Margaret Fleming (Peebles), Borders' Bronze Champion, match referee Jenny Pearson, and scratch champion Lesley Atkins (Minto). Image by courtesy of Bill Atkins. Click to enlarge.

Lesley (14) becomes Borders'

youngest county champion

Minto’s Lesley Atkins, only 14 years old, became the youngest winner of the Borders’ women’s county golf championship at The Roxburgh Golf Club, Kelso today.
Lesley beat senior international player Liz Campbell (Torwoodlee) by 4 and 3 in a final which was tighter and more evenly contested than the score suggests.
Emma Fairnie was the previous youngest county champion when she triumphed in 2004 at the age of 16.
Lesley was one up at the turn after being bunkered at the first turn to go one down but winning three of the next seven holes to go two up, then losing the ninth.
Liz’s short game kept her in with a chance against her younger opponent’s better long game.
Birdies at the short 13th and the long 14th where she put her third shot to within 12 inches of the hole, put Lesley in command with a three-hole lead and she a par 3 at the short 15th was enough to seal a 4 and 3 victory.
Today's results:
Semi-finals – Lesley Atkins (Minto) bt Sheila Cuthbertson (Peebles) 5 and 3, Liz Campbell (Torwoodlee) bt Isla Craigie (Torwoodlee) at 19th.
Final – Atkins bt Campbell 4 and 3.
BRONZE CHAMPIONSHIP
Semi-finals – Wendy Underhill (Hawick) bt Jean Thomas (Kelso) at 19t, Margaret Fleming (Peebles) bt Diane Keddie (Peebles) 6 and 4.
Final – Fleming bt Underhill 3 and 2.