Scotland team named for Girls'

Home Internationals at Panmure

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Curtis Cup player Carly Booth (Comrie) and Scottish schoolgirls champion Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar) are the only survivors from last year’s winning team in the Scotland squad chosen for the girls’ home international matches at Panmure Golf Club, Carnoustie from August 5 to 7.
It is:
Lesley Atkins (Minto). Handicap 5.
Carly Booth (Comrie). Handicap +3.
Eilidh Briggs (Kilmacolm). Handicap 3.
Kelsey MacDonald (Nairn Dunbar). Handicap +2.
Rachel McQueen (Troon Ladies). Handicap 2.
Annabel Niven (Crieff). Handicap 5.
Sammy Vass (Tain). Handicap 3.
Rebecca Wilson (Monifieth). Handicap 4.
Reserves:
1 Gillian Scanlan (Hamilton). Handicap 5.
2 Jill Meldrum (Dullatur). Handicap 5.
3 Hannah McCook (Abernethy). Handicap 12.
*Last known handicaps listed. They may have changed.

Scotland have won the girls’ home internationals for the past two years.
Last year, the Scots team simply outclassed the opposition, beating Ireland 7 ½-1 ½ , England
7 ½- ½ and Wales 8 ½- ½.
Of last year’s successful Scotland team, Megan Briggs, Krystle Caithness, Roseanne Niven, Pamela Pretswell and Jane Turner are over the age limit this year.
Curtis Cup player Sally Watson would have been still young enough for selection but her major knee operation the week after the match against the United States will keep her on the sidelines at least until the Women’s Home Internationals in September.
One has to feel a bit of sympathy for the two beaten semi-finalists in last week’s Scottish Under-18 girls’ championship at Alyth – Gillian Scanlan and Mhairi Johnstone (Northern) who have not been chosen.
They both played well to reach the last four where they were beaten by Carly Booth and Kelsey MacDonald, both automatic selections.
It is unusual for neither beaten semi-finalist to be selected and for one, Mhairi, not even to make the list of three reserves.
Annabel Niven, only 16 years old, forced her way into the team with an excellent performance in three days of high winds at the R&A Junior Open at Hesketh. Playing off five, she won a Regional Trophy for her net aggregate for 36 holes.
Even younger than Annabel is Lesley Atkins (Minto) who won the Scottish Under-14 girls’ title at The Glen, North Berwick on Friday, July 11.
The choice of youngsters Annabel and Lesley for the Girls' Home Internationals, added to the selection en bloc of the four who made up Scotland’s side for the European girls’ team championship at Murcar Links – Booth, MacDonald, Sammy Vass and Rebecca Wilson – meant the SLGA selectors had only two other places left to fill.
They went to two-handicapper Rachel McQueen and Eilidh Briggs who plays off three. Purely on a comparison of handicaps, Rachel and Eilidh were ahead of the beaten semi-finalists, Scanlan and Johnstone, in the pecking order.

Three for British girls’ team event at Monifieth
Carly Booth, Kelsey MacDonald and Rebecca Wilson will have their scores count for Scotland in the international team stroke-play event which is staged in conjunction with the qualifying rounds of the British girls’ open championship at Monifieth Golf Club from August 11 to 15.
Rebecca is the team captain for the event, which is being played over her home course.
The reserves are Lesley Atkins (Minto) and Gillian Monteith (Portpatrick Dunskey).

Three for British women’s team event at Malone (Belfast)
Laura Murray (Alford), Roseanne Niven (Crieff) and Kylie Walker (Buchanan Castle) will have their scores count for Scotland in the international team stroke-play event which will be staged in conjunction with the first two rounds of the British women’s open amateur stroke-play championship at Malone Golf Club, Belfast from August 20 to 22.
Pamela Pretswell (Bothwell Castle), Emily Ogilvy (Auchterarder) and Michele Thomson (McDonald Ellon) are listed as 1-2-3 reserves.

Kylie Walker has been given the honour of captaining the trio in Northern Ireland.