IT'S ROYAL ABERDEEN v NEWMACHAR IN

 

MAITLAND SHIELD FINAL at DEESIDE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Friday night's final (5pm) of the Maitland Shield at Deeside Golf Club will be contested by two teams hungry for success in the 102nd staging of the double men's foursomes tournament.

Royal Aberdeen, who KO'd Bon Accord, last year's beaten finalists, by a nine-hole margin in the first semi-final, have not won this tournament since 2004.

Newmachar, winners by four holes over Craibstone in the other semi-final, last won the Maitland Shield in 2006.

Royal Aberdeen's Mark Halliday, brothers Donald and Nick Macandrew, and Craig Leith were quickly into their stride and Bon Accord's Matthew Greig, Chris Somers, Barrie Edmond and Alan Strath, hard as they tried, could not catch up. 

Halliday and Donald Macandrew were two up after nine and three up after 18 in the lead-off tie against Greig and Somers.

Nick Macandrew and Leith had a three-hole grip on the second tie after nine holes against Edmond and Strath and doubled that lead to six holes for an impressive overall nine-hole Royal Aberdeen victory margin.

Craibstone's John Borthwick, arguably the best player in their line-up, dropped out of the semi-final line-up, being replaced by Stuart Milne.

Milne and partner Craig Wilkinson were four down after 16 holes against Chris Lamb and John Ross. The Craibstone pair won the 17th but lost the last hole to lose by four holes.

That was to be the overall Newmachar winning margin as the second tie ended all square.

Craibstone's Ian Still and Andrew Ashley were one up on Calvin Cheyne and Jamie Wilson after 15 but the Newmachar pair drew level over the closing holes.

 +Adam Maitland was Lord Provost of Aberdeen from 1914 to 1917

++ Molly's Bistro and Malone's Irish Bar are twin sponsors of the Maitland Shield tournament. Both are on the premises of the Douglas Hotel in Aberdeen's Market Street.