Northern Counties Cup winners at Tain

Inverness Golf Club's cup-winners (left to right): club secretary Ewan Forbes, David Sanderson, John Forbes and Alan Cameron (image by Robin Wilson, all rights reserved).

Seven-year wait worth it for Inverness

By ROBIN WILSON

After a wait over of seven years and having lost in the final at the same venue six years ago, Inverness Golf Club regained the Northern Counties Cup at Tain on Saturday when, in the final, they beat 2003 winners Cruden Bay by eight holes.
Inverness also lost in the 2004 final to the pre-tournament favourites and holders, The Nairn Golf Club, but it was a hungrier four members, John Forbes, David Sanderson, Alan Cameron and Ewan Forbes who went seeking their first gold medal in the competition by eliminating the holders in the quarter finals.
A mistake from the tee at the 14th hole by the Nairn first couple of Fraser Fotheringham and Neil Howitt let John Forbes and Sanderson into a one-hole lead which they preserved to the eighteenth green. Cameron and Ewan Forbes were two hole winners against the veterans of three previous Nairn cup triumphs, Neil Hampton and Robert Smith.
With plus three handicapper Mark Halliday leading a strong Royal Aberdeen quartet completed by Bill Barclay, Allan Reith and Steven Buchan they were Inverness's opponents in the semi final but the result was an embarrassing 13 hole defeat for the Balgownie team.

John Forbes and Sanderson were superb against Halliday and Barclay, four holes ahead after nine and eventual nine-hole winners while Cameron and his club secretary Ewan Forbes added another four holes against Reith and Buchan for a combined 13-hole rout.
Through to meet Inverness in the final were Cruden Bay after the Buchan club prevented an all- North final by beating Forres in the semi final at the 19th hole where both Cruden Bay couples made winning birdie putts.
In the final Inverness's first couple John Forbes and Sanderson drew first blood at the second hole after Cruden Bay's first string of Michael Buchan and Jim Smith overshot the green into a lateral hazard. The fourth hole was also easily won after a lost ball off Buchan's drive.

More trouble from the tee for Cruden Bay at the 9th and 10th hole reinstated Inverness's two hole lead after a couple of three-putt greens and when the Inverness first pair birdied the par five 13th their lead became three.

Buchan and Smith's late rally by winning the 15th and 16th to get back to only one behind was not sustained when they found the river bank at the par three 17th hole to go back to two behind. Inverness then won the 18th to post a three hole win.
Cameron and Inverness club secretary Ewen Forbes had not bean beaten or even fallen behind in any of their previous games. As the wind rose Cruden Bay's Ross Cooper and Keith Martin became erratic from the tee. They lost two balls at the 10th hole and went two holes behind. Cameron and Forbes matched their first couple's birdie at the long 13th hole to put Inverness three ahead. When Martin hit another wide from the 14th tee Inverness were in the driving seat and Cruden Bay's last chance evaporated with another lost ball from the 15th tee.
At five ahead the final three holes were halved and Inverness celebrated their 11th win in the 108 year history of the cup and their first since since 2001.