JENNY MILNE DEFENDS NORTHERN COUNTIES' TITLE OVER HOME COURSE AT ELGIN THIS WEEKEND

By ROBIN WILSON
In advance of the Scottish women's (closed) championship at Tain, teeing off with the first qualifying round next Tuesday (May 15), the Northern Counties women’s championship takes place over the Elgin golf course this weekend, concluding on Monday.
Home course player Jenny Milne, pictured, a stalwart for Northern Counties in area teams teams for the past 12 years, has only managed two championship titles, 2007 and last year at Fortrose and Rosemarkie, but she heads a good entry of 67, considering there is no gap between the Elgin and Tain events.
It is expected Milne's main challengers will come from Northern Counties' three Scottish senior caps, Tain sisters Anne Ryan and Mary Smith and Royal Dornoch's Alison Bartlett.
All three were involved in the latter match play rounds last year at Fortrose but waiting in the wings to make an impact for the younger players is Scottish junior cap and recent winner of the British Students Tour women's title, Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey), and Thurso schoolgirl Eleanor Tunn who, 12 months ago, made an impression at Fortrose as leading scratch qualifier and semi finalist.
Not to be overlooked is Royal Dornoch's Cara Gruber, a hat-trick champion in 2008, 2009 and 2010