Golf: Nicholson sticks to her guns

Published on Wednesday 8 September 2010 14:17

Scotland captain Lesley Nicholson has stuck with the players who played well in winning five of the six singles against Wales for this morning's foursomes against England on Day 2 of golf's Women's Home Internationals at Whitchurch Golf Club, Cardiff.

Teenage debutante Rachael Watton (Mortonhall) won her first game for Scotland at this level by 3 and 2 against Sam Birks as the Scots avenged that so-costly last-day 6-3 defeat by Wales at Irvine 12 months ago.

That has persuaded Nicholson to try her in the foursomes line-up with former Scottish champion Megan Briggs, who also did not play in the opening alternate-shot session yesterday morning.

The reverse side of the coin is that Craigielaw's June Turner who partnered Martine Pow (Selkirk) to defeat in the opening foursomes and was dropped from the singles line-up in the 6-2 victory over Wales misses another session of play.

Nicholson expects England to come out fighting against Scotland today after an 8-1 thrashing by Ireland on Day 1. And that's why there was no "Who's gonna be second?" bullish talk from the captain as she assessed the first day's results.

"We will have to play as well as we did against Wales, possibly even a bit better, to beat England," she said.

England's response to one of their heaviest ever defeats in the Women's Home Internationals is to drop Curtis Cup player Hannah Barwood and 14-year-old debutante Charley Hull from the foursomes against Scotland.

&#149 Capital golfer John Gallagher was sitting in a share of fifth heading into the third round of the European Tour's qualifying school stage one at Ebreichsdorf in Austria.

The former Scottish Amateur champion, who has been plying his trade on the PGA EuroPro Tour since joining the paid ranks in 2009, fired a two-under 70 yesterday for a two-under 142. Swanston member Gallagher finished five shots behind Sweden's Niclas Johansson, who eased to the front with a 68 for 137.