THE WONDER OF WALES ... WOODEN SPOON AGAIN FOR SCOTS

  Coach Jeremy Bennett and team captain Jill Evans (back right) with the winning Wales team
                                            and the Miller Trophy. Picture by Cal Carson Golf Agency.

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Calcarsongolf@btinternet.com
Wales have won the Women's Home Internationals for the third time in the past six years.
A magnificent achievement by a country that has fewer female golfers than any of the other countries.
As their coach Jeremy Bennett, who is an Englishman who played on the European Tour then went into coaching and worked with Nick Faldo, said:
"For Wales, it is all about self-belief. There are so few girls to pick from that the ones at the top have to be convinced that they can go out and beat anyone.
"If you don't believe you are good, then nobody else will. The players have got to have individual skill or no amount of pep-talks would work but it's my job to make them play to the best of their ability and the Home Internationals is the place where all our work during the winter, and other times, comes together.
"The Welsh are great team players. There is no bickering within the ranks. It's an one-for-all, all-for-one attitude that they have. I am proud of their performance at Scotscraig this week. They were clearly the best of the four teams."
With that there is no argument. Wales won the Miller Trophy in style with victories over England, winners for the past two years, Ireland and, finally, Scotland whom they walloped 7-2 at Scotscraig Golf Club, Fife on the final day to doom the host nation's team to the Wooden Spoon for a third year in a row since they won the title at Cardiff in 2010.
Wales outclassed the Scots in the foursomes to chalk up a 3-0 whitewash and had an unassailable lead when they won the first two singles for a 5-0 advantage.
Scotland did not put a point on the board until 4.30pm and it came from Monifieth teenager Heather Munro who had been given only one earlier outing in the three-day programme.
She played like a veteran trooper to win by 3 and 2 against Sam Birks.
There were half points in the singles from Scottish champion Alyson McKechin who came back from well down to get a square game with Katie Bradbury, and Stirling student Hannah McCook from Nethy Bridge.
Hannah held former Welsh champion Becky Harries to a square match.
Perhaps if Scotland could keep this young team together for a year or two, they might develop into a side capable of winning the title.
There is no denying that it would have been a much stronger Scotland team at Scotscraig had Gemma Dryburgh, Rachael Watton and Jessica Meek been able to persuade their American colleges to release them for the week but the positioning of the home internationals in early September means that that this situation will always prevail.
If I were in the SLGA hierarchy and seriously wanted to win the home internationals, I would arrange regular matches for the available squad against club and perhaps county sides until there was built up the kind of team spirit that Wales have.
 That was how the Hungarian football team of the Ferenc Puskas era - the Magnificent Magyars - built up their team's confidence, beating lesser sides om friendly and training matches until winning became a habit.
Wales will be defending the championship on home ground next year - at Aberdovey.
MVP of the tournament was Wales' Chloe Williams who won all six ties - three foursomes and three singles - in which she played. Quite a performance by a player who apparently forgot to enter the British open amateur championship at Machynys in June, a mistake that cost her a place in the GB and I team for the Vagliano Trophy.

Future Welsh teams will lack the services of Amy Boulden who has been a tower of strength for them over the past few years. But that's another story ... that Kirkwoodgolf will reveal over the weekend.

DAY 3

WALES  7, SCOTLAND 2
Foursomes (3-0)
Sam Birks and Kath O'Connor bt Alyson McKechin and Eilidh Briggs 3 and 2.
Chloe Williams and Katie Bradbury bt Megan Briggs and Gabrielle Macdonald 2 and 1.
Amy Boulden and Becky Harries bt Hannah McCook and Connie Jaffrey 6 and 5.

Singles (4-2)
Boulden bt Eilidh Briggs 1 hole.
Williams by Lauren Whyte 4 and 3.
Bradbury halved with McKechin.
Birks lost to Heather Munro 3 and 2.
O'Connor bt Jaffrey 1 hole.
Harries halved with McCook.


ENGLAND 4, IRELAND 5
Foursomes (1 1/2-1 1/2)
Georgia Hall and Lauren Taylor bt Olivia Mehaffey and Paula Grant 3 and 1.
Sarah-Jane Boyd and Rachael Goodall halved with Lisa Maguire and Leona Maguire.
Annabel Dimmock and Alexandra Peters lost to Maria Dunne and Emma O'Driscoll 4 and 3.

Singles (2 1/2-3 1/2)
Taylor lost to Leona Maguire 3 and 2.
Hall bt Mehaffey 7 and 6.
Gabriella Cowley bt Mary Doyle 1 hole.
Peters lost to Amy Farrell 1 hole.
Goodall lost to Grant 2 and 1.
Boyd halved with Lisa Maguire.


HOW THEY FINISHED

1 Wales 3pt
2 Ireland 1 1/2pt
3 England 1pt
4 Scotland 1/2pt