SENIOR LADIES
WEATHER THE
STORM AT WEST KILBRIDE

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Eight Scots in the leading 20 of the Senior British women’s open amateur stroke-play golf championship at the end of a storm-lashed day at West Kilbride was a good effort on the part of the home brigade.
Winds of up to 50mph … lashing rain … a hailstorm … it was all there in North Ayrshire. But the over-50 female golfers are made of stern stuff.
Portaloos out on the course were blown over (fortunately no one in them at the time).
A scoreboard came crashing down when the support egs simply sheered off due to the force of the wind.
Umbrellas were either blown to bits or last seen heading for Northern Ireland.
The clubhouse was awash with horror stories from happenings out on the course. The Canadian who finished second in the Irish seniors open last week required 97 shots to get round, including an 11 at the third and an 8 at the 10th.
Yet there was never any suggestion that the Ladies Golf Union would show some mercy and call the players in. The course was never flooded and remained open. The balls were never oscillating despite the gale. Let the show go on.
And from a field of 90 players there nil No Returns and only one retirement.
Well done, girls!
At the end of day that was more like January than mid-September, Kilmacolm exile Maureen Richmond (Royal Liverpool), pictured above by Cal Carson Golf Agency, and another former Curtis Cup player, Bev New from Somerset were the only two players to break 80.
They go into the second of three rounds sharing the pole position on six-over-par 78, one over the CSS (Reduction only).
Dr Richmond, a GP at Wallasey, is better remembered as Mo Walker, the teenager who won Curtis Cup and Vagliano Trophy honours, the British girls championship and three Scottish girls titles – and then, at the age of 19 entered medicine, virtually ringing down the curtain on what could have been a fabulous golf career.
“I only play in one big event a year – this one,” said 55-year-old Maureen. “I just can’t take time off from being a GP.
“How did I get it round in 78? In weather as bad as this you just have to get your head down and make the best of it. No point in feeling sorry for yourself. Just get on with it. And it helped that I am still pretty long off the tee.”
The other Scots who did well were Tain’s Anne Ryan, joint 10th with an 82, Heather Anderson (Blairgowrie), Jane Finnie (Troon Ladies) and May Hughes (Lanark), joint 12th on 83, and Lorna Bennett (Ladybank), Mary Smith (Tain), Fiona Anderson (Formby Ladies) and Fiona De Vries (St Rule), sharing 19th position.

WEDNESDAY ROUND 2 LEADING TEE TIMES
12.34 Minna Kaarnalahti, Rozalyn Adams, May Hughes.
12.45 Jane Finnie, Felicity Christine, Heather Anderson.
12.56 Catherine Reilly, Caroline Marron, Anne Ryan.
13.07 Pat Doran, Janet Melville, Sheena McElroy.
13.18 Vicki Thomas, Ruth Lindley, Marilyn Henderson.
13.20 Helen Jones, Bev New, Maureen Richmond.