McKenna takes one-shot lead at end of first round of North-east Alliance championship at Duff House Royal

By  COLIN FARQUHARSON

 Peterculter's young professional Patrick McKenna will carry a one-stroke lead over to next week's second and final round at Portlethen after matching the par of 68 at Duff House Royal today in the first round of the North-east Golfers' Alliance 36-hole championship
But Scottish Alliance champion Kevin Duncan (Cruden Bay) is breathing down his neck with a 69 and will start favourite to overhaul McKenna down the home straight next week.

LEADING SCRATCH SCORES

Par 68

68 P McKenna (Peterculter

69 K Duncan (Cruden Bay)
70 S Finnie (Caledonian), S Kiloh (Portlethen)

71 K Nicol (Dunes GC), R McConnachie (Peterculter), J Duff (Newmachar)

72 I Taylor (Banchory)

73 S Griffiths (Dunes GC), I Esslemont (Paul Lawrie GC), M Patterson (Cruden Bay)

74 K Zeynalov (Portlethen)

75 J Borthwick (Craibstone)

76 M Buchan (Cruden Bay), W Middler (Peterhead)

77 D Booth (Tarland), A Smith (Duff House Royal)

78 J Calder (Newmachar), Keil Beveridge (Kippie Lodge), J Nicolson (Hazlehead)

79 G Somers (Royal Aberdeen), F Bisset (Banchory)
80 D Craigie (Kemnay), D McLean (Kemnay), D Buchan (Peterhead)

81 G Riley (Craibstone), R Smith (Portlethen), S Kidd (Longside), S Shand (Kemnay), S Moore (Kemnay)

82 R Reid (Tarland), G Burnett (Westhill), C Morrison (Inverurie), S Allison (Bon-Accord), R Davidson (Caledonian), R Ruddiman (Royal Aberdeen), C Craig (Kintore)

83 P Cheyne (Northern), M Duncan (Murcar Links), R Denning (Inverurie)

84 N Hardie (Kintore), K Mathieson (Kintore), M Fraser (Longside), D Nelson (Aboyne)

85 T Boyle (Portlethen), J Sunley (Newmachar), J Scott (Peterculter), C Angus (Kemnay), K Beveridge (Aboyne), B Elsby (Peterculter)

86 R Brown (Kemnay), D Townsley (Peterculter), C Duffus (Royal Aberdeen), L Fowler (Royal Aberdeen), P Cornfield (Hazlehead), E Wheat (Montrose)

87 S McWilliam (Royal Aberdeen), I Birnie (Deeside), B Lumsden (Northern), M Lawrie (Kemnay)
90 M Brown (Kemnay), N Chisholm (Kemnay), R Coupar (Duff House Royal), D Lane (Deeside)

91 D Leslie (Bon-Accord), G Gibson (Kemnay)

92 A Sorley (Newmachar), M Denholm (Deeside), G Thom (Murcar Links)

93 B Munro (Newmachar), R Duncan (Deeside)

95 S Davidson (Northern), D Bisset (Banchory)

97 D Wright (Auchmill), M MacKay (Kemnay), G Leslie (Deeside)

103 G Travis (Auchmill)

106 D Lawrie (Deeside)

NRs N Stewart (Northern), G Homer (Aboyne), C Gilbert (Cruden Bay)

FIRST-ROUND PRIZEWINNERS

SCRATCH

68 P McKenna (Peterculter)

69 K Duncan (Cruden Bay)

70 S Finnie (Caledonian), S Kiloh (Portlethen)

71 K Nicol (Dunes GC), R McConnachie (Peterculter), J Duff (Newmachar)

HANDICAP
Class 1
69 D Booth (Tarland) (8)

70 I Esslemont (Paul Lawrie GC) (3)

71 I Taylor (Banchory) (1)

72 J Borthwick (Craibstone) (3) bih, W Middler (Peterhead) (4)

Class 2
69 R Brown (Kemnay) (17)

70 R Smith (Craibstone) (11)

71 K Mathieson (Kintore) (13)

73 R Denning (Inverurie) (10) bih, M Brown (Kemnay) 17

 BEST SCORECARDS

4 4 4  4 4 3  4 4 3 – 34

4 3 5  3 4 4  3 4 4 – 34 = 68 PAR

3 5 4  4 5 3  4 4 3 – 35 3 3 4  3 4 4  4 4 4 – 33 = 68 P McKenna (Peterculter)

3 5 4  5 4 3  5 3 3 – 35 4 4 4  4 4 4  3 3 4 – 34 = 69 K Duncan (Cruden Bay)

4 4 3  4 5 2  5 4 3 – 34 5 3 5  3 4 4  4 4 4 – 36 = 70 S Kiloh (Portlethen)

4 4 4  4 4 3  5 4 3 – 35 4 3 4  3 4 5  4 3 5 – 35 = 70 S Finnie (Caledonian)

3 5 4  4 4 3  4 4 5 – 34 5 3 4  3 4 4  4 6 4 – 37 = 71 K Nicol (Dunes GC)

3 5 4  4 4 4  3 4 4 – 35 3 4 4  2 5 4  4 5 5 – 36 = 71 R McConnachie (Peterculter)

4 4 3  5 4 3  5 4 3 – 35 4 3 4  3 5 4  3 5 5 – 36 = 71 J Duff (Newmachar)