Golf: Another honour for Liberton

THESE are heady times for Liberton Golf Club. First its junior team claim a Scottish title and now one of the members is the new Lothians president.

Denys Flaherty is the first Liberton man to secure that post, having succeeded Haddington's Ken Wood at the end of his two-year tenure.

Only Bill Dakers, the one-time secretary of the Scottish Golf Union, has held a more senior position among the Capital club's members, past and present.

"It is a fantastic honour for me personally and also Liberton Golf Club," said Flaherty, a member since 1969 and former club captain.

He joined the Lothians in 1997, the same time as Wood, and was selection convenor as four Scottish Area team titles were claimed in five years.

"It would be the icing on the cake if Lothians won that event again during my spell as president," admitted the Hibs season-ticket holder.

"However, the change of format introduced this year has probably evened it out for some of the Areas."

Having retired earlier this year - he spent the last 30 years working as a finance manager for Barnardos in Edinburgh - Flaherty is ready to give his all to the new role.

"I wouldn't have taken it on if I wasn't going to enjoy it," he said. "That was frame of mind that I took with the Liberton captaincy - and it's the same now."