ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR AT GIRLS' HOME INTERNATIONALS

       View of Blackpool rollercoaster from St Annes Old Links

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Any links which has the Blackpool Tower and a giant roller-coaster on its skyline is bound to be a fun course and Scotland skipper Laura Walker, originally from Nairn, says she shares her team members' delight at St Anne's Old Links being the venue for the girls' home internationals.

"Fiona Liddell, having travelled all the way from Germany where her father is a club pro, could hardly believe her eyes. She has never been to Blackpool so she's thrilled to be so close to such a holiday resort," said Walker.
"They've had a lot of rain down here in Lancashire so the course is not so brown as some of ours are back in Scotland but there is still a bit of bounce on the fairways. And I like the greens. Some are raised but the putting surfaces are all flat, no undulations."
It's an old fashioned links with no hills and only wispy grass as rough. It's a what-you-see is what you get links. No St Andrews-type, well-hidden, deep pot bunkers you don't see until your drives land in them.

"England are bidding to win the Stroyan Cup for the sixth year in a row and are obviously favourites with their strength in depth. But we don't play them until the second day and hopefully we will have a win against Ireland under our belts by then," said Walker who was Scottish Under-18 girls champion at Powfoot more years ago than she cares to remember.

She has been captain of an Under-16 Scotland team, so this is her next step up the captaincy ladder. Who knows how many rungs on the ladder?

TEAMS

SCOTLAND - Lesley Atkins (Gullane), Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies), Fiona Liddell (Schloss Vornholz), Tara Mactaggart (Minto), Heather Munro (Monifieth), Nicola Robertson (Dunblane New), Lauren Whyte (St Regulus), Clara Young (North Berwick).
Team captain: Laura Walker.

ENGLAND - Gabriella Cowley (Brocket Hall), Annabel Dimmock (Wentworth), Samantha Fuller (Roehampton), Alice Hewson (Berkhamsted), Sophie Keech (Lyme Regis), Sophie Lamb (Clitheroe). Sophie Madden (West Essex), Olivia Winning (Rotherham). Team captain: Chris Pascall.

IRELAND - Shannon Burke (Ballinrobe), Ariana Coyle Diez (Elm Park), Mary Doyle (The Heath). Olivia Mehaffey (Royal Co Down Ladies), Julie McCarthy (Forrest Little), Niamh McSherry (Lurgan), Niamh Ward (Lurgan), Chloe Weir (Shandon Park). Team captain: Darragh McGowan.

WALES - Sadie Dewington-Davies (North Wales), Nia Greville (Ashburnham), Ella Griffiths (Vale Resort), Georgia Lewis (Llanishen), Megan Lockett (Huddersfield), Emma Miller Newport), Bethan Morris (Tenby), Chloe Williams (Wrexham). Team captain: Kay Bradbury.




PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY - England v Wales, Scotland v Ireland.
THURSDAY - Ireland v Wales, Scotland v England.
FRIDAY - Wales v Scotland, England v Ireland.

  WEDNESDAY MORNING FOURSOMES MATCHES

ENGLAND v WALES
8.30 Gabriella Cowley and Sophie Lamb v Chloe Williams and Ella Griffiths.
8.42 Annabel Dimmock and Sammy Fuler v Nia Greville and Megan Lockett
8.50 Sophie Madden and Alice Hewson v Sadie Dewington-Davies and Emma Miller.
SCOTLAND v IRELAND
9.00 Lauren Whyte and Connie Jaffrey v Olivia Mehaffey and Ariana Coyle Diez.
9.10 Clara Young and Tara MacTaggart v Mary Doyle and Niamh McSherry.
9.20 Fiona Liddell and Heather Munro v Shannon Burke and Niamh Ward.

ABERDEEN LADIES BEAT BANCHORY IN LYON TROPHY FOURSOMES FINAL

 Olive Fraser, Aberdeen Ladies GC club captain, with the Lyon Trophy and the winning team (l to r): Fiona Seedhouse, Lauren Whyte, Sheena Wood and Sammy Leslie.
Picture by ALCGA secretary Karen Stalker

Aberdeen Ladies 1 team of Sheena Wood, Lauren Whyte, Sammy Leslie and Fiona Seedhouse won the Lyon Trophy women's inter-club foursomes tournament at Murcar Links today (Tuesday).
They beat Banchory 1's Louise McGillivray, Ann Smart, Kathleen Taylor and Gail Christie by a combined six holes in the final of this double foursomes match-play tournament.
Aberdeen Ladies had not won the trophy since 2006 but had reached the final on 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

