Golf: Midlothian get off to a flyer with Turner hitting top form

Published on Tuesday 30 June 2009 09:44

ON-FORM Jane Turner led the way as Midlothian opened their campaign with a hard-earned win in the East Women's Inter-County Golf Championship at Falkirk Carmuirs.

Bidding to repeat recent wins in 2005 and 2007, Mid took the foursomes 2- against East Lothian before going on to record a 7-2 victory overall.

Turner won both her matches as she maintained the form that saw her secure third place in the recent Irish Women's Open Stroke Play Championship, the Craigielaw player also helping Scotland win the team title in that event.

In the foursomes, Turner joined forces with another of the promising young guns, Rachael Watton, to win by 5 and 4 against Lesley Nicholson and Emma Fairnie in the top match.

Behind them, Karen Marshall and Wendy Nicholson were held by Line Mortenson and Fiona Prior before the bottom match also fell to Mid, Claire Hargan and Claire MacDonald getting the better of Mary Lou Renton and Ruth Carroll. In the singles, Turner proved too strong for Mortenson but former Curtis Cup player Nicholson hit back for East with a last-green win over Hargan, the Mid champion this year.

At one point, Mid were down in two of the matches and square in another two but they stepped up a gear on the back nine, Louise Fraser typifying the spirit in the side as she recovered from three down to deliver a point.

Kirsten Blackwood and Watton also dug deep to win their matches, with MacDonald chipping in with a half point against Linda Grieve in the anchor game.

In the other match on the opening day, defending champions Fife won by the same margin overall against Stirling & Clackmannan, setting up a mouth-watering clash against Mid today.

Fife won the foursomes 3-0, the pairing of Elaine Moffat and Fiona Hastie laying the foundations with a two-hole win. Hastie also won her singles, as did Louise Kenney, Sarah Jackson and Ashleigh Wilton.