BY THE LEFT, MUNRO FERRIES

WINS ALLIANCE RESUMPTION

OVER DORNOCH STRUIE

By ROBIN WILSON

Delayed by two weeks due to adverse weather and ground conditions, two Ross-shire golfers, Munro Ferries (Tain) and Stuart MacDonald (Tarbat), got themselves into the mix for the end of season trophies when members of the North Golf Alliance finally got their second half of the season under way at weekend.
The scheduled Golspie fixtures on January 13 and 20 were both ruled out due to frost-covered greens and the Dornoch relief Struie course hosted last Sunday's fixture where Munro Ferries, pictured right, bagged his first scratch win of the season and 15-handicapper Stuart MacDonald (Tarbat) recorded his third handicap win.
Both these players were waiting for their fourth-round score to bring them into contention for the end of season scratch and handicap silverware.

Two scores have to be over Caithness venues and two on Sutherland or Ross-shire courses. Ferries, with his winning 68 at Struie, now meets the requirements. With a 73 from an earlier Tain fixture and in Caithness a 70 at Reay and a 78 at Wick, he has a total of 289.
His greatest rival in the hunt for the scratch trophy is Wick's Ron Taylor who was also played Struie to fulfil his two south returns. Taylor came second at Struie with a 71 but this puts him into the lead with a four-round total of 285 from a previous 74 at Tain and in Caithness a 71 on his home course and a 69 at Reay.

But lefty Ferries is in a good position to catch the holder as he should be able to better his 78 from Wick when the fixture calendar moves to Reay on February 10 and he still has the benefit of a home fixture at Tain on February 24 to improve on his 73.
The recent frosts and heavy rain left the low lying Struie course very wet with lots of water-filled bunkers. From forward tee positions the course very much shorter than its card length of 6,000 yards but Ferries was the only player to get below the par of 71.

He marked his opening round in 2008 with a first-hole birdie and his outward card of 36 was only spoilt by a double bogey 6 at the fourth hole where he missed his only fairway of the day.

Generally accepted as an easier back nine, the scratch Tain player got his first of two birdies over the inward stretch at the par-5 13th hole and three holes later his second at the 16th.

The shortened par-5 17th played as a par-4 and Ferries recorded an eagle 3 against the card par of 5. A closing par 3 reduced his inward count to 32 and 68.
Brora's club secretary Tony Gill missed Sunday's competition but still holds a net two-stroke aggregate lead for the Handicap Salver. Gill's four score total remains at 275, two ahead of last year's winner Mike Keay (Tarbat).

Completing his four scores at Struie was Ross-shire's second winner on the day, Stuart MacDonald, who took the first place in Class 2 with a net 70 to join club mate Keay on 277.
RESULTS

SCRATCH

68 M Ferries (Tain).

71 R W Taylor (Wick), R Matheson (Thurso).

72 D A Mackay (Thurso).

74 W Murray (Wick).

75 M Sangster (Tain).

78 J Harper (Wick).

HANDICAP

Class1

68 W Murray (Wick) (6), R. Matheson (Thurso) (3).

70 D A MacKay (Thurso) (2).

71 M Sangster (Tain) (4).

72 S MacDonald (Thurso) (8).

Class 2

70 S MacDonald (Tarbat) (15), A Corbett (Durness) (15).

72 J Morrison (Durness) (17),