Tain pipped for Miller quaich
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TAIN, the most successful club in the Miller Quaich competition that involves the Brora, Golspie and Royal Dornoch members since inauguration in 1999, with nine outright wins, lost their defence of the Quaich at Brora losing to the host club.
Royal Dornoch were to be announced as the winners but after a recount the home team came out on top with 314 points with Tain in Second place on 308. Dornoch fell back to third place with 299 points and Golspie fourth with 283 points.
The stableford points were the accumulation of twelve best individual points from twelve of the fourteen aside players and on a cold and almost describable wintry day when points were hard to come by Tain club secretary Magi Vass was the best of the Tain scorers with 31 points.
The best of the day was 32 points from Brora’s Donald Sutherland.
Dornoch Firth League Weekend
HAVING lost one trophy from their cabinet Tain Golf Club should be able to quickly replace it when the Dornoch Firth League matches are played over their course this weekend.
The hosts tee off first on Saturday morning with a tie against the holders, Invergordon, with a surprise ace in their pack. Thurso’s plus one handicap golfer, Dougie Thorburn, the leading player of the Winter Alliance fixtures is now also a member at Tain and makes his début in this competition alongside Tain’s own plus rated golfer Munro Ferries.
The addition of Thorburn to an already strong home side which has only once lost a league series on their home course should enable them to capture the Firth Targe for an eighth time since 1978. Completing their pool of players are – Billy Ferries, Mike Sangster, Ian Cowper, James Cameron, Alan Everett and Graeme McIntosh.
The order of fixtures over the two days are; Saturday morning — Tain v Invergordon, Golspie v Royal Dornoch. Saturday afternoon — Royal Dornoch v Tain. Brora v Golspie. Sunday morning — Tain v Brora, Golspie v Invergordon. Sunday afternoon — Tain v Golspie. Brora v Invergordon v Royal Dornoch.
Next weekend, Sunday May 19, the Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club host the first round ties in the Ross-shire League competition. Muir of Ord are the current holders of the Highland Fabricators Cup and they have a tough first round draw against the host team while Strathpeffer Spa are up against Alness and completing the first round ties are Tain against Invergordon. The ties begin at 9am. Tarbat Golf Club has received a bye into the semifinals which will be played at Invergordon near the end of the season on Sunday, September 1.
Northern Counties Women’s Championship
Meanwhile with Grantown on Spey’s Hannah McCook unable to defend her Northern Counties Association women’s title this weekend at Nairn Dunbar due to university examinations and other commitments, only Tain’s senior internationalist, Mary Smith, Elgin’s Jenny Milne and Royal Dornoch’s Cara Gruber are the former winners in Saturday’s strokeplay draw before the match-play rounds conclude on Sunday.
From the women’s tees the venue is a demanding 5748 yard, par 75 test which should play into the hands of former champion Gruber and install her as favourite to capture her fifth title. Teenager Carinne Taylor (Elgin) won the handicap championship last year.
Ross Sutherland Senior Golf Society
THE society had their second outing of the season at Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Course in sunny but windy weather with the course in good condition. The winners were:
Division 1 — 1 R Nelson (F&R); 2 M McArthur (F&R); 3 N Stewart (F&R).
Division 2 — 1 W Macdonald (Invergordon); 2 H Milne (Muir of Ord); 3 A Macarthur (F&R).
Division 3 — 1 S McDonald (MoO); 2 G Kelman (Tain); 3 J Mackay (Invergordon).
The next meeting is at Muir of Ord Golf Club on Wednesday, May 15.
Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Club
RESULTS of the Black Isle Open Mixed Greensomes (all Fortrose and Rosemarkie unless otherwise stated:
Scratch — G Smith (Tain) and Mrs M Smith (Tain) 81; C Gallacher and Mrs A MacKay 84; A Brown and Mrs A Brown 84.
Handicap Section 1 — A MacArthur and Mrs H Vass (Tarbat) (15.5) 71.5; G Thom (Crieff) and Mrs I Clayden (Crieff) (15.5) 71.5; I Patience (Boat of Garten) and Miss K Bisset (16) 72.
Handicap Section 2 — M McArthur and Mrs A McArthur (18) 64; A Simpson (Kinross) and Mrs J Simpson (Kinross) (22.5) 66.5; J Stewart and Mrs E Stewart (25.5) 67.5.
Tain Golf Club
SOME recent results from the club:
Midweek Medal (CSS 72) — 1 G Brand (8) 69; 2 D Carter (16) 72; 3 S Paterson (10) 74.
Gents 18 Hole Open (CSS 75 – reduction only):
Scratch — 1 L McAlpine 71; 2 M Ferries 73; 3 D Thorburn 74; 4 L Chancellor (Inverness).
Handicap Scratch to 12 — 1 R Sutherland (Brora) (8) 69 BIH; 2 F Sutherland (12) 69; 3 J Innes (3) 73 BIH; 4 D Milne (Cruden Bay) (5) 73.
Handicap 13-28 — 1 P Walker (Cruden Bay) (13) 73; 2 B Waddell (13) 74; 3 C MacIntyre (15) 78 BIH; 4 D Patterson (Peterculter) (17) 78.
Gents and Ladies 18 Hole Open (CSS Gents 75 – reduction only, Ladies 76 – reduction only)
Scratch — 1 L McAlpine 72.
Handicap (All divisions, Ladies and Gents) — 1 R Macintosh (26) 68; 2 R Marshall (8) 74 BIH; 3 D Clark (5) 74; 4 A Watt (7) 75 BIH; 5 J Hutcheson (13) 75.
Strathpeffer Spa Golf Club
RESULTS this week from the club:
Gents
Brit Oil Cup — 1 Ian Bartlett (18) 61; 2 Garry Ross (4) 62; 3 Sandy Mackenzie (13) 63.
Ross Bowl — 1 T G MacKenzie (15) 62; 2 D Morrison (7) 63; 3 S Crossley (9) 64.
Seniors Medal — 1 F Bartlett (14) 37; 2 C Hickson (20) 36; 3 D McLeod (12) 34.
Mcvitie and Price Mixed Foursomes — 1 D and M Morrison; 2 M and K Bartlett; 3 N Ross and K Grainger.
Ladies
Spring Meeting Tray — 1 Gayle Anderson (12) 69; 2 Melonie Morrison (14) 70; 3 Kate Bartlett (15) 75.
New Zealand Lamb — 1 Elsie Coupland (16) 34; 2 Sandra Anderson (20) 32; 3 Kaylan Grainger (8) 31.
Alness Golf Club
THIS week’s results from the club:
Gents April Medal — 1 W Hart (15) 67; 2 K Munro (9) 70.
Open Texas Scramble — 1 S Sutherland, S McKinlay, E Chisholm and B Allison (6) 54 BIH; 2 S Buchan, A Murray, B Campbell and S Wilde (3) 54; 3 R Green, J Henderson, D Morrison and D Stephenson (3.3) 54.7.
Ladies Whyte and Mackay — 1 R Patterson (10) 66; 2 H Gill (27) 79.
Gents Dalmore Cup Round 2 — 1 R Bell (10) 64; 2 S Williamson (13) 68.
Andrew Winter Memorial Scramble is on Saturday, May 18 – entries now being taken.
