Maitland Shield quarter-finals at Portlethen

Caley KO Newmachar and Hazlehead

squeeze past Craibstone at 19th

  Caledonian's winning line-up against Newmachar. Left to right: Stewart Finnie, Alan Doig, Matty Beattie and Barry Reid. Picture by courtesy of David Fleming (Portlethen GC)

 

HAZLEHEAD BIRDIE 19TH TO KO DARK HORSES CRAIBSTONE
 

 

Three of the Hazlehead team who beat Craibstone this evening- Liam Strath, Greig Kennedy and Jack Pirie. Greg Ingram, who was not available to play in Hazlehead's earlier win over Royal Aberdeen, was in tonight's line-up but we did not manage to get a new team picture. 

 

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Thursday evening's semi-finals of the 101st City of Aberdeen men's foursomes for the Maitland Shield at Portlethen Golf Club will feature the holders, Murcar Links, versus Bon Accord, and Caledonian against Hazlehead.
The competition is sponsored by the Douglas Hotel's Malones Irish Bar and Molly's Bistro.

Closest of last night's quarter-finals saw Hazlehead squeeze through at the 19th against Craibstone, the dark horses of the double foursomes tournament.
 Both pairings finished the regulation 18 holes all square before Greig Kennedy of Hazlehead holed at birdie putt at the 19th to KO Craibstone.

Caledonian, who received a bye into the quarter-finals, marked their first appearance in the 2017 tournament by upsetting the odds against Newmachar, the 2015 title winners.
Caley's lead-off string of Stewart Finnie and Alan Doig, both former Aberdeen Links champions, albeit 20 years apart,  provided the two-hole margin that decided the match.

Last year's finalists, Murcar Links and Portlethen, met again with the same result, Murcar Links winning, but only by four holes this time round.
Adrian Styles and Bryan Innes won a tight first tie by one hole and it was Anthony Bews and Ronnie Brechin who made the overall margin more comfortable by finishing three up.

Bon Accord were too good for Northern on the night, winning the all-Links clash by seven holes. Matthew Greig and Neil Mitchell, Bon Accord's first pair, finished three holes to the good, while Barrie Edmond and Chris Somers were four up.
 

 RESULTS

 

QUARTER-FINALS

 Caledonian beat Newmachar by 2 holes (S Finnie, A Doig 2, G Munro, J Ross 0;  M Beattie, B Reid 0, C Cheyne, C Simpson 0).

 

Hazlehead bt Craibstone at 19th (L Strath, G Kennedy 1, C Wilkinson, J Borthwick 0; J Pirie, G Ingram 0, M McDonald, I Still).

 

Murcar Links bt Portlethen by 4 holes (A Styles, B Innes 1, C Brechin, K Daglish 0; A Bews, R Brechin 3, R Donaldson, S Clark 0).

Bon Accord bt Northern by 7 holes (M Greig, N Mitchell 3, C Law, N Walker 0; B Edmond, C Somers 4, G Paterson, C Johnstone 0).

THURSDAY SEMI-FINALS

4.47pm Caledonian v Hazlehead.

5.00pm  Murcar Links v Bon Accord

Murcar Links' line-up: Adrian Styles, Bryan Innes, Anthony Bews and Ronnie Brechin. Picture by courtesy of David Fleming (Portlethen GC).

 

 

Bon Accord's best: Matthew Greig, Neil Mitchell, Barrie Edmond and Chris Somers. Picture by courtesy of David Fleming (Portlethen GC)

 

 

 

 

Surprise results in Senior Northern Counties Cup at Cruden Bay

Royal Aberdeen 2 beat holders Nairn

REPORT BY GARY ABEL
The first day of the Seniors Northern Counties Cup was played in glorious sunshine at Cruden Bay although there was a cold southerly wind.
In the morning Eriskay Whisky Galore had a great eight-hole win against a strong Moray side with A McGinn and E Donaldson having an emphatic six-hole victory.
Another surprise was Duff House Royal 2 beating a strong Boat of Garten team.