The Balgownie quartet avenged last year's defeat in the final at the hands of Murcar Links by beating them at the 19th hole in the morning's semi-finals.
It was Banchory's first appearance in the final since 1992. They last won the trophy in 1988 when Ann Smart, now the golf club secretary, was a playing member of the team.
Results:
SEMI-FINALS
Aberdeen Ladies 1 bt Murcar Links at 19th 
(Sheena Wood, Lauren Whyte 0, Donna Pocock, Susan Murray 1; Sammy Leslie, Fiona Seedhouse 1, Mhairi Johnstone, Carol Wilson 0. Aberdeen Ladies won at the first extra hole).
Banchory 1 bt Deeside by four holes
(Louise McGillivray Ann Smart 0, Megan Clyne, Margaret Parkinson 0; Kathleen Taylor, Gail Christie 4, Fiona Hay, Alison Graham 0).
FINAL
Aberdeen Ladies 1 bt Banchory 1 by six holes
(Wood, Whyte 1, McGillivray, Smart 0; Leslie, Seedhouse 5, Taylor, Christie 0).

  BANCHORY team (left to right) Gail Christie, Kathleen Member (team player and club lady captain), Ann Smart (team player and club secretary), Louise McGillivary.
Picture by Karen Stalker

NEW CAP CATH JOINS ENGLAND SENIOR LADIES TEAM FOR BLED

Cheshire’s Cath Rawthore has marked her first season of senior golf by playing her way into the England side for the European senior ladies’ team championship at Bled, Slovenia, from 3-7 September. Cath (image © Leaderboard Photography) is the only new cap in the team and will join established internationals Caroline Berry, Sue Dye, Amanda Mayne, Janet Melville and Chris Quinn. The reserve is Karen Lobb from Northamptonshire County. The team will be captained for the first time by Pat West of Spalding, Lincolnshire.  Rebecca Wood, the women’s Performance Manager for England Golf, commented: “We are delighted that Pat has agreed to captain this team. She is a very experienced player and a great supporter of senior golf. She will be a huge asset.” Pat’s aim will be to guide the experienced team to an elusive gold medal. This championship was started in 2006 and England has competed every year, apart from 2011, winning three silver medals and one bronze. Chris Quinn has played in each of those teams and this will be her seventh appearance in this event. Sue Dye will be playing for the sixth time, Janet Melville for the fifth and Caroline Berry for the third. The players: Caroline Berry (Bromborough, Cheshire) is a past winner of the English senior amateur and of the English women’s stroke play championships. Most recently she was third in this year’s senior stroke play, signing off with a final round of three-under par 69. Sue Dye (Delamere Forest, Cheshire) won the English senior stroke play title for the second time in June. She has also twice been the English senior amateur champion and runner-up in the British. Amanda Mayne (Saltford, Somerset) is a past Somerset champion and the current county senior champion. She made her senior debut last year and, with a series of good results, played her way into England’s 2012 Home Internationals team. Janet Melville (Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire) is the English senior amateur champion and has twice won the senior stroke play title. Her personal roll of honour includes three British ladies’ championships: the open, the stroke play and the match play. Chris Quinn (Hockley, Hampshire) has won six English senior titles and one British senior championship. This year she was runner-up in both the English amateur and stroke play championships. Cath Rawthore (Sale, Cheshire) is a Cheshire county player who is playing her first season of senior golf. She reached the semi-finals of the English senior amateur and was 12th in the senior stroke play, earning herself fourth spot in the senior order of merit and her place in the team for the Europeans. For the first time this year the team has been selected using the new senior order of merit. The top six players after the two English senior women’s championships have qualified for the European team. The England team for the Senior Home Internationals, which take place in October, will be the top seven players on the order of merit after the British senior championship at Royal Portrush in September. Lyndsey Hewison Press Officer England Golf pr@englandgolf.org 07825 752 193

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LANARKSHIRE GIRLS WIN KENNEDY SALVER FOR SECOND YEAR IN ROW

Lanarkshire Juniors won the West of Scotland Girls' Inter County Matches for the Kennedy Salver at Kirkintilloch Golf Club on Monday for the second year in a row. They were 2-1 down after the morning foursomes but won five of their six singles in the afternoon. It all depended on the last match, Lanarkshire winning against Ayrshire. FINAL POINTS TOTALS Lanarkshire     6  Ayrshire          5  Renfrewshire  4 Dunbarton and Argyll  3    The winning Lanarkshire team was:  Emily Glencorse (Millport), Erin Johnston (Lanark), Abbi Kidd (Lenzie), Heather Neilson (Greenburn), Molly Richmond (Strathaven) and Katie Scott (Strathaven).