Home Internationals: Aboyne duo to help Scotland defend title at Downfield

Twelve months after winning the event for the first time since 2010, Scotland will now be hoping to make home advantage count in this week’s Women’s Home Internationals at Downfield.

The hosts’ seven-strong line up includes two Aboyne players, with Kimberley Beveridge earning her just reward for winning the Scottish Women’s Championship at Kilmarnock (Barassie) in June as she joins Curtis Cup player Shannon McWilliam.

Junior Solheim Cup hopeful Hannah Darling (Broomieknowe) is also in the side bidding to stage a successful title defence following a 6-3 win over Ireland in last year’s decider at Ballybunion.

St Rule Trophy winner Hazel MacGarvie (Royal Troon), Penny Brown (Worthing), Louise Duncan (West Kilbride) and Chloe Goadby (St Regulus) are the others on duty at the Dundee venue, where the girls’ equivalent is being staged simultaneously.

Leading the hosts into battle in that event are recently-crowned Scottish Girls’ champion Katy Alexander (Blairgowrie) and another Aboyne player, Carmen Griffiths, who recently represented Great Britain & Ireland in the Junior Vagliano Trophy in June.

Meanwhile, on the opening day of the Boys’ Home Internationals at Ashburnham in south Wales, Scotland lost 10-5 to Ireland while England hammered Wales 11½-3½.

l Thomas Higson (Gleneagles Hotel) carded a five-under-par 67 to lead by a shot after the opening round of the Deer Park Masters on the Tartan Tour.

Higson signed for seven birdies, including three in a row from the seventh, at the Livingston venue as he set the pace ahead of Paul O’Hara (North Lanarkshire Leisure), James Steven (Drumpellier) and Ross Cameron (Saltire Energy).

l James Morgan and Oliver Sullivan shot matching 66s in the second round to share the lead on two-under after 36 holes in the Faldo Series Scottish qualifier at Bruntsfield Links.