Rebecca Wilson is local heroine
as Scots edge 5-4 win v Wales

Monifieth's Rebecca Wilson was the local heroine as Scotland pulled through in the end to beat Wales 5-4 and set up a second-day meeting against England who had to come back from 2-1 down in the foursomes to beat Ireland 6-3 on the opening day of the Girls Home International matches at Panmure Golf Club, Barry near Carnoustie.
Wednesday's pre-scheduled summit meeting between title-holders Scotland and pre-tournament favourites is a match that will go a long way towards deciding if the Scots can complete a hat-trick of Stroyan Cup wins.
Scotland's big guns, Carly Booth and Kelsey MacDonald, the only survivors from the championship-winning line-up of the past two years, won their singles to extend the host nation's lunch-time lead to 4-2 but in the end it took a gritty performance from Rebecca Wilson, who lives not all that far away from the course, to take Scotland through to victory by a single point.
Classy Carly Booth beat Natasha Gobey by 4 and 2 in the top singles tie but only after seeing the Welsh girl hit back from five down after nine to only one down after 14. Coasting Carly then put her foot down on the accelerator pedal again, metaphorically speaking, and wrapped up a 4 and 2 win by taking the 16th and 17th.
Kelsey MacDonald lost only the 12th and 13th in beating Wales' Laura Watkins. But Wales made up the leeway to tie up the overall scoreline at 4-4- with victories by their girls champion Amy Boulden (3 and 2 over Rachael McQueen), Katherine O'Connor (3 and 2 over Lesley Atkins) and by Kelly Miller's 2 and 1 win over Eilidh Briggs.
Step forward Rebecca Wilson to save the day for the Scots. Two down after five, she squared the match at the 12th and then edged ahead of Gemma Bradbury only to be pegged back at the 15th.
Rebecca, who has not had the best of luck over the past year or two, showed she was made of the right stuff by gritting her teeth and finishing just the stronger, winning the 16th to go one up and then coming out of a bunker to clinch victory by also winning the 18th for a two-hole victory.
Lisa Maguire beat English women's champion Hannah Barwood by 2 and 1 to boost Ireland's morning lead to 3-1 in a great match that was settled by the Irish girl birdieing the 16th to go one up and parring the 17th for victory.
Lisa's 13-year-old twin sister Leona, both of whom will be playing for Ireland in the forthcoming Junior Ryder Cup match, lost out by one hole to Holly Clyburn in another fine match. Holly won the second and third for a two-hole lead and went three up at the 13th before her Irish opponent came back at her by winning the 14th, 16th and 17th.
Holly had stemmed the tide by winning the 15th but she was glad to halve the last for a one-hole victory.
Kelly Tidy, the fourth member of Europe's Junior Ryder Cup team (Carly Booth is the other). came back from two down to Patrice Delaney after eight holes to win the 17th and 18th for a thrilling one-hole success.
Alex Peters was a 3 and 2 winner over Sarah Cunningham in a match in which the first six holes were halved. Alex took the seventh, eighth and ninth to leap into a three-hole lead that was to prove decisive.
Rachel Connor was a 4 and 2 winner over Stephanie Meadow after being two up on the seventh tee and four up after 12. Heidi Baek beat Emma O'Dreiscoll by one hole in the last match to finish. There was never more than a hole in it and the Irish girl squared the match at the 17th before Heidi won the 18th for victory.
You have to feel a bit of sympathy for the Irish. They were leading 3-1 and at different points in the afternoon, they might have got a 4 1/2-4 1/2 draw, or even edged a 5-4 win but it all went pear-shaped for them in the end.
Three of England's victories were by one hole. Where was the luck of the Irish? With just a little bit of fortune, two of these 18th green wins could have gone to Ireland and turned the result on its head.