Golf: Pumpherston trounce rivals

Jun 11 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier

PUMPHERSTON continue to look the best bet in the Karma Restaurant sponsored Linlithgowshire Summer League after a 6-0 trouncing of rivals West Lothian on Friday.

The holders were not up against the strongest Bo’ness visiting side that has ever taken the field but they certainly did the business and lead Greenburn by three points.

The Fauldhouse side are emerging as favourites to take the second spot in Section ‘C’ after Pumpherston, and their home match tonight, against what is set to be another weak West Lothian side, should see off the challenge of their main rivals Harburn who are at home against undefeated Pumphy. Greenburn are a point ahead of the West Calder team.

Meanwhile Shotts continue to dominate in Section ‘A’, a couple of points ahead of nearest rivals Deer Park with whom they shared the spoils last Friday at Carmondean.

And in Section ‘B’ it is still Linlithgow with a 100 per cent record at the head of matters after their 6-0 result over visitors Dundas Parks on Friday. Here it is Uphall who look like the main sticking point for the Black Bitches. They took out Bridgend away from home also by a 6-0 score on Friday.

If things continue as they are at present then it would be a local derby home and away in the semis between Shotts and Greenburn with Pumphy facing the enthusiastic young troops from Linlithgow in the same format.

Still a way to go though. And in the background continuing negative rumblings about this particular format for the league amid calls for a change next season.

Still on Linlithgowshire business the Third Class County Handicaps postponed earlier in the season at Shotts got played at the weekend and it was a successful day for the little Binny Club with no fewer than four of their members in the prize list.

Leading Scores: R Stone (Binny) 70, R Macneil (Deer Park) 71, G Quinn (Shotts) 75, R Pattison (Binny) 75, W Robertson (Binny) 75, D Ross (Greenburn) 76, J Gillis (Binny) 76.

It could be in the years to come that the Bathgate name we are all talking about will be that of Louis Gaughan – the 15-year-old has shown much promise this year with a good run in the Scottish Boys and now he has gone all the way to the final of the Lothian Boys Championship.

This is an under-18 event so young Gaughan was definitely punching above his weight on his excellent run last week.

Maybe his most impressive result was his semi-final win over the fancied Scott Young of Turnhouse who had beaten Harburn Club Champion Stuart Boyle as well as erasing the name of the event’s leading qualifier in his earlier matches.

The Bathgate three handicapper remained unphased and took out his man comfortably by 3 and 2.

The opposition in the final – and he was to prove just too strong on the night – was Craigielaw’s Simon Fairburn, a 17-year-old possessing a one handicap.

Borders man Fairburn raced into a three-hole lead early on but Gaughan buckled down and had it square by the 12th.

The older boy went ahead again at the 14th and it was by this slender one-hole margin that he was to triumph in the end.

Gaughan, though, will have other chances to win this event last won by a Bathgate player in the shape of Lothianburn pro Kurt Mungall.

Mention too must be made of another local boy who did well. Uphall’s Josh Renwick fought all the way to the semis where it was Fairburn who took him out by 4/2.

This was a good performance by the youngster whose name is beginning to appear with some regularity in local events.

There has been some more relevant matchplay locally this week as well in the Club Championships. The first of these is at Bo’ness with the final on Sunday.

Title holder and recently crowned Linlithgowshire Seniors Champion Alan O’Neill looks as if he will be difficult to dislodge. He tied in the weekend’s qualifying at the head of matters with Brian Adam though he lost out on the better round recorded by the former youth internationalist.

The mark had been 146 – high because of the stiffish east breeze. The axe here fell on 155 and there are a few in the field who could go all the way this week.

One though, won’t be 2007 Champion Dave Mason who lost out in Monday’s first round to a fairly new member, Ian Whigham, a former Lothianburn Champion.

Through went the top seeds Adam and O’Neill though third seed Craig McCue lost to the effervescent Robert Laing.

And former Champion Robert Martin hung on with sheer determination to beat Revie Thomson on the last green after injuring his back as early as the eighth hole. A 20-footer finished Thomson’s aspirations.

Greenburn members had a busy competitive weekend with the Jimmy Topping Trophy on Saturday and the Joe Aitken Memorial Trophy the following day.

The Topping went to Tom Smillie for his grand 71-6=65, a shot better than second-placed Davy Fleming (1) a past club Champion.

And on Sunday it was Stephen Buntin with a net 64 off his 10 mark who won the day. Stephen’s score was a shot better than runner up Willie McGinty (13) with Stephen Hendry (7) in third a shot further behind.

A 67 scratch too here for Club Champion Gary Corrigan and with Fleming’s similar return on Saturday the low men look in good fettle at the Fauldhouse club.

Over at the other side of the county there was a stunning win for J Sullivan in the Niddry Castle Medal at the weekend with a superb 72-10=62. This was four better than runner up S Mackay (9).

In the Shield for the higher handicap golfers it was the grand 77-13=64 of Dougie Bidwell which carried the day though only on a countback from Alex Taylor (28).

There was some good scoring at Harburn as well. Tony Lang was the best in their latest episode of the Kirk Rosebowl Qualifying with a super 71-8=63 though this left him only a shot ahead of runner up G Thomson (10) and two better than third placed Stephen Burns (18).

Then in their Gents’ Open on Saturday it was Craig Deerness who took scratch honours for his 72 ahead of two Bonnybridge members in joint second. D Millar and S Bulloch both scored 74.

And it was one of their clubmates J Moore who won the handicap event for his 77-11=66, though only after a scrutiny of the cards left him victor on the back nine over Bathgate’s Henry Dunsmore, also11 handicap.

Third place went to Uphall’s R Stuart (18) on 67 net.

Bathgate’s Greenkeepers’ Day had 139 players out in balmy conditions and it was Timmy Brady who headed matters at the finish with a net 66 off his 11 handicap. Mick McCormick (8) lost out for top spot on a countback.

Then in the club’s Greensomes event there were 85 teams in the field.

Top pairing were D Drysdale and S Brown in the end with a stunning 60.6 score. Second went to S and D Peden for their 64.4 with B Henney and S McAuley third on 65.

Pumpherston have had their Caldwell Cup and top man in the end was R Watson with 77-12=65, no fewer than four better than runner up K Houliston (6).

Scoring at Uphall continues to astound. Alan Nicol, for example, took Sunday’s third Monthly Medal for the Dr IH Thomson Trophy with an amazing 72-12=60 but still only won by a single shot from Neil Logan (10).

And in joint third there was a tie between Brian Sharp (5) and Derek Reid (8) on 62 net.

The previous Wednesday’s Spoon had gone to Stewart Gemmell for his super 68-6=62, scraping home by a shot from the trio comprising Ian Adair (11), Alex Young (20) and D Carr (20).