YOUNGEST EVER WINNER OF COUNT CHAMPIONSHIP AT MELDRUM HOUSE

   kimb

ABOYNE'S PAIR OF ACES - KIMBERLEY BEVERIDGE (left) and SHANNON McWILLIAM

HISTORIC ABERDEENSHIRE TITLE WIN 

BY 14-YEAR-OLD SHANNON McWILLIAM 
 
Shannon McWilliam scored a history-making win in the final of the Aberdeenshire women's county championship at Meldrum House Golf Club, Oldmeldrum on a very wet  afternoon.
In an all-Aboyne final - which must be another record - against 18-year-old Kimberley Beveridge, Shannon triumphed by 2 and 1 and, at 14 years of age, is the youngest ever winner of the county title.
That honour was held by Elaine Farquharson (Deeside) who was 15 when she won the championship - at Aboyne - in 1983.
Rain ruined this year's final as a spectacle and, indeed, forced a suspension of play for over half an hour at the eighth-nith when the course in that area was beginning to show signs of flooding.
Play continued after some energetic squeegieing by
the greenkeeping staff.
Beveridge had taken a two-hole lead by winning the third and fourth but her advantage was wiped out when McWilliam won the seventh and ninth with pars to be all square at the turn.
McWilliam, last year's Scottish Under-14 girls champion, kept her momentum going by winning the short 10th with a 2 to lead for the first time.
A par put her two up at the 12th.
Beveridge kept her hopes alive by winning the 13th with a par but, after the next three holes were halved, McWilliam clinched her historic victory with a birdie - her third of the match - at the 17th for a 2 and 1 win.
Shannon was an approximate one under par at the finish.
"I'm proud to have become the youngest ever Aberdeenshire champion," said Shannon later.
"Seven days ago I lost a couple of balls and did not play well in an Aberdeenshire girls competition at Stonehaven.
"The following weekend I become Aberdeenshire women's champion!"
Young McWilliam had played even better in the morning semi-final to claim the scalp of defending champion Sammy Leslie (Aberdeen Ladies).
Shannon had a bag of five birdies but had to go all the way to the 18th green before winning by two holes.
In the other semi-final, Beveridge ended the hopes  for another year  of Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) that she might go on to win her sixth county title. Kimberley won by one hole.
Underlining the youthful keynote of the championship, 14-year-old Jasmine Mackintosh (Hazlehead) won the Handicap championship. Playing off seven, she beat Lynne Terry, an eight-handicapper at Cruden Bay, by 4 and 3 in the final. 

 Left to right: Sheena Wood, Kimberley Beveridge, Shannon McWilliam and Sammy Leslie.
SCRATCH FINAL
Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne) bt Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) 2 and 1.

                      LYNNE TERRY (left) and JASMINE MACKINTOSH
HANDICAP FINAL
Jasmine Mackintosh (Hazlehead) (7) bt Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay) (8) 4 and 3.