Thurso's Ord Salver-winning team (left to right): Audrey Dunnett, Eileen Manson, Nadia Green and Pam Bain (picture by Robin Wilson).

CELEBRATION DAY AT BONAR BRIDGE/ARDGAY
IN CAITHNESS & SUTHERLAND COMPETITION

By ROBIN WILSON

Bonar-Bridge/Ardgay Golf Club hosted the Caithness & Sutherland women's inter-club team competition at the weekend and their ladies had good cause for a double celebration when they won a trophy in the competition for the first time and were given a new women's course record. Within the space of a couple of hours, two record scorecards were returned. After the short nine hole course was upgraded several years ago with three replacement holes the best score by a lady had been an 81 by local member Jacqueline Sutherland.
On Saturday, with the influx of lower handicap players from the visiting clubs of the two northern counties, the local committee were fully expecting this score to be bettered.
Brora Golf Club past captain Anne Robertson enjoyed a two-hour spell as new course record holder when she posted a gross 78, 10 over the ladies’ par for the course but well below her handicap of 16.
This return, added to Brora's other scores of 85 from club champion Lesley Beaney and 100 from Pat Ashe, put Brora into an early lead for the scratch Ord Salver.
However, with a birdie 3 on the last hole the record was taken away from Anne Robertson, and dashed also were Brora's hopes of the scratch team salver win, when Thurso's five-handicap player Eileen Manson, pictured above by Robin Wilson, the Northern Counties LGA vice-captain, had halves of 40 and 37 to lower the record from 78 to 77.
Eileen’s scorecard read:
OUT: 5 4 4 5 5 4 4 4 5 – 40.
IN: 5 4 3 4 6 3 5 4 3 – 37.
Thurso's four players eventually swept to a four-shot scratch win over Wick who came late from the course to relegate Brora to third place.
With three scores counting from four, Thurso's winning total of 255 was made up from Eileen Manson's 77, an 87 from Audrey Dunnett and a 91 from Pam Bain. The Thurso fourth team member was teenager Nadia Green.
Deirdre McAngus and Carol Place, both with scores of 85, and Doreen Cormack's 89 made up Wick's total of 259. Marion Mackay was their fourth player.
Since the competition was inaugurated in 1981 the small membership at Bonar Bridge/Ardgay have never won one either of the two trophies on offer but this was to be their year in the handicap with ever-increasing membership and home advantage.
Jenni Hunter led the way with a net 69 to which was added a net 70 from Maureen Wemyss and then another 70 from Mary Hayden (Northern Counties secretary) for a net total of 209 to wrench the Beatrice Trophy away from holders, Royal Dornoch whose number two team came second with a total of 213.
The Dornoch individual scorers were Margaret Smedley 76, Sylvia McDonald 66, and Rena Bethune 71. Their fourth member was Caroline Fitzpatrick.
Next years' competition returns to Thurso.