Tain's winning quartet (left to right): Claire Ross, Mary Smith, Anne Ryan, Fiona Brand.
Tain ladies win Gordon Salver for 40th time

By ROBIN WILSON
Two of the strongest women's golf teams in Ross-shire and Sutherland, fought out a close battle over the Alness course  during the annual inter-county women's team competition and it was Ross-shire's Tain who celebrated a memorable ruby win by the narrow margin of two shots.

The scratch G A Gordon Salver was first competed for in the Queen's Coronation year of 1953 and last Saturday was the 63rd staging of the competition. 
Tain ladies won the scratch salver in the inauguration year and added 39 more wins before making it forty with an unbeaten sequence from 2001.

In contrast, this year's hosts, Alness, have never been scratch winners, and only once previously won the handicap trophy,  at Invergordon in 2005, but enjoying home advantage by the River Averon their first team added their name to the handicap A B Connon Trophy for a second time.

There were 12 teams of four from eight different clubs playing at Alness, the hosts, Royal Dornoch, Golspie and Tain Golf Clubs with two teams each and single entries from Bonar-Bridge Ardgay, Brora, Fortrose and Rosemarkie and Muir of Ord for the competition that uses the three best three scores from each team to decide the winners.

Tain and Dornoch's top three players had a combined handicap of only seven. Cara Thompson handicap 1, Alison Bartlett 2, and Claire Riddell 4 arrived in the clubhouse with a three-card total of 222 - Northern Counties champion Thompson a 72, Bartlett 74 and Riddell 76. 
The score from the fourth team member, Denise McBride, was not required. 

Tain's initial challenge was led by three-handicapper Anne Ryan with a best of the day gross 71 to which was added a 74 from her  sister Mary Smith (handicap 2) and a 75 from two-handicapper Claire Ross for a total of 220 which allowed their club to begin their special celebration as 40th  time winners. 
Tain's fourth member and discarded score came from Fiona Brand.

Alness's first team, after disregarding Rhoda Patterson's nett 75, off 9, then sped to a three-card winning handicap total of 209 with two nett scores below 70. 
 Leading with the best nett card of the day, a 68 off 16, was June Keith. Then, adding a nett 69 off 14, was Isabel Ross and a third score of nett 72 from 36 handicapper Elizabeth Fraser, had Alness winning the Connon Trophy by six strokes.
Runners-up were Royal Dornoch's second string, consisting of Caitlin Boa (12) 69, Trish Weekes (19) 73 and Wilma Murray (18) 73 for 215, with Irene Harts's nett 75 disregarded.

Alness Lady Captain, Heather Gill presented the two trophies and other prizes.  Next year’s venue will be Invergordon Golf Club.  

  Handicap trophy winners Alness. Left to right - Rhoda Patterson, Elizabeth Fraser, June Keith, Isabel Ross.
                      Pictures by Robin Wilson