Double championship joy for Stuart Boyle who addes Linlithgowshire championship to Harburn title

Sep 2 2010 West Lothian Courier

HARBURN Champion Stuart Boyle is the new Linlithgowshire Champion after a repeat of his great struggle with clubmate Michael Burnett a few weeks ago to win his club's top title.

Harburn was windy and tricky for the championship on Saturday and it was former champion, Gary Corrigan of Greenburn who showed first with a morning effort of 68.

Close behind was another former Harburn champion Jim Gilmour with Michael Burnett, Joe McManus of Uphall and Milan Govan of Deer Park all on the 71 mark. Boyle was four behind on 72.

In the afternoon Corrigan took 39 to the turn and further bogies at the 11th and 14th did for his cause while Govan and Gilmour fell away too.

Burnett looked as if he was to suffer a similar demise, out in 39, but he rallied strongly to finish the closing six holes in four under the card for a 70.

Experienced campaigner McManus plugged away too and recorded his second 71.

It was left to Boyle and he played steadily before finishing with two birdies in the last three holes to tie his clubmate and great rival on 141 and win because of his better second round.

Leading scores: S Boyle (Harburn) 72,69= 141, M Burnett (Harburn) 71,70= 141, J McManus (Uphall) 71,71 = 142, G Corrigan (Greenburn) 68,74 = 142, C Deerness (Harburn) 76,69 = 145, J Ralston (Shotts) 72,73 = 145, D Fleming (Greenburn) 75,72=147, J Kinniburgh (Uphall) 74,73 =147, J Rhind (Uphall) 74,73=147.

Meanwhile there has been some good scoring at local level the pick of which was probably the 65 scratch of Uphall's Charlie Bavidge.

The six handicapper closed with a birdie three for a net 59 to win the Wednesday Medal by four shots from both W Ferrier (10) and W Nisbet (7).

The previous week it had been Graeme Stevenson who had taken the Logan Trophy in the 5th Monthly Medal 3 to pip Derek Reid (8) by a shot.

Meanwhile Pumpherston's Caldwell Cup has gone to Willy Blattner (11) for a net 68 a stroke ahead of runners up V Philbin (10) and T Laird (6).

At Bo'ness it was Derek Russell at the top of the heap to win the West Lothian club's Council Prize with his 83-18=65.

At Bathgate it was Paul Thomson who took the Edinburgh Cup with rounds of 68 and 63 for 131, five ahead of Sean McManus and Marty O'Hara.

Then in the club's Tri Am there was real pile up at the top with no fewer than three teams finishing with 59 net.

Winners when the arithmetic was done was the trio comprising D Drysdale, S Brown and N Younger with A McMillan, G Thom and J Elliot second.

Harburn's recent Kirk Rosebowl qualifier was won by Gavin Thomson with Steven Guest and Bruce Pringle, both off twelve, joint runners up.

It was the same winning score in the Labinjoh qualifier, this time recorded by 24 man David Simpson.

Then in the club's Scott Medal qualifier it was Brian McIntosh at the head of matters with his 85-21=64 with five baying at his heels on the 66 mark.

Young Colin Dalgleish has won the Binny Club's Junior Championship with a return of 94.

At the other end of the age scale it was Jimmy Dee who took the recent Seniors' Medal at the club for his sixth success of a great season. He recorded 85-13=72.

The club had its B&Y Trophy over the weekend with six players going forward after the Saturday to complete a further 36 holes the next day.

Top man in the end with gross returns of 73, 74 and 76, in what ended up very tricky conditions, was Richard Drewett.

At Deer Park it was Arthur Reynolds with 90-24=66 who won the club's most recent Wednesday Medal.

Stuart Dunn then went on at the weekend to shoot 77-10=67 to pip Joe Johnston (5) on the countback for the club's Scottish Courage Trophy. Here third place went to veteran John Quin (13).

Niddry Castle has had a thirty six hole stableford event for the President's Trophy and top man in the end was Martin Brown who totalled 69 points with Steven Rafferty, runner up, a point behind. Andy Anderson took third for his 67 compilation.

And lastly a word about Stephen Gallacher.

It was another good week for him at Gleneagles in the Johnnie Walker Championship but one which ended poorly with a five over the card 77, admittedly on what was a very trying day for the golfers.

Stephen had not been quite at his best all week and had to do an inordinate amount of scrambling to keep pace but, just a couple off the pace going into the final day, he will be disappointed at his slip down the leaderboard.

Onward and upwards for the big Linlithgow man though.

He will miss Switzerland this week but be back the following week in Holland looking for that elusive second career win that has seemed on the cards for much of the season.