Nicholson's plucky amateur team just fails to reign in Spain

SCOTLAND'S amateurs saw their bid for a first European Women's Team championship title thwarted in the semi-finals by host nation Spain at La Manga yesterday.

Lesley Nicholson's side, who went into the match in buoyant mood after a 4-3 win over England on Thursday, were beaten 4.5-2.5 by the four-time champions.

Nairn's Kelsey MacDonald, the Scottish champion, and Fife's international stalwart Louise Kenney again forged an effective foursomes partnership and edged out Mireia Prat and Elia Folch by 2 and 1 as the morning session finished evenly poised at 1-1. The Spanish, who scored a hat-trick of European crowns in 2003, 2005 and 2007, seized control in the singles and struck an early blow when Prat powered to a 6 and 5 win over Kilmacolm's Megan Briggs.

MacDonald lost by one hole in a closely fought joust with former British Open champion Carlota Ciganda and, despite Kenney maintaining her 100% record with a 5 and 3 win over Folch in the lower order, Spain reached their winning target as Marta Silva defeated St Rule Trophy winner Laura Murray 4 and 3.

The Spanish will now face Sweden in today's final after they overpowered defending champions Germany 5.5-1.5. Scotland will play off with the Germans for third and fourth place. At the European Men's championship in Sweden, the dethroned champions Scotland battled to a 3-2 win over Portugal in their second flight match at the Osterakers club Philip McLean and Kris Nicol were crushed 7 and 6 in the foursomes but singles wins for James Byrne, Ross Kellett and Michael Stewart turned the tie around and set up a play-off for ninth spot with France today. England, runners-up to the Scots last year, will play Sweden in the final.

Elsewhere, the Scottish under-18 side went down 3-2 to Ireland in the second division of the European Boys' event at the Klassis resort in Turkey while the girls' team suffered a 2-1 loss to Italy at Aalborg in Denmark.