RONNIE TAYLOR PIPS MUNRO

FERRIES WITH A 69 IN NORTH

ALLIANCE AT REAY

By ROBIN WILSON
After an indifferent start to the North Golf Alliance season, prolific scratch competitor Ronnie Taylor from Wick got his defence of the Scratch Quaich for aggregate scores under way at Reay Golf Club with his second win of the season.
It was a close run thing with his rival over many seasons, Munro Ferries, pictured left driving from the seventh, another scratch player from Tain. Taylor edged it by a shot with a level par 69.
The dominant Caithness golfer of many years, Taylor has not been having a good run this winter. He scored 80 on his last visit to Reay and, preceding a No Return at Royal Dornoch two weeks ago, his best score this winter has been a 71 over his home patch.
He had a shaky start on his return to Reay with bogeys at the first two holes. However Taylor got his game together although not holing too many putts. He did get the dropped shots back with birdie putts at two of the par-5 holes, the sixth and 14th, to match the par of 69 with halves of 35 (one over) and 34 (one under).
A birdie 2 from lefty Munro Ferries on the final green for a 70 came just too late. With no hole remaining, Ferries was not able to completely eradicate a damaging bogey 6 at the 14th. Played from a forward tee, the Tain club champion, after his drive, was left with only a five-iron to the green but he came off the second shot and pushed the ball out of bounds.
With his second ball he found the putting surface and made a 6. His closing birdie still brought him home in one under par 34 but he had to add this to a two over par outward half of 36 for his 70 and second place. A 72 from Alan Swanson (Thurso) was placed third.
Despite a good day the fixture had a lower than expected entry of 53 but from the small group of travellers from south of The Ord two handicap winners were produced.
Sean Sutherland (Bonar-Bridge/Ardgay) seems to like the course. On his last visit he returned a net 67, which, due to a low-scoring day, left him back in fifth place in Class 1, but his improved score of net 66 on his return to Reay took him into first place.
He had just one birdie on his card, a 2 at the ninth hole, for his net 74 off eight to head his section. With a net 68 off 10, Bryan Suttar (Thurso) was second.
From Brora 12-handicapper Shaun Ashe was the star of the Class 2 section with a handicap- bursting net 64 off 12 to win from two Durness members, John Mackenzie and John Morrison .
There is no fixture this weekend but on Sunday, December 16, the members play at Brora in the festive Three Ball Better Ball competition for lots of seasonal prizes.
Results:

SCRATCH
69 R W Taylor (Wick).
70 M Ferries (Tain).
72 A Swanson (Thurso).
74 S R Sutherland (Bonar Bridge), L Parnell (Reay).
75 D A Mackay (Thurso).
76 D Thorburn (Thurso), E MacKenzie (Thurso), J O'Brien (Reay).
HANDICAP
Class 1 - S R Sutherland (Bonar Bridge ) (8) 66; B Suttar (Thurso) (10) 68; L Parnell (Reay) (5)
69; A Swanson (Thurso) (2), B MacKay (Reay) (10), J. O'Brien (Reay) (6) 70.
Class 2 - S Ashe (Brora) (12) 64; J Mackenzie (Durness) (17) 65; J Morrison (Durness) (17) 66; K Farmer (Reay) (16), A MacKay (Reay) (18) 67.