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| Connie Jaffrey - Photo courtesy of Colin Farquharson |
After a day that finished in teeming rain, Wales are almost home and dry as Women's Home Internationals champions at Scotscraig GC, Fife after beating Ireland 5-4 to be the only team with two wins out of two going into the final day at the Fife venue.
Scotland, who lost 5-4 to England on Day 2, are the final day opponents of the Welsh but not even a Scotland victory would change anything - unless England won their final match against Ireland by a huge margin.
Then both Wales and England would have finished with 2pt and it would go to a countback of individual games won if that were the case.
Wales won the title when the matches were last played in Scotland at Irvine in 2009. How a tiny golfing country such as Wales can produce such good women's amateur golf teams is amazing !
Scotland, champions at Cardiff in 2010, are trying to avoid the Wooden Spoon for the third year in a row.
But they did go down fighting against England, losing the foursomes 2-1 and drawing the singles 3-3 in an afternoon which changed from brilliant, warm sunshine at 2pm to bucketing rain by 4pm.
Scottish winners in the singles were Stiring student Hannah McCook from Nethy Bridge, Connie Jaffrey (Troon Ladies), the 16 year old Scottish girls champion, and Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm) produced the fightback of the day. Three down at the turn, she beat English champion Sarah-Jane Boyd by 2 and 1.
England increased their 2-1 foursomes lead to 3-1 when British champion Georgia Hall beat Scottish champion Alyson McKechin by 6 and 5 within 2hr 20min. Four up after eight, Hall won the 11th and 12th (with a birdie) and a half finished the one-sided match on the 13th green. McKechin won only the third hole against Georgia who is ranked in the world's top 10 female amateurs.
England went 4-1 ahead in the rain when Gabriella Cowley beat Megan Briggs by 4 and 2.
All square after 10, Cowley turned on the heat by winning the long 11th with a birdie 4 and the 12th with a par 4 to surge two up.
Cowley produced another birdie to win the long 14th to be three up. The English player was conceded the 16th and the match by 4 and 2, making the overall scoreline: England 4, Scotland 1.
The Scots got one back when Megan Briggs' sister Eilidh beat English champion Sarah-Jane Boyd by 4 and 2. The
Truro player was three up at the turn after winning the seventh, eighth and ninth (with a birdie).
But Eilidh put the wheels under her recovery with birdies at the 10th, and 12th to get it back to one down.
The short 13th was halved in birdie 2s before Briggs won the 14th with a par to be all square for the first time since the sixth.
The 16th was halved and Eilidh won the 17th and the match by 2 and 1 after a concession by Boyd.
England 4, Scotland 2 with two matches to finish
That became England 4, Scotland 3 when 16 year old Scottish girls champion Connie Jaffrey beat another teenager Amber Ratcliffe by 3 and 2.
Connie always looked to be in control of the outcome - two up after four and still two up at the turn, thanks to a birdie 4 at the long ninth.
Ratcliffe got one back with a birdie 4 at the 11th but Jaffrey birdied the short 13th and also won the 15th with a par to go three up with three to play. A half at the 16th ended the match
Still to finish: Scotland's Hannah McCook two up on Rachael Goodall with three to play ...England's Annabel Dimmock one up against Lauren Whyte with three to play
Dimmock birdied the 16th from 15ft to go two up with two to play against Whyte, which ended Scotland's lingering hopes of a victory.
All square after eight, the ninth and 11th holes in this match were halved in birdies. Dimmock had gone one up with a 4 at the 10tj and another par at the 12th put the young Englisj player two up.
Whyte birdied the short 13th to get back to one down but Dimmock holed a putt from off the green at the 14th to preserve her lead and holed from off the green again to win the long 16th with a birdie 4.
McCook, who had been two up after four holes against Goodall was pulled back to square by birdies from the English player at the fifth and eighth. The nine was halved in birdie 4s.
McCook went one up on a concession at the 10th and birdied the long 11th to go two up. A series of halves followed, the 15th and 16th in birdies.
Annabel secured the winning fifth point for England by beating Lauren Whyte 2 and 1 as the rain continued to teem down.
The 17th hole was halved ini their match.
McCook and Goodall halved every hole from the 12th to the 17th, leaving the Scot the winner by 2 and 1.
THURSDAY'S RESULTS
Scotscraig Golf Club, Tayport, Fife
IRELAND 4, WALES 5
Foursomes (1-2)
Olivia Mehaffey and Mary Doyle lost to Amy Boulden and Becky Harries 4 and 3.
Lisa Maguire and Leona Maguire lost to Chloe Williams and Katie Bradbury 1 hole.
Maria Dunne and Emma O'Driscoll bt Jess Evans and Megan Lockett 1 hole.
Singles (3-3)
Leona Maguire beat Boulden 4 and 3.
Lisa Maguire lost to Williams 4 and 3.
Dunne halved with Bradbury
O'Driscoll halved with Sam Birks
Paula Grant halved with Evans
Mehaffey halved with Harries.
SCOTLAND 4, ENGLAND 5
Foursomes (1-2)
Alyson McKechin and Eilidh Briggs beat Georgia Hall and Lauren Taylor 2 and 1.
Lauren Whyte and Heather Munro lost to Sarah-Jane Boyd and Rachael Goodall 2 and 1.
Megan Briggs and Gabrielle Macdonald lost to Annabel Dimmock and Alexandra Peters 2 and 1.
Singles (3-3)
McKechin lost to Hall 6 and 5.
Eilidh Briggs beat Boyd 2 and 1.
Megan Briggs lost to Gabriella Cowley 4 and 2.
Connie Jaffrey beat Amber Ratcliffe 3 and 2.
Whyte lost to Dimmock 2 and 1.
Hannah McCook bt Goodall 2 and 1.
HOW THEY STAND
Wales 2 points
England 1point
Scotland 1/2 point
Ireland 1/2 point
