Midlothian, Stirling and Clackmannan first-day winners

at East Division team championship

FROM THE EDINBURGH EVENNG NEWS WEBSITE
By MARTIN DEMPSTER
Defending champions Midlothian had to dig deep to secure an opening-day win over Fife in the East Division women's inter-county team championship at Royal Musselburgh.
It looked a tough start for the hosts and so it proved as several of the afternoon singles in particular could have gone either way. The experienced pairing of Karen Marshall and Wendy Nicholson gave Midlothian the perfect start in the morning foursomes with a 5 and 4 victory over Fife's two former Scottish champions, Fiona Hastie (nee Lockhart) and Elaine Moffat.
But, with Louise Fraser and Claire MacDonald losing by the same margin to Lorna Fury and Lynda Dyball in the bottom match, the key clash was the one in the middle. That saw young guns Kate McIntosh and Rachael Watton, pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, flying the flag for Midlothian against Susan Jackson and Karin Sharp.
The match was all square with one to play but, after a booming drive from Watton and a fine pitch from McIntosh, the Midlothian pair won the 18th and the match with a closing birdie.
Watton, who goes from strength to strength, produced a solid display to put the first point on the board in the afternoon singles, the Mortonhall player beating Jackson 3 and 2. But, after Fife recorded wins in the next three matches in the order through Hastie, Sharp and Moffat, the outcome was suddenly hanging in the balance.
Fraser, however, bounced back from her morning defeat to chalk up a 4 and 3 win over Rachel Hanlon and Marshall secured victory in the anchor role, 4 and 2 over Fury.
In another close first-day encounter, East Lothian were pipped 5-4 by Stirling and Clackmannan. Fiona Prior and Emma Fairnie won the top foursomes clash for East with a 3 and 2 victory over Vicki Stevenson and Linda Allan. But, after Mary Lou Renton and Ruth Carroll had gone down by 4 and 3 in the middle match to Louise MacGregor and Alison Goodwin, the key blow in the morning session came in the bottom clash where Clara Young and Keren Ward gave an excellent account of themselves but went down on the last green to Karen Burns and Jennifer Bryans.
Stirling and Clackmannan secured overall victory in the singles with wins for Goodwin and Bryans and half points from Carroll and Young.
Tuesday's matches will see the two first-day winners clash and the victors will have one hand on the title going into the last day on Wednesday.

Day 1 results:

EAST LOTHIAN 4, STIRLING and CLACKMANNAN 5
Foursomes (1-2)
Fiona Prior and Emma Fairnie bt Vicki Stevenson and Linda Allan 3 and 2.
Mary Lou Renton and Ruth Carroll lost to Louise MacGregor and Alison Goodwin 4 and 3.
Clara Young and Keren Ward lost to Karen Burns and Jennifer Bryans 1 hole
Singles (3-3)
Fairnie bt MacGregor 6 and 5.
Ward lost to Goodwin 5 and 3.
Carroll halved with Burns
Jillian McNicoll lost to Bryans 3 and 2.
Linda Grieve bt Lesley Gibb 1 hole
Young halved with Claire Capucci.

MIDLOTHIAN 5, FIFE 4
Foursomes (2-1)
Karen Marshall and Wendy Nicholson beat Fiona Hastie and Elaine Moffat 5 and 4.
Kate McIntosh and Rachael Watton beat Susan Jackson and Karin Sharp 1 hole
Louise Fraser and Claire McDonald lost to Lorna Fury and Lynda Dyball 5 and 4.
Singles (3-3)
Watton bt Jackson 3 and 2.
Nicholson lost to Hastie 5 and 4.
Kirsten Blackwood lost to Sharp 2 and 1.
Gabrielle MacDonald lost to Moffat 2 and 1.
Fraser bt Rachel Hanlon 4 and 3.
Marshall bt Lorna Fury 4 and 2.