WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS County prevail in final
Perth and Kinross stunningly triumphed at the Scottish Women’s County Finals over the weekend.
And it meant that the region’s ladies lifted the title for the first time in 68 years.
The success was very much deserved after a commanding display across three days of action at Forres Golf Club in the heart of Moray.
P&K started the event with a 5½–3½ victory over Dunbartonshire and Argyll and then got the better of a North Invitational side 8-1.
That teed-up the shot at glory. Another resounding victory, this time 7½–1½ against Midlothian, clinched the trophy for the first time since 1953 and started the celebrations.
Captain of the team Jillian Milne said: “The team spirit has been fantastic and I couldn’t be happier for them all.
“They deserved everything they got. On Sunday the birdie putts were dropping like confetti.
“It has been a real team effort with everyone contributing points. We’ve always had good players but in the past lacked a bit of strength in depth. That’s certainly not the case now so hopefully it won’t be another 68 years before we win again. I’m sure it won’t be.
“It has been a fantastic few days for all the teams. All the games were played in great spirit. I think that after what we’ve been through the last year and a half we’re all grateful to be back playing some competitive golf again. We’ve all been determined to have some fun.”
Perth and Kinross ended the event with a total of 21 points from their three matches, which was sixand-a-half more than Dunbartonshire and more than double the points of third-placed Midlothian.
The top points earner for the winning P&K team was Katy Alexander, from Blairgowrie Golf Club, who emerged with four-and-ahalf points out of five. But it was the superior strength in depth which was the secret to the overall success.
All eight of the players contributed with Aberfeldy’s Isla Moncrieff claiming a 100 per cent record with four points from her four starts.
Dunfermline’s Jennifer Saxton accumulated four points in the five matches she played, while Eilidh Watson from the St Regulus club amassed the same total from her six starts.
Blairgowrie’s Megan Ashley and Muckhart’s Laura Walker both claimed three-and-a-half points out of five while there was also an impressive cameo performance from captain Milne, who won both the matches she played in on the second day.
Whitemuir’s Laura Campbell contributed oneand-a-half points out of four.
Meanwhile, Perthshire golfers Connor Graham (Blairgowrie) and Daniel Bullen (Auchterarder) enjoyed a great experience competing for Great Britain and Ireland in the Jacques Léglise Trophy.
Held at Falsterbo Golf Club in Sweden, the Continent of Europe finished up as 16½-8½ winners.