ABERDEENSHIRE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP AT MELDRUM HOUSE

WOOD AND LESLIE HEADING FOR 

REPLAY OF 2013 COUNTY FINAL

Top seed Lauren Watson, a 16-year-old Deeside GC junior, lost in the first round of the match-play stages of the Aberdeenshire women's county championship at Meldrum House GC, Oldmeldrum this morning.
Lauren was beaten by one hole by former champion Sara Mathieson (Murcar Links) (pictured above).
Sara, who won the county title as Sara Thomson in 2009, then herself was ousted in the quarter-finals by Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies).
Sheena, county champion five times since 1996, won by 4 and 3 against Molly Stwart (Murcar Links) in the morning and then by 4 and 3 against Mathieson.
In Sunday morning's semi-finals, Wood will stage a rematch of last year's semi-final at Kemnay where she also played Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) and had to go to the 26th hole before winning a place in the final, which she lost to
Sammy Leslie, also Aberdeen Ladies.
Beveridge earned her place in this year's semi-finals by beating the 2011 champion Donna Pocock (Murcar Ladies) by 2 and 1.
No 2 seed Leslie had to go to the 18th green to see off the first-round challenge of Fiona Hay (Deeside). Sammy won by two holes and then, in the quarter-finals, KO'd Claire Prouse (Hazlehead), winner of the North of Scotland women's championship a couple of years ago.
Leslie will meet arguably Shire's top young prospect, Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne) in the second semi-final Sunday morning.
Shannon was last year's Scottish Under-14 girls champion and this year she has already finished as the leading Scot in the Scottish Under-16 open stroke play at Strathmore.
McWilliam had two big-margin wins at Meldrum House - 5 and 4 over Tegan Seivwright (Murcar Links) and then 6 and 4 over Lorraine Coleman (Peterhead).
The Handicap championship is down to the final stage. It will feature young Jasmine McIntosh, who plays off eight at Hazlehead, against the very experienced Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay) who plays off eight.


SCRATCH CHAMPIONSHIP
FIRST ROUND
Sara Mathieson (Murcar Links) bt Lauren Watson (Deeside) 1 hole.
Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) bt Molly Stewart (Murcar Links) 4 and 3.
Donna Pocock (Murcar Links) bt Jane Whitehead (Kemnay) 1 hole.
Kimnberley Beveridge (Aboyne) bt Karen Stalker (Cruden Bay) 4 and 3.
Lorraine Coleman (Peterhead) bt Mhairi Johnstone (Murcar Links) 2 and 1.
Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne) bt Tegan Seivwright (Murcar Links) 5 and 4.
Claire Prouse (Hazlehead) bt Suzanne Robertson (Frtaserburgh) 6 and 4.
Sammy Leslie (Aberdeen Ladies) bt Fiona Hay (Deeside) 2 holes.
QUARTER-FINALS
Wood bt Mathieson 4 and 3.
Beveridge bt Pocock 2 and 1.
McWilliam bt Coleman 6 and 4.
Leslie bt Prouse 5 and 3. 
SEMI-FINALS
10.10 Wood v Beveridge
10.18 McWilliam v Leslie

HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP
QUARTER-FINALS
Morven Adam (Hazlehead) (16) bt Lesley Watson (Deeside) (13) 3 and 2.
Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay) (8) bt Ellie Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies) (7) 7 and 5.
Jasmine Mackintosh (Hazlehead) (7) bt Kelly Guthrie (Inverurie) (7) 2 and 1.
Kim Watt (Aberdeen Ladies) (8) bt Lyn Park (Meldrum House) (12) 2 and 1. 
SEMI-FINALS
Terry bt Adam 1 hole
Mackintosh bt Watt 6 and 5 
FINAL 
10.26 Terry (8) v Mackintosh (7)