to resume

 at Spey Bay tomorrow

NORTH ROUND-UP by ROBIN WILSON

The Spey Bay links, which lie to the east of the River Spey where it enters the Moray Firth, hosts the North Scottish Alliance members' first fixture of 2016  on Saturday.

With October fixtures at Grantown on Spey and Inverness cancelled because of weather and course conditions, only a few of the members have played in the other six to complete an aggregate counting towards these scratch and handicap aggregate trophies but with four eligible qualifying fixtures remaining after Spey Bay it is early days yet to pick a winner.

Current scratch leader is last season's runner up, Jeff Wright (Forres), with an excellent to date total of 405, a winning 64 at Moray the pick of his six, and only one score in the 70s. 

Wright is ten ahead of Moray attached professional Rodger Clarke and only two more members, Nairn Dunbar's Gary Hay and Elgin's David Hector, have six scores recorded.. 

All four will have to keep a close watch on last season's scratch winner Kyle Godsman (Moray), the  the prolific winner at five venues last season but no wins this year so far. Currently Godsman has a five-score total of 346. A sub-70 return at Spey Bay will hoist him into the frame.

The Handicap 1 leader is Ian Murray (Boat of Garten) on 428 with Gordon Hay (Grantown on Spey) chasing him on 432. Both have high scores of 80 and 77 respectively which they can improve

 upon. Section two leader is Robbie Innes ((Torvean) with 418, five ahead of Alan Box (Boat of Garten).

The use of the Kinloss Country Club course as a venue may be come a problem for the Alliance members next season as the owners are considering going back to a nine-hole course only. The original first nine holes only to be retained.

As half expected the Paul Lawrie Golf Foundation junior tour event due at Royal Dornoch last Saturday was postponed due to course conditions. 

The club and the Foundation are looking at an alternative date in March before the final fixture at Castle Stuart on March 27.  The next scheduled fixture is due at Tain on February 20. 

Entry fees for Dornoch will be refunded but if these young golfers re enter the rescheduled fixture they will be given priority if the entry fills up.