McBain and Chan finish fifth in Lombard 

Trophy Grand Final on  Algarve

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

The Newmachar pairing of professional Greg McBain and amateur Andrew Chan (pictured after their victory in a qualifying competition) finished fifth and Royal Dornoch's Andrew Skinner and Gary Gruber ninth in the field of 14 pairs who contested the Lombard Trophy national pro-am grand final over the Vila Sol course on the Algarve today (Friday).

McBain earned £2,400 and Skinner £1,300 while their amateur partners were rewarded with voucher prizes.

McBain and Chan had rounds of 72 and 66 for six-under-par 138. Skinner and Gruber scored 72 and 73 for 145.

Three pairs tied for first place on 10-under-par 134. The play-off was won, thanks to a birdie at the second extra hole, by Steve Parry and Andrew Picton (Hart Common) with pro Parry collecting the £12,000 first prize. Second and third places were decided by the second-round scores which meant that Jack Frances (£7,500) and Nick Bolsover (Old Fold Manor) were runners-up and Scott McGovern (£5,000) and Callum Gaughan (Normanton) third.

LEADING FINAL TOTALS

Par 144 (2x72)

134 S Parry and A Picton (Hart Common) 66 68 (won play-off at second extra hole); J Frances and N Bolsover (Old Fold Manor) 69 65 (placed 2nd with better second round), S McGovern and C Gaughan (Normanton) 68 66

135 Scott Godfrey and Jack Marsh (Ferndown) 68 67.

SELECTED TOTALS

138 G McBain and A Chan (Newmachar) 72 66.

145 A Skinner and G Gruber (Royal Dornoch) 72 73 (9th).