Golf: Caine is the woman who would be queen

DUNBAR'S Linda Caine claimed the Midlothian Women's County Championship at Prestonfield – 19 years after her only other previous appearance in the final.

After being let off the hook in her morning semi-final against Kingsknowe's Louise Fraser, Caine beat Wendy Nicholson of Broomieknowe by 4 and 3 to go one better than her defeat at the hands of Eline Bruce in 1991.

She never looked back in the final after winning the first two holes and avoided the back nine slump that had almost cost her title chance earlier in the day.

After being four up after five, Caine came to the last one down against Fraser, who lipped out with a four-footer to win the match before succumbing at the second extra hole.

In her semi-final, Nicholson clinched a one-hole win over Baberton's Karen Marshall by driving the last to set up a birdie.

In the B event, Murrayfield's Denise Mitchell clinched the title with a 2 and 1 win over Isobel Halliday of the Merchants.

• LORETTO'S Julie Yang scored her biggest success to date when winning the Welsh Women's Open Amateur Stroke-Play Championship at Southerndown.

The 14-year-old, who has been working with Alan Murdoch at Kings Acre since she started at the Musselburgh school, beat Pleasington's Nikki Foster at the first extra hole in a play-off after the pair had tied on 216 after three rounds.

Craigielaw's Jane Turner finished just outside the top ten on 227, with Rachael Watton of Mortonhall 22nd on 234.

• LIBERTON'S Anthony Blaney gave a good account of himself in the latest SGU Junior Tour event at Forrester Park just outside Dunfermline.

He signed for rounds of 72 and 74 to finish joint second – one shot behind the winner, Josh Jamieson of St Andrews New.

Bathgate's Louis Gaughan (77, 74) was 11th, just ahead of Craigielaw's Scottish Boys champion Grant Forrest, who had a first-round 81 but bounced back well with a 72.