North-east Alliance Order of Merit Race to the TOP

North-east Alliance Order of Merit Race to the TOP

By ALAN GALL

With only two counting events to come - Portlethen on Wednesday March 20 and McDonald Ellon on the last day of the season on Wednesday, March 27, all three sections are heading towards an exciting conclusion.  

In the Scratch Section, professionals Kevin Duncan, John Duff and Kris Nicol cannot afford any slip in performance with barely 200 points separating the trio.  

Top-class amateurs Ewan Wheat from Montrose and Stewart Finnie from the Caledonian club at the Kings Links have pushed their professional colleagues impressively throughout the season but may just fall short on this occasion.

Moving on to the Handicap Class 1 section, we have an equally intriguing battle where Ewan and Stewart are neck and neck with their normal playing handicaps reduced to an Alliance equivalent of scratch, thanks to their consistent results over the course of the season.  

With 100 points separating first and second places and 500 points available for the section winner each week, predicting the eventual winner is well nigh impossible.

Handicap Class 2 section is marginally less crowded at the top with Newmachar's Ally Sorley leading by 550 points from Richard Denning of the Inverurie club.  Ally has led the field from the start of the season and despite several handicap reductions thanks to his success to date, remains the man to beat.  

Who knows what might emerge over the last two counting events??
 HOW THEY STAND

Scratch Section Top 30

1 K Duncan (Cruden Bay) 6626 (1)

2 J Duff (Newmachar) 6425 (2)

3 K Nicol (Dunes GC) 6401 (3)

4 E Wheat (Montrose Golf Links) 5585 (4)

5 S Finnie (Caledonian) 5263 (5)

6 S Kiloh (Portlethen) 3660 (7)

7 P McLean (Peterhead) 3492 (6)

8 K Zeynalov (Portlethen) 3297 (9)

9 J Nicolson (Hazlehead) 3176 (8)

10 P McKenna (Peterculter) 2837(12)

11 C Dempster (Paul Lawrie GC) 2702 (10)

12 S Griffiths (Dunes GC) 2575 (13)

13 B Murray (Portlethen) 2338 (11)

14 R Cameron (McDonald Ellon) 2224 (14)

15 B Nicolson (Newmachar) 2116 (15)

16 J Calder (Newmachar) 2076 (17)

17 S McWilliam (Royal Aberdeen) 2051 (16)

18 C Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) 1961 (18)

19 D Leslie (Bon-Accord) 1949 (19)

20 Keil Beveridge (Kippie Lodge) 1939 (20)

21 C Gilbert (Cruden Bay) 1736 (21)

22 R McConnachie (Peterculter) 1725 (27)

23 P Lawrie (Gleneagles) 1599 (22)

24 L Murray (Kippie Lodge) 1512 (23)

25 S Hanson (Kemnay) 1490 (24)

26 G Somers (Bon-Accord) 1463 (25)

27 S Lawrie (Paul Lawrie GC) 1400 (26)

28 C Morrison (Inverurie) 1226 (28)

29 F Bisset (Banchory) 1200 (29)

30 J Borthwick (Craibstone) 1143 (34)

Class 1 Handicap Section Top 30

1 E Wheat (Montrose Links) 5123 (1)

2 S Finnie (Caledonian) 5023 (2)

3 S McWilliam (Royal Aberdeen) 4255 (3)

4 J Nicolson (Hazlehead) 3994 (4)

5 M Duncan (Murcar Links) 3580 (5)

6 D Leslie (Bon-Accord) 3478 (6)

7 W Skene (Deeside) 3051 (7)

8 D McLean (Kemnay) 2939 (8)

9 D Booth (Tarland) 2937 (12)

10 S Kidd (Longside) 2775 (9)

11 D Adam (Kemnay) 2513 (10)

12 D Fleming (Portlethen) 2488 (11)

13 G Somers (Bon-Accord) 2411 (13)

14 B Nicolson (Newmachar) 2386 (14)

15 J Borthwick (Craibstone) 2375 (T19)

16 C Duffus (Royal Aberdeen) 2299 (15)

17 S Allison (Bon-Accord) 2254 (16)

18 D Templeton (Murcar Links) 2251 (17)

19 C Craig (Kintore) 2175 (T19)

20 J Calder (Newmachar) 2038 (18)

21 C Angus (Kemnay) 1887 (21)

22 J Sunley (Newmachar) 1875 (22)

23 C Morrison (Inverurie) 1864 (23)

24 F Bisset (Banchory) 1862 (25)

25 B Murray (Portlethen) 1818 (24)

26 R Bruce (Edzell) 1744 (26)

27 I Esslemont (Paul Lawrie GC) 1612 (41)

28 J Emslie (Royal Aberdeen) 1592 (27)

T29 R Blackmore (Tarland) 1475 (28)

T29 S Shand (Kemnay) 1475 (32)

31 G Burnett 1461 (42)

Class 2 Handicap Section Top 30

1 A Sorley (Newmachar) 5878 (1)

2 R Denning (Inverurie) 5302 (2)

3 R Brown (Kemnay) 4741 (3)

4 R Smith (Craibstone) 4325 (5)

5 L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen) 3949 (4)

6 R Coupar (Duff House Royal) 3912 (6)

7 M Brown (Kemnay) 3855(7)

8 P Cornfield (Hazlehead) 3788 (8)

9 R Ruddiman (Royal Aberdeen) 3524 (9)

10 D Townsley (Peterculter) 3512 (10)

11 K Mathieson (Kintore) 3276 (12)

12 D Wright (Auchmill) 3045 (11)

13 P Cheyne (Northern) 2801 (14)

14 J Scott (Peterculter) 2799 (15)

15 G Allan (Newmachar) 2702 (13)

16 T Boyle (Portlethen) 2623 (18)

17 I Birnie (Deeside) 2589 (16)

18 N Hardie (Kintore) 2449 (24)

19 C Cassie (Nigg Bay) 2417 (17)

20 M MacKay (Kemnay) 2390 (19)

21 G Thom (Murcar Links) 2388 (20)

22 M Forster (Cruden Bay) 2363 (21)

23 M Denholm (Deeside) 2213 (22)

24 N Chisholm (Kemnay) 2189 (26)

25 D Lawrie (Deeside) 2107 (23)

26 G Gibson (Kemnay) 2006 (25)

27 D Lane (Deeside) 1925 (27)

28 G Homer (Aboyne) 1869 (28)

29 B Munro (Newmachar) 1862 (30)

30 P Guthrie (Trump International) 1763 (29)