Midlothian team with the trophy. Back row (left to right): Jane Turner, Wendy Nicholson, Karen Marshall, Claire Hargan. Front row: Fiona de Vries, Belinda murphy, Claire Macdonald, Rachael Livingstone.

MIDLOTHIAN TOPPLE SCOTTISH CHAMPIONS
FIFE AND EARN PLACE IN COUNTY FINALS

Midlothian toppled Scottish champions Fife in the East Division women’s inter-county team championship title decider at Ladybank Golf Club today.
Both team went into the match with two wins out of two and it was Midlothian who triumphed 5 ½-3 ½ to finish with a 100 per cent record and a place in the Scottish county finals at Tulliallan Golf Club at the end of August.
Midlothian took a 2-1 lead in the morning foursomes and shaded the singles 3 ½-2 ½ with wins by Claire Macdonald, teenager Jane Turner and Belinda Murphy. County champion Claire Hargan halved the top singles with Fife’s Jocelyn Carthew.
Claire Macdonald (Midlothian) and former Scottish champion Elaine Moffat (Fife) were the most successful players in the three-day tournament Both finished with five points out of a possible six.
Claire Hargan was second best in the Midlothian points parade with 4 1/2pt, just ahead of Jane Turner with 4pt.
Jocelyn Carthew and Fiona Lockhart, another former Scottish champion in the Fife line-up, each contributed 4pt to the Fife effort.
Stirling & Clackmannan beat East Lothian 5-4 in the other third-day match, which earned them third place in the table.
Midlothian join Aberdeenshire and Dumfries-shire, who won the North and South divisional titles earlier this week in the county finals. The West Division team championship, at Prestwick St Nicholas from July 9 to 11, will decided who completes the four-team line-up at Tulliallan..
Final day details at Ladybank:
EAST LOTHIAN 4, STIRLING & CLACKMANNAN 5
Foursomes: K Brotherton & E Fairnie bt L Allan & S Mitchell 1 hole; L Nicholson & J Smith lost to H MacRae & V Stevenson 2 and 1; F Prior & L Mortensen lost to L Macgregor & M Tough 1 hole (1-2).
Singles – L Nicholson lost to MacRae 3 and 1, Brotherton bt Allan 5 and 4, Mortensen bt E Allison 3 and 2, M Thomson lost to Macgregor 1 hole, S Penman lost to Mitchell 1 hole, Fairnie bt Tough 1 hole (3-3).
FIFE 3 ½, MIDLOTHIAN 5 ½
Foursomes: L Kenney & J Carthew lost to C Hargan & W Nicholson 4 and 2; F Lockhart & E Moffat bt K Marshall & F De Vries 6 and 4; L Bennett & B Copland lost to C MacDdonald & J Turner 4 and 2 (1-2).
Singles – Carthew halved with Hargan, Lockhart lost to Macdonald 3 and 2, Moffat lost to Turner 2 and 1, Kenney bt Marshall 2 holes, Bennett lost to B Murphy 2 holes, L Fury bt W Nicholson 3 and 2 (2 ½-3 ½)
HOW THEY FINISHED
Midlothian 3pt, Fife 2pt, Stirling & Clackmannan 1pt, East Lothian 0pt.