Golfers again rue missed chances

Nov 12 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

WEST Lothian again missed a glorious chance to go ahead in the Lothians and Fife Winter League in their encounter at Charleton against hosts Fife on a beautiful, sunny Sunday.

The home side took the first three matches, all on the last green.

Simon Lockhart of Bathgate was ahead at the 14th before going out of bounds at the last to lose out by two holes to Pitreavie’s Gary Sharp.

Stephen Buckley of Royal Burgess went behind at the 15th against the host club’s Keith Anderson and could only halve the last three.

Graham Robertson of Silverknowes, who had holed a good putt at 17 to square, contrived to take three from the edge at the last to go down to Kirkcaldy’s Stewart Elder.

It was a case of what might have been for the West Lothian golfers.

Then Kevin Messer of Turnhouse went down, admittedly, soundly beaten, by Lundin’s Kevin Blyth before the reliable Stuart Boyle of Harburn put West’s first point on the board with a 2/1 success over Ladybank’s Darren Gould.

Gary Page of Balbirnie Park made it 4-1 to the home side by beating Bathgate’s Louis Gaughan by 3/2 but there was a brightness on the horizon.

Uphall youngster Jordyn Rhind was well under the card in hammering David Mitchell of Lundin by 5/4.

And the good news was continued in the next two matches with Tom Blennerhassett taking out another Lundin player Scott Stewart-Cation, a quarter-finalist in the Scottish Amateur last year, by 3/2 while Pumpherston’s Mark Timmins was far too good on the day for Ian Redford of St Andrews and closed his man out on the 15th.

That, amazingly, left it with West needing the last match to snatch a halved game.

And Bathgate’s Stuart Crookston was two ahead of Thornton’s Alex Moir after 13.

The Fifer, though, was in pugnacious mood and took the next two holes to square the match and then he also won the 17th to make sure of the overall result to Fife.

It was to Crookston’s credit though that he won the last to gain a half match but it was just too little too late and left it at 5.5 to 4.5 for the home men.

East Lothian won the other match, against Midlothian at Newbattle, and are now joint top with Fife.

West Lothian’s next game is at Uphall a week on Sunday with Mid as visitors.

The county players can still retain the title but the big game will be the one after that at Craigielaw against East before they round things off at Dalmahoy where Fife are the opponents just before Christmas.