Scotland Vets' captain Lynne Terry holds the Mary McKenna Salver. She is flanked by, left to right, Kathleen Sutherland, Lorna Bennett, and Isobel McIntosh, president of the SVLGA (Image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

The wearing of the green: Ireland's senior team and officials, pictured at the entrance to the Cruden Bay clubhouse (image by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

Valerie Hassett (left) pitching from below the 16th green, and Fiona Hunter (right) weighing up a putt at the same green. Images, by Cal Carson Golf Agency, can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Good win for Scottish Vets over strong

Irish Seniors squad at Cruden Bay

A Scottish Veteran Ladies Golf Association Select overpowered a strong, on paper at least, Irish Seniors team in an over-50s women’s international golf match over the Cruden Bay links at the weekend.
It was the sixth successive win - home and away - by the Scots in the annual match for the Mary McKenna Salver which they retained by a 7 1/2-4 ½ margin.
The overall outcome was still in the balance after the Scots took the Saturday foursomes 2 ½-1 ½ but the Irish never looked like overturning the deficit today as they lost the singles 5-3.
Lorna Bennett (Ladybank), Fiona De Vries (St Rule) and Jill Harrison (Cruden Bay) won twice for the Scots while Mary McKenna (Donabate) and Valerie Hassett (Ennis) had a 100 % success rate for the Irish.
“I thought we played very well indeed against a very strong Irish team,” said Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay), the Scots skipper.
Curtis Cup skipper Mary McKenna, tongue in cheek, said: “We had it all sussed out how to turn the match around in the singles, only to find out that the wind was in completely the opposite direction - and new holes had been cut. Seriously, we all thought Cruden Bay a superb course, full of character and, whatever the result, we have all enjoyed ourselves tremendously and are going back to Ireland with a lot of good memories."

Mary added: "The wind for the second day made a very big difference. Whereas you couldn't get up in two shots at the 17th on Saturday into the wind, today, with the wind behind, it was a drive and an eight-iron for me."
May Hughes, pictured right putting at the 16th, wiped out a three-hole deficit against Valerie Hassett by winning the 15th, 16th and 17th but she drove into the ditch that eats into the right of the 18th fairway and went down by one hole.
Collated results (Scottish names first):

SCOTLAND VETS 7 ½, IRISH SENIORS 4 1/2
Scottish names first
FOURSOMES (2 ½-1 ½)
L Bennett (Midlands) & F De Vries (Midlands) bt S McElroy (Grange) & M Henderson (West Rhine) 3 and 2.
H Anderson (Northern) & M Smith (Highland) halved with M Madden (Ballinasloe) & P Walsh (Headford).
M Hughes (West) & K Sutherland (Northern) lost to V Hassett (Ennis) & V McBride (Belvoir Park) 2 and 1.
J Harrison (Northern) & F Hunter (East) bt H Jones (Strabane) & M McKenna (Donbate) 1 hole.
SINGLES (5-3)
Harrison bt Madden 3 and 2.
Smith lost to McKenna 2 and 1.
Bennett bt McBride 5 and 4.
Anderson bt Walsh 3 and 2.
Sutherland bt McElroy 5 and 4.
De Vries bt Henderson 2 and 1.
Hunter lost to Jones 2 and 1.
Hughes lost to Hassett 1 hole.