PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S NORTHERN COUNTIES CUP FOURSOMES

NEWMACHAR THE TEAM TO BEAT

By ROBIN WILSON 

Just three of the original eight golf clubs, Kirkwall's Orkney, Tain St. Duthus and Aberdeen Victoria, who in 1900 subscribed to the purchase of the Northern Counties Cup that introduced a club foursomes competition between all golf clubs stretching from Kincardine-shire to the northern islands of Orkney and Shetland, have yet to see their names engraved on the cup as winners. 

Aberdeen Victoria are now defunct and Tain St. Duthus evolved into Tain Golf Club so next week could this be Tain's year to put matters right when on the six year rotation of hosting courses the 103^rd double foursomes KO competition gets under way on Thursday over Tain's Tom Morris designed links course?

Cup specialists in recent years have been Newmachar who will arrive at the Ross-shire course as holders with the same four players who have won in three of the last four years, Chris Simpson, Mark McKechnie, John Duff and Richard Barr.

 

Attempting to reverse the recent trend of North East domination, Oldmeldrum won in 2012, will be eleven time winners, Inverness, who travel to Tain in the knowledge of one pairing in their team of four, John Forbes and David Sanderson , who helped Inverness lift the cup when the competition last visited Tain in 2008. Their new second pairing next week will be two of the most prominent winners of stroke play events this season Club champion Bryan Fotheringham and David Joel. 

After receiving a first round bye the Inverness first team tackle Moray 2 in Thursday's second round while at the end of the draw an Inverness second selection led by the experienced Euan Forbes and Laurie Chancellor team up with Johnathon Keith and Keirnan Mackay to play a first game against the Cruden Bay first team.

The city's other two clubs, Torvean and Castle Heather have not entered but from near bye the two Nairn Golf Clubs, The Nairn and Nairn Dunbar are in the field as is Grantown on Spey.    

FIRST-ROUND DRAW FOR THURSDAY

Meldrum House v Deeside

Nairn Dunbar 2 v Fraserburgh

Moray 1 v Duff House Royal

Forres v Royal Dornoch 2

Fortrose 1 v Cruden Bay 2

SECOND ROUND (Thursday)

Newmachar 1 v Tain 2

Grantown on Spey v Strathpeffer Spa

Royal Aberdeen 2 v Banchory

. 

Erskay v Nairn Dunbar 1

Moray 2 v Inverness 1

Royal Aberdeen 1 v Meldrum House or Deeside. Nigg Bay v Orkney

Muir of Ord v Nairn Dunbar 2 or Fraserburgh. Wick v Tain 1. 

Royal Dornoch 1 v Moray 1 or Duff House Royal. Brora v Turriff

Murcar Links v Forres or Royal Dornoch 2

Elgin v Nairn 2

Fortrose 2 v Fortrose 1 or Cruden Bay 2. Newmachar 2 v Nairn 1. 

Cruden Bay 1 v Inverness 2.