In the afternoon holders Nairn were beaten convincingly by Royal Aberdeen 2 with Roy Haites and Nick Whitehead holing a great deal of putts in tricky conditions.
Former holders Inverness had a good win against Murcar 2 with their second pairing winning by seven holes.
Murcar 2 unfortunately had to find a replacement for one of their team as the night before Clark Alexander had a nasty accident with the tailgate of his van.
He split his head open which resulted in an ambulance taking him to hospital where he received six stitches and had an overnight stay in the hospital for observation.
Under the doctor’s advice he is banned from playing golf for the immediate future.

 RESULTS

FIRST ROUND

Royal Dornoch 2 bt Cruden Bay 2 by 1 hole (P Lee, L Coben 0, M Keddie, J Ritchie 4; D Pearson, J Seatter 5, R Peddy, G Wallace 0).

Eriskay Whisky Galore bt Moray by 8 holes (W Rusk, P Bannerman 2, M Dean, J R McLeod 0; A McGinn, E Donaldson 6, G Devine, S Mitchell 0).

Duff House Royal 2 bt Boat of Garten by 2 holes (M Jenkins, A Cruickshank 0, P. Downs, P McPherson 0; G Kelly, A Alexander 2, G Hay, J Grant 0).
 

ROUND 2

Royal Aberdeen 2 bt The Nairn by 7 holes (N Porter, A Laird 4, J Taylor, R Smith 0; R Haites, N Whitehead 3, P Tomisson, W Morris 0).

Inverness bt Murcar Links 2 by 7 holes (L Chancellor, P Sinclair 0, D Templeton, A Bochel 0; B Fraser, J Elliot 7, A Morgan, M Duncan 0).

Royal Dornoch 2 bt Deeside by four holes (P Lee, L Coben 0, A Ross, S Ritchie 0; D Pearson, J Seatter 4, T McAlister, S Cruickhank 0).

Nairn Dunbar 1 bt Eriskay Whisky Galore by 14 holes (C Duffy, D Lamb 7, W Rusk, P Bannerman 0; H Clunes, H Bunker 7, A McGinn, E Donaldson 0).

Murcar 1 bt Elgin by 5 holes (M Lornie, D Fiddes 2, B Inch, J Porter 0; B Holbrook, D Allan 3, B C Milne, J Morrison 0).

Cruden Bay 1 bt Duff House Royal 2 by 7 holes (J Cooper, J Reid 2,  M Jenkins, A Cruickshank 0; W Livingston, A Gauld 5, G Kelly, A Alexander 0).

Royal Aberdeen 1 bt Royal Dornoch 1 by 5 holes (J Christie, J Johnston 3, A Ramsay, R Murray 0; I Morrison, N Smith 2, G Bacon, H Macrae 0).

Duff House Royal 1 bt McDonald Ellon by 4 holes (A J Smith, I Angus 6, R Wells, M Gillan 0; D C Clark, J Kennedy 0, G Godward, M Keith 2). 

Rain reduces EuroPro Tour event to 36 holes

This week's PGA EuroPro Tour’s IFX Championship at Frilford Heath Golf Club has been reduced to 36 holes.

 

Play was suspended at 10.02am this morning and did not resume due to heavy and persistent rain. The first round will now conclude on Thursday with the final round to be played on Friday. There will be no cut and the top 50 professionals and ties will be paid prize money after 36 holes.

 

The first round will continue at 10am on Thursday, with Wednesday’s tee times

Franssen and Walker trail in Tennessee

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Missouri University's Scottish students, Rory Franssen from Inverness and Euan Walker from Troon are well behind the leader, Dawson (Lipscomb University) after two rounds of the NCAA College Grove Regional competition at the Grove Club, College Grove in Tennessee.
Franssen has had rounds of 73 and 74 for 147 and a T27 position.
Walker has shot scores of 74 and 66 for 151 and a T49 placing in a field of 75 players.
Dawson leads by one shot with scores of 69 ad 65 for 10-under 134.

