Thursday 17 July was a lovely benign day at Newton Stewart Golf Club for the first round and quarter finals of the South of Scotland Junior Match Play championships. The course had lost a lot of its fiery conditions from the previous week for the Strokeplay Championships and was more to the liking of the players who produced some excellent matches and scoring. Iron shots were holding the greens, chipping was not affected by bad bounces and putts were confidently struck and holed.
The younger boys all acquitted themselves well but in the end lost out to the more experienced older boys. The semi-finals on Friday produced some great golf from all the players in the testing windy conditions. Robert Hughan (Newton Stewart0 beat Chris Shearman (Lochmaben) by 3 & 2 and Fraser Hughes (Newton Stewart) beat Conor Harkness (D & G) by 4 & 2 to set up an all Newton Stewart final. A small crowd of local members followed the boys up the first where Fraser unfortunately missed a short putt to lose the hole. This seemed to unnerve him and his usual reliable short game and putting deserted him for the rest of the match. Robert played very steadily and took all his chances to run out the winner, and worthy champion, by 6 & 5. Robert is now the South of Scotland Junior Strokeplay and Matchplay champion for 2014, a feat not often accomplished.
Results:
1st Round Quarter Final Semi Final Final
Robert Hughan
V Robert Hughan
Jamie Marchbank
V Robert Hughan
Angus Bendall
V Angus Bendall
Nathan Watson
V Robert Hughan
Andrew Kennedy
V Andrew Kennedy
Callan Harkness
V Chris Shearman
Sam Solley
V Chris Shearman
Chris Shearman
v Robert Hughan
Conor Harkness
V Conor Harkness
Robbie Smith
V Conor Harkness
Duncan Samson
V Rowan Marchbank
Rowan Marchbank
V Fraser Hughes
Cameron Gray
V Graeme Hoodless
Graeme Hoodless
V Fraser Hughes
Corey Brown
V Fraser Hughes
Fraser Hughes