WIGTOWNSHIRE v DUMFRIESSHIRE
The Peat Salver is a match play competition between the three Counties in the South of Scotland. The first match took place at Newton Stewart Golf Club on Thursday 16 April on a beautiful spring day with the sun shining out of a blue sky and no wind. A perfect day for golf on a course in very good condition between two teams of 8 boys which on paper looked very evenly matched.
Both teams had selected five young players making their debut and three players with South of Scotland Junior team experience. An interesting combination and it soon became apparent the match result would hang on how the young blood and future stars performed on representative duty.
In the morning foursomes it was the top match which attracted the most attention. This was a cracking game which saw the lead changing hands many times before the Wigtownshire pairing of Fraser Hughes (Newton Stewart) and Sean McCulloch (Stranraer) emerged victorious over Rowan Marchbank (D&G) and Finlay Copland (D&G) by 1 hole. The second game was also a victory for Wigtownshire but the young Dumfriesshire pairings in the third and fourth games levelled the score at lunch to 2 games all by showing their more experienced team mates how to do it.
The top game in the afternoon singles was contested by two players playing exceptionally well – they shared 9 birdies between them – and went to the eighteenth green where Fraser beat Rowan by1 hole. A great display of match play golf by two young stars of the future. After four games Wigtownshire led by 3 games to 1 and the pressure was on the Dumfriesshire youngsters again to reproduce their form of the morning. And they did produce some super golf by winning all four remaining games to win the singles by 5 games to 3 and the match by 7 games to 5. Mitchell Cowie, Corey Brown, Neil MacDonald (all D&C) and Jamie Marchbank (D&G) showed confidence and experience beyond their young years, some super ball striking and short game skills. The Wigtownshire young stars showed enthusiasm, good course management and a good fighting spirit The experience will stand them in good stead for the future.
Individual Scores
Morning Foursomes
Fraser Hughes (Newton Stewart) and Sean McCulloch (Stranraer) beat Rowan Marchbank (D&G) and Finlay Copland (D&G) by 1 hole
Euan Kyle (Portpatrick) and Graeme Hoodless (Newton Stewart) beat Ross Whyte (D&G) and Harry Austin (D&C) by 4 and 2
Ross Plant (Stranraer) and Brendan Todd (Stranraer) lost to Mitchell Cowie (D & C) and Corey Brown (D & C) by 4 and 2
Sam Mitchell (Portpatrick) and Craig Burns (Portpatrick) lost to Neil MacDonald (D & C) and Jamie Marchbank (D & G) by 4 and 3
Foursomes Result Wigtownshire 2 games Dumfriesshire 2 games
Afternoon Singles
Fraser Hughes beat Rowan Marchbank by 1 hole
Sean McCulloch lost to Finlay Copland by 4 and 3
Euan Kyle beat Ross Whyte by 3 and 1
Graeme Hoodless beat Harry Austin by 4 and 3
Brendan Todd lost to Mitchell Cowie by 8 and 7
Ross Plant lost to Corey Brown by 4 and 3
Craig Burns lost to Neil MacDonald by 7 and 6
Sam Mitchell lost to Jamie Marchbank by 4 and 3
Singles Result Wigtownshire 3 games Dumfriesshire 5 games
Match Result Wigtownshire 5 games Dumfriesshire 7 games