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SCOTLAND THE BRAVE! They'll have to be when they face up to an England team that thrashed Wales 8-0 on the first day of the Senior Women's Home Internationals while Scotland were a bit unlucky to go down 5-3 to Ireland. It might well have been 4-4 on a different day. Image by courtesy of LGU Tournament Director Gillian Roy. |
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| On the First Tee - Photo courtesy of Fiona Cowan |
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| Fog suspends play on Day 1 - Photo courtesy of Fiona Cowan |
Tramore GC, Ireland.
FIRST DAY
IRELAND 5, SCOTLAND 3
Foursomes - Sheena McElroy and Carol Wickham bt Lorna Bennett and Karen Ballantyne 5 and 3, Suzanne Corcoran and Mairead MacNamara lost to Heather Anderson and May Hughes 3 and 2, Pat Doran and Helen Jones bt Mary Smith and Alex Glennie 3 and 2 (2-1).
Singles - McElroy bt Anderson 3 and 2, Wickham lost to Bennett 5 and 4, Pauline Walsh lost to Elaine Allison 3 and 2, Doran bt Glennie 9 and 7, Jones bt Smith 1 hole.
WALES 0, ENGLAND 8
Foursomes - Vikki Thomas and Jane Rees lost to Sue Dye and Caroline Marron 3 and 1, Christine Harries and Janet Doleman lost to Christien Quinn and Bev New 7 and 6, Ann Lewis and Denise Richards lost to Felicity Christine and Janet Melville 2 and 1 (3-0).
Singles - Harries lost to Quinn 1 hole, Karen Weatherley lost to New 3 and 2, Lewis lost to Rozalyn Adams 2 and 1, Rees lost to Dye 4 and 2, Thomas lost to Christine 2 and 1.
THURSDAY MATCHES
Scotland v England, Ireland v Wales.
In the Ireland v Scotland singles, Sheena McElroy won the lead-off tie for Ireland, beating Heather Anderson 3 and 2.
McElroy won three of the first four holes and was two up at the turn. The first three holes of the inward half were halved before the Irish player went three up at the 13th. Three halves ended the match in her favour.
Lorna Bennett put Scotland’s first singles point on the board by beating Carol Wickham 5 and 4. Lorna established an edge on the outward half, standing two up after seven, having won the first, second, fourth and seventh against losses at the third and sixth. Three halved holes from the eighth to the 10th were followed by Bennett surging clear for victory.
The Scot went three up at the 11th and fourth up at the 12th before finishing off the tie by winning the 14th.
Scotland’s Elaine Allison made it 2-2 in the singles by beating Pauline Walsh 3 and 2. Alison dominated the outward half, not losing a hole and winning the third, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth to be five up at the turn.
Walsh made a strong comeback to win the 10th and 12th, followed by the 14th and 15th after Allison had regained a four-hole lead at the 13th. Allison stopped the rot by winning the 16th for victory.
Ireland’s Pat Doran was a 9 and 7 winner over Alex Glennie who did not win a hole. Doran won seven and halved the other two on her way to a seven-hole lead at the turn. The Irish player finished the match by winning the 10th and 11th.
Mary Smith carried Scotland’s hopes of salvaging a draw if she could overturn a two-hole deficit at the turn against Helen Jones, one of Ireland’s top players - easier said than done. Jones doubled her lead by winning the 10th and 12th.but then Smith made a late charge. She won the 13th, 15th and 16th to slash her opponent’s lead to only one hole but halves at the 17th and 18th in pars saw Jones home by one hole.
