Delight for Jas after double trophy success
James (Jas) Donaldson beat Ben Liddell 4&3 in Saturday’s Club Championship Final at Stirling to make it a unique double after securing the Club Strokeplay Championship the previous week.
Course manager James Lindsay and his team presented a fanastic course with excellent true, fast, consistent greens for all competitors to enjoy and after a week which began with bad weather on Monday and a postponed round of 16, Saturday came with favourable weather conditions.
Both players made a nervy start in front of a large group of spectators in attendance for the first round 9am tee-time. A par five at the 1st was good enough for an early one up lead for Jas.
Holes 2 and 3 were halved before a bogey from Ben at the 4th after an errant tee-shot put Jas two up.
Ben, however, fought back with a birdie 4 at the 5th to go back to one down only for Jas to win the next with a par.
The 7th was halved but then pars on 8 and 9 were enough for Jas to take a four up lead at the turn.
Two more wins at 10 and 11 saw hime firmly in control at six u[p before Ben hit back at 12 and 13. Jas then went five up at 14, the next three were halved and Ben took the 18th to go into lunch four down.
The opening four holes in the afternoon were all won with birdies with Jas claiming 19th, 21st and 22nd and Ben 20th for a six up lead. Wins at the 23rd and 25th for Ben sandwiched a half at 24 to make it four down and the next three were all halved in par.
Jas won the 29th with a great birdie three, the 30th was halved and a birdie at the par five 31st saw Ben four down with only five holes left.
He could only muster pars on the next two holes which saw Jas winning his first club championship in only his third season as a member.
The Seniors Scratch Championship saw Murray Ferguson defeat defending champion - and six time club champion - Kevin Brunton.
A level par front nine of 36 gave Murray a five up lead with Kevin claiming holes 2 and 8 - both with birdies - and a remarkable no holes halved. Kevin found his game on the inward nine after the first halved hole at 10 in par threes, reeling off three wins on the spin including a birdie four at the 13th to reduce the deficit to two down.
A lost ball at Cotton’s Fancy for Murray narrowed the margin to one up and the 16th was halved in par.
Kevin found the green at 17 but 40 feet away whilst Murray just rolled off the back of the green in two shots. A difficult pin position - back left - on 17 caused both players problems but Murray negotiated it slightly better to win the hole with a bogey and a 2&1 victory. Results:
Club Championship- round of 16: Jas Donaldson beat Neil Ramage 1up; Chris Forsyth beat Andrew Wilson 2&1; Thomas A Moore beat Sean Mcauley 1up; Dariuz Kunecki beat Colin Brown 5&3; Roger Moore beat John Colquhoun 5&3; Ben Liddell beat Stewart Mclellan 3&1; Greg Mclellan beat John Philliben 3&2; David Oates (defending champion) beat Douglas Todd 1up.
Quarter Finals: Donaldson beat Forsyth 3&2; Kunecki beat TA Moore 8&6; Liddell beat R Moore 2&1; Oates beat Mclellan 2&1. Semi-finals: Donaldson beat Kunecki 4&3; Liddell beat Oates 2&1.
Seniors Scratch - Quarter-finals: Scott Peebles beat Alan J Taylor 1up; Murray Ferguson beat Kenny Stewart 3&2; Ian Matthewson beat David Dryland 7&6; Kevin Brunton beat Alan Watson 3&2. Semi- Finals: Ferguson beat Peebles 5&4 ; Brunton beat Matthewson 4&3/
Handicap Championship (Mccallum Cup): Michael Tortolano, conceding 17 strokes to Allan Mcdonald, won 3&1
Senior Handicap Championship (150th Anniversary Salver): Harry Gardner beat Gordon Robertson at 20th with a birdie three.
Junior Championship: Adam Smith beat Cameron Henderson 6&5
Junior Handicap Championship: Thomas Kelly beat Ben Wilson 5&4.