Golf: Captain's joy for Lesley Nicholson

Lesley NICHOLSON has had many highlights - amateur and professional - in her golfing career but captaining Scotland to a first triumph in the women's home internationals in 19 years is right up there with the best of them.

No wonder there were tears in her eyes as Scotland beat Ireland 5-4 at Whitchurch Golf Club, Cardiff yesterday in the last-day title decider. "I don't deserve any of the praise. It's the players who rose to the challenge when the chips were down on the final afternoon," said Lesley modestly.

Her team selections day by day were astute and having the courage to change a foursomes line-up that had taken a 3-0 lead over England on Day 2 was a significant move.

Pamela Pretswell, Kelsey MacDonald and Louise Kenney were the backbone of the team and provided the vital three wins in the teeming rain for the final session of play. But one player deserving of a pat on the back was teenage debutante Rachael Watton (Mortonhall), even though she lost in the final set of singles. But she took Curtis Cup player Lisa Maguire all the way to the last green before going down by one hole.