West Lothian beat Bathgate in tight Summer League clash

Jun 30 2011 West Lothian Courier

WEST Lothian won the Linlithgowshire Summer League after a tight final against Bathgate at neutral Dundas Parks.

With West Lothian a match ahead, three to two, it was left to new Bathgate Champion Graeme Bell to shoot out the last hole against Myles Johnston; the pair were level after 17.

Johnston bunkered his tee shot to the right while Bell found the putting surface.

The Bo’ness player recovered superbly from some 25 yards and managed to tease in his five-foot putt, after Bell had missed his long one.

Over at Niddry Castle there was a play-off between Pumpherston and Uphall to decide who would join West Lothian, Bathgate, Greenburn and Deer Park in next season’s revamped top division.

Pumpherston turned up a man short but won three of the remaining five matches to force a sudden-death play-off though.

Paul Drake of Pumpherston and young Josh Renwick played the first decider match but it was the older player who got up and down to win the place at the top table for his side next campaign.

Still on Linlithgowshire business the Courier Trophy is played this week at Linlithgow with the semis and final due on Sunday.

Pick of the first round ties was a replay of the Summer League final, as West Lothian took on Bathgate.

Uphall has been deciding all its champions in the last week and, after last Tuesday‘s quarter finals were lost to the weather, matters were rounded up on Saturday by playing the finals over 18 holes rather than the scheduled 36. Jordyn Rhind, aged 19, was crowned the new champion. He had led the qualifiers and was seeded to play second qualifier Colin Swanston in the final – and that’s just how it turned out.

Swanston was two in arrears with only three to go but made a birdie at the 16th before squaring when his opponent took three putts at the next hole.

At the final hole it was Rhind who showed nerve when he holed from 18ft after the older man had missed from a couple of feet.

Both missed the green at the first extra hole but it was Rhind who got in his four footer to take the title.

And there were mixed fortunes for leading qualifiers in the second and third-class events.

Alan Thomson, first with the card and pencil in the second, took the match-play with a 3/2 success over Paul Anderson.

Not so good for Colin Bailey in the third, as he had led too in the strokeplay but fell in Saturday’s final to Paddy Brady by a 2/1 margin.

Because their first round had been played on Monday it was a 36-hole final for the youngsters and it was Jordan West who accounted for Keiran Cooney to become junior champion while Arron Gunn was too much for Scott McKinnon in the second-class event.

There was a first championship win for Fiona Wait in the Ladies’ event over eight-times champ Susan Rennie.

And last but not least the Ladies’ Handicap Champion Terry Robertson, who beat Caron Smillie on the last green of their 18-hole match.

Meanwhile, over at Niddry Castle Richard Hawkes won the club's Galaday Plate with his return of 79-12=67, three ahead of joint runners-up Ian Leslie jnr (11) and Stephen Pearce (28).

Return of the week came at Shotts where 14-handicapper Peter McGhee won the Roderick Dhu, in a wonderful 72 gross, 58 net, five better than runner-up P Wilson (17).

Meanwhile, at Harburn a return of 78-11=67 won the Scott Medal Qualifier for Colin Welsh, one ahead of both David Bryans (5) and Gary Wainwright (3).

Niddry Castle also held its Championships finals and Hugh Fraser, the club backmarker, has comfortably retained his crown, after beating former Champion Jack Norris in the final. In the Second class final Ian Leslie jnr was also defending his title, and although he led by a hole after 18 his opponent, Jim Jamieson, pulled away after lunch to win 3/2.

Here the third-class title is over 18 holes but it took an extra one to decide, with Alex Menzies scraping through in a match against Dougie Walker.

At Uphall, the Fifth Midweek Spoon winner was Davy Pace who birdied three of the last four holes for 67-6=61.

Deer Park held its Open where top man in the scratch ratings was club champion Andy Rothney. His 71 beat Bathgate’s Martin O’Hara by a shot with another local man, John Plunkett, on the same mark but losing out to Martin on the countback for runner-up.

In the Handicap stakes it was three locals at the top with Colin Geekie taking first place for his 75-11=64, three better than David Craig (9) in second, with Bryan Baxter (13) third on 68. Fourth went to James Watson of Canmore for his 70 off 12 while another Deer Park member, Brian Thomson (6), came fifth on the same score.

At Harburn’s latest Kirk Rosebowl Qualifier Walter Speirs came top on 63 net off his 11 handicap followed by John Crossan (20) only a shot behind with the trio of Craig Deerness (1), Jim Lawson (11), and Tug Wilson (10) in joint third on 65 net.