BRORA AND GOLSPIE COMPLETE SUTHERLAND DOUBLE

NORTH NEWS FROM ROBIN WILSON
After a lean spell in women's golf inter-club competitions between Caithness and Sutherland, Brora and Golspie Golf Clubs regained the two trophies in the annual competition between the two Counties at Brora last Saturday.
Hosts Brora who were the first winners of the Ord Salver in 1981 and seven time further winners up to 1999 put their name back on the trophy for the eighth time last Saturday when over their home links they returned the winning three score gross aggregate by three shots from Wick Golf Club.
Completing the Sutherland double were Golspie Golf Club whose name last featured on the Beatrice Trophy in 2002 now winning this trophy for a third time.
Brora's winning aggregate scores came from life member, Marlene Bokas 84, 2009 club champion Lesley Beaney 83, and non resident member Caroline Sutherland-Pilch 93, for a 54 hole total of 260. Three of the four team scores count and non counting for Brora was a 95 from Susan Smith.
The Wick first team of Deirdre MacAngus 85, Marion MacKay 87 and Doreen Cormack 91 for 263 were second in both scratch and handicap aggregates. Wick's non-counting scratch score was from Carol Place but her nett 76 helped combine with MacAngus and MacKays' nett cards for 231 which finished five strokes behind winners Golspie who had compiled a nett total of 226 from first team members, Anne Macrae (11) 75, Judith MacLeod (22) 72, and Fiona More (20) 79. Completing the Golspie quartet who won the Beatrice Trophy quartet was Caroline Logie.
In the tough windy conditions at Brora the two best scores of the day came from the two youngest players on show. Reay's sixteen year old Eleanor Tunn returned the only card below 80, a 78, despite a triple bogey finish at the 16th hole and a double bogey 5 on the final hole in her halves of 38 and 40, but she had little help from her club mates as the the Reay quartet grossed an overall 275.
After losing their last promising junior girl to college, Golspie have found another bright prospect in 14-year-old Lauren Bonner who played well below her first year handicap of 31 to record a very encouraging best net score of 67.
At the club meeting that followed the prize giving Reay Golf Club agreed to be the 2012 hosts.

Leading team scores:
 (best of three)
Brora (1) - L Beaney 83 M Bokas 84 C Sutherland-Pilch 93 S Smith 95, scratch 260, nett 230
Wick (1) - D MacAngus 85 M MacKay 87 D Cormack 91 C Place 92 scratch 263 nett 231
Royal Dornoch (1) C Riddell 82 D Lloyd 93 M Bagott 93 F Hampton 95 scratch 268 nett 230
Reay (1)E Tunn 78 P Bain 101 A Ross 112 S Hawes 96 scratch 275 nett 235
Thurso (1) E Manson 83 N Green 90 A Simmonite 105 L Rhodes 110 scratch 278 nett 244
Golspie (1) A Macrae 86 C Logie 110 F More 99 J MacLeod 94 scratch 279 nett 226.
Other Sutherland Totals:
Royal Dornoch (2) scratch 301 nett 235. Brora (2) scratch 291 nett 232. Golspie (2) scratch 320 nett 234. Bonar-Bridge/Ardgay scratch 319 nett 261.

***
Regular summer visitors to Sutherland, David and Rita Dunsdon members of Hurlston Hall Golf Club, Lancashire won the Adamson Trophy in the Brora Ladies Section open competition last week in aid of funds for the Blind Society charity group.
The visitors, no strangers to the Brora and Golspie courses amassed 39 Stableford points from the greensomes format to edge home by one point from another visting couple from not so far away, Sam and Jeanett Anderson (Garmouth and Kingston).
Other prizewinners were, Hugo and Caroline Sutherland (Brora) 38 points. Bill and Deirdre Wlodarczyk (Tain) also 38 points. Novelty Prizes; Jim and Sheila Allison (Royal) Dornoch). Nearest to pin at 18th hole Deirdre Wlodarczyk (Tain) 27 feet, and John Mitchell (Cowdrey Park) 6feet 6 inches.

** Weekend Preview

Sutherland's final 36 hole amateur competition of the season is being played over the Royal Dornoch and Struie links this weekend and it will be the local members' last chance to win one of the club's main events this season.
With a round played over each course local member Kevin Matheson emerged with both the scratch Gardner Trophy and the club member's confined Fraser Shield twelve months ago. Matheson tees off his first round on the Struie course at 7.48am
Invergordon Golf Club has been chosen for the first time to host the North District's Senior Championship on Friday and against the disappointing entry of below sixty the current Strathpeffer greenkeeper Michael Wilson could become the first Ross-shire name on the Macallan Trophy after winning it last year at Hopeman when he was a member of the Moray Golf Club.
Ten Invergordon seniors are supporting the event which the North District added as a championship competition in 1983. The Sutherland club's have been prominent in providing a winner the late Dr. John Grant of Royal Dornoch showing the way in 1987 and following him club mates Roly Bluck in 1992 and Paul York in 2007.
Brora have also had three winners, Ian Hamilton 1994, John C Mitchell 1995 and Robin Wilson 2002.
Late entries are being accepted but looking back over the years today's entry compares nothing to earlier years of this popular event when three-figure entries were the norm.



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