Round Up: Title holders Scots suffer sore Downfield defeat

Defending champions Scotland suffered an agonising defeat to Ireland in the opening round of matches in the Women’s Home Internationals at Downfield.

Scotland's Shannon McWilliam won her afternoon singles match. Picture: Ian Walton/Getty Images

The hosts led 2-1 after the morning foursomes at the Dundee venue but only managed two wins in the afternoon singles from Hazel MacGarvie (Royal Troon) and Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne).

In a nail-biting finish, the key game saw Castleroy’s Chloe Ryan turn things around to beat Louise 
Duncan (West Kilbride) by one hole to give Ireland a 5-4 victory.

Scotland, who won the title 12 months ago for the first time since 2010, now take on England, who top the table after hammering Wales 8-1.

In the girls’ equivalent, which is being held simultaneously at the same venue, Scotland lost 6-3 to Ireland while England beat Wales by the same margin.

A day further in at Ashburnham, Scotland face hosts Wales in the wooden-spoon decider in the boys’ event after losing 9.5-5.5 to England on the back of an opening 10-5 loss to Ireland.

Mainly due to a bigger win over Wales, England sit above Ireland heading into their title decider in south Wales.

In the professional ranks, Gleneagles Hotel-attached Thomas Higson won the Tartan Tour’s Deer Park Masters after the second round was cancelled due to thunderstorms at the Livingston course.

Only 25 players had completed their rounds when the weather intervened, leaving Higson, one of the most improved players on the PGA in Scotland circuit over the past couple of seasons, to be declared the winner on the strength of his five-under-par 67 in the opening circuit.