Duncan McNeill from Annan, a student at McNeese State University, had arguably his worst round yet in US college golf when he shot an 18-over-par 89 (45-44) in the second round of the NCAA Austin Regional competition at the University of Texas Golf Club, Austin Texas.
McNeill had a quadruple bogey 8 at the third, a triple at the 13th and doubles at the sixth,  eighth and 11th. He is 74th in a field of 75 players.
Paul McBride from Dublin, a student at Wake Forest, is T56 in the same competition after scores of 74 and 79 for 153.
Doug Ghim (Texas) leads by one shot with scores of 68 and 69 for 137

Senior Northern Counties Cup tees off today at Cruden Bay

By GARY ABEL

The three-day Senior men's Northern Counties Cup tournament tees off at Cruden Bay Golf Club today (Wednesday) with first and second-round ties.
Nairn are the title-holders.

 

FIRST ROUND

8.30 Cruden Bay 2 v Royal Dornoch 2.

8.45 Moray v Eriskay.

 

9.0 Nairn Dunbar 1 v Brora.

9.15 Elgin v Nairn Dunbar 2.

9.30 Murcar Links 1 v Turriff.

9.45 Boat of Garden v Duff House Royal 2.

 

SECOND ROUND

1.00 Nairn v Royal Aberdeen 2.

1.15 Murcar Links 2 v Inverness.

1.30 Deeside v Cruden Bay 2 or Royal Dornoch 2.

1.45 Moray or Eriskay v Nairn Dunbar 1 or Brora.

 

2.00 Elgin or Nairn Dunbar 2 v Murcar Links 1 or Turriff.

2.15 Boat of Garden or Duff House Royal 2 v Cruden Bay 1.

2.30 Royal Dornoch 1 v Royal Aberdeen 1.

2.45 McDonald Ellon v Duff House Royal 1.

Aberdeen and District Junior Pennant League results

 FROM GORDON MURRAY

A	30/04/17	DEESIDE	5.0	v	0	BANCHORY
B	“	ROYAL  ABERDEEN	3.0	v	2.0	KEMNAY
B	“	PETERCULTER	2.0	v	3.0	McDONALD (Ellon)
C	“	INVERURIE	5.0	v	0	PORTLETHEN
C	“	Stonehaven	2.0	v	3.0	ABOYNE
D	“	INVERALLOCHY	3.0	v	2.0	MURCAR LINKS
A	07.05.17	HAZLEHEAD	5.0	V	0	BANCHORY
D	“	CRUDEN   Bay		v		INVERALLOCHY
C	“	PORTLETHEN	4.0	V	1.0	STONEHAVEN		INVERURIE
A	14/05/17	DEESIDE	4.0	V	1.0	HAZLEHEAD
B	“	KEMNAY	5.0	V	0	PETERCULTER
B	“	Mc DONALD (Ellon)	3.5	V	1.5	ROYAL  ABERDEEN
C	“	ABOYNE	4.0	V	1.0	INVERURIE
D	“	MURCAR LINKS	2.5	V	2.5	CRUDEN BAY
D	21.05.17	INVERALLOCHY		V		CRUDEN BAY
		BANCHORY		V		DEESIDE
A	28/05/16	BANCHORY		V		HAZLEHEAD
B	“	McDONALD [Ellon]		V		KEMNAY
B	“	ROYAL ABERDEEN		V		PETERCULTER
C	“	INVERURIE		V		STONEHAVEN
C	“	ABOYNE		V		PORTLETHEN
D	“	CRUDEN BAY		V		MURCAR LINKS
A	04.06.17	HAZLEHEAD		V		DEESIDE
D	“	MURCAR LINKS		V		INVERALLOCHY