Greenburn showing way in new format Linlithgowshire Summer League

Apr 28 2011 West Lothian Courier

THE Linlithgowshire Summer League format has changed this year for one season only.

This season there are two sections, each with five clubs, and the top two, one from each section, at the end of the series of home and away fixtures will play each other at a neutral venue for the title.

Next season there is to be a first and a second division and the top two in each league this year go into the top league to be joined by the team which win a play-off between the sides which finish in third spot this term.

Shotts, Binny and Bridgend from the Linlithgowshire membership have dropped out of league participation for various reasons.

Now we are a couple of weeks into it and the first team to show have been Greenburn from Section B: they have accounted for Niddry Castle at home by 5-1 and then gone to Harburn and won by 3.5 to 2.5.

In Section B’s other games there was an opening-night win for West Lothian by a resounding 5.5 to 0.5 against visitors Uphall, although in the second week the haar descended to kill off their second consecutive home fixture against Niddry Castle.

In Section A, Deer Park beat Bathgate 4-2 at Carmondean in their opener while Dundas accounted for Pumpherston at the 'ferry by the same margin.

Dundas could not keep up the good work last Friday, however, and crashed by 6-0 to Linlithgow away, while at Pumpherston the mist came down, too, calling a halt to their fixture with neighbours Deer Park.

Still on the wider amateur golfing front, Allyn Dick of Kingsknowe – but more often associated with his Shotts' membership in these parts – will not be defending his Lothians Champion title this weekend.

The internationalist will be in the field for the Lytham Trophy.

There are, however, 34 local names in the draw to qualify at Lothianburn and Craigmillar Park for next week's knockout stages at Broomieknowe.

Our area usually has something like six to eight players in the 32 qualifiers. More next week on the progress.

There have been some very good scores in local club competitions of late as players take full advantage of the fine early season weather.

At Uphall Andy Stevenson won the club's first Midweek Sweep of the season with a grand return of 66-3=63 to pip old hand Joe McManus (2), as dependable as ever, by a single shot.

Then at the weekend it was T Love's 42 stableford points which won him the Ryan McWilliams Trophy from both R Middleton and G Dalton. The lads took joint second spot with a point fewer than the winner.

Over at Bathgate they were in stableford mode, too with a big turnout for the Willie Cunningham Niblick on Sunday.

There was a great 68 scratch by Phil Russell which off his four mark, gave him 43 points but this was still only good enough to beat Craig Waddell on the countback.

What beat Craig was the ugly eight at the 12th on his otherwise excellent card.

At Linlithgow conditions were great for their April Medal though there was another countback needed to separate Fraser Robertson (10) and Colin Moyes (11) at the top of the heap. Both players were on 65 net but Fraser's superior figures on the home stretch carried the day.

At Deer Park there has been a busy period for the competitively minded members.

Two Wednesday Medals have been fitted in with Scott Hale's 67 net taking one and the 39 stableford points amassed by Craig Thomson being good enough to lift the other for him.

In this stretch, too, there have been a couple of good performances by George Sutherland and he is chuffed once more to have gone back down to scratch.

A weekend stableford at the club, meanwhile, has seen Derek Carruthers win the Alex Strathearn Memorial Trophy for his 42 points, one better than runner up Johan Wessels.

And in their Spring Bowl, top man was Stephen Wilson with 73-6=67 with Chris Laird (8) second on 69 net and Scott Bryson (11) third on the same mark.

Harburn too has been a hotbed of activity with a great return by 11-year-old Eilidh Crawford, her 88-22=66 taking the Ladies' Wilson Cup. I have a feeling we might hear more about this young lass in the future. Sheila McEwan (13) lost out a countback to her young adversary and was pushed into second but was a shot ahead of third placed Janet Graham (17).

The big competition for the men at the West Calder club has been the Spring Cup and it was another outstanding performance which lifted that for D Lee.

The nine handicapper had a super net 61 to win by four shots from G Raymond (13) with G Sneddon (17) a further two behind in third spot.

In the Kirk Rosebowl qualifying C Stevens(22) was top of a fourman pile up on 65 net.

The luckless trio in joint second comprised JF Thomson (18), J Speirs (9) and RG Smith (16).

And in a Labinjoh Qualifier it was Phil Foster at the top with a return of 74-10=64, three ahead of joint runners up Jim McGrane (6) and Mike Porter (8).