Thursday 8 August 2013

SCOTLAND LOSE OUT TO ENGLAND ON DAY 2 OF THE GIRLS' HOME INTERNATIONALS

Scotland led England by 2 points going into the afteroon singles but it was not enough to stop the Stroyan Cup holders' march towards a sixth successive capture of the Girls Home International Matches title at St Annes Old Links Golf Club, a mile or two south of Blackpool.
The English, with so many good players in their line-up, took the singles 5-1 for an overall 5 1/2-3 1/2 win over the Scots for whom their 2013 champion, Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies) was the only afternoon winner
She beat Junior Vagliano Trophy team player Sophie Madden by 5 and 4 after being three up at the turn.
The writing was on the wall for Scotland halfway through the afternoon action on another gorgous summer's day in Lancashire.
It boiled down to a 3 1/2-3 1/2 scoreline with two matches to finish in which Scotland's Clara Young improved to be two up with six to play while Fiona Liddell was one down at the same point.
Young bogeyed the 13th and 15th, lost the 16th to a birdie and then bogeyed the 17th to lose by 2 ad 1 to Olivia Winning, the Rotherham girl who won the Helen Holm Scottish open stroke-play title at Troon in April.
Liddell lost by a similar margin to Sophie Madden, a GB and I junior international, who won the 13th and 16th when the crunch came.
Scotland skipper Laura Walker has not given up hope yet.
"Ireland could yet do us a good turn by beating England on the last day while we have to beat Wales," she said.
"But the hardest job is raising our team spirit again. Chins up will be my order of the day. We have to bounce back and show what we are made of. The core of next year's Scotland girls team is here and they have to learn to cope with results like this."

DAY 2
GIRLS' HOME INTERNATIONALS
St Annes Old Links Golf Club, Lancashire

IRELAND 4 1/2, WALES 4 1/2

Foursomes: Olivia Mehaffey and Ariana Coyle Diez lost to Chloe Williams and Ella Griffiths 3 and 1; Chloe Weir and Julie McCarthy bt Bethan Morris and Nia Greville 2 and 1; Mary Doyle and Niamh McSherry bt Emma Miller and Sadie Dewington-Davies 5 and 3 (2-1)
Singles: Mehaffey bt Greville 3 and 1, Doyle halved with Williams, Weir lost to Morris 2 and 1, Shannon Burke lost to Megan Lockett 2 holes, McCarthy lost to Georgia Lewis 5 and 3, Coyle Diez bt Miller 1 1/2 (2 1/2-3 1/2).

SCOTLAND 3 1/2, ENGLAND 5 1/2

Foursomes - Lauren Whyte and Connie Jaffrey bt Gabriella Cowley and Sophie Lamb 2 and 1, Clara Young and Tara Mactaggart bt Alice Hewson and Sophie Keech 3 and 1, Heather Munro and Fiona Liddell halved with Annabel Dimmock and Sammy Fuller (2 1/2-1/2).
Singles- Whyte lost to Cowley 4 and 2, Lesley Atkins lost to Dimmock 3 and 2, Mactaggart lost to Keech 5 and 4, Jaffrey bt Sophie Madden 5 and 4, Young lost to Olivia Winning 2 and 1, Liddell lost to Lamb 2 and 1 (1-5).

HOW THEY STAND
England 2pt, Scotland 1pt, Ireland 1/2pt, Wales 1/2pt.

FINAL MATCHES
England v Ireland, Scotland v Wales.

Thanks go to Colin Farquharson for the report