Moira Thomson beaten in the final at Kinross

Moira Thomson(Gullane ladies) failed to take the Scottish Senior ladies Championship 2009 at Kinross yesterday after an exciting match watched only by true stalwarts who braved the much promised about-turn in the weather.

Heather Anderson of Alyth, a previous winner of the Scottish Veteran Ladies Golf Championship (as is Moira) took on not only the consistently steady Moira, but a bevy of other ladies of proven record, a very worthy course, a complete kaleidoscope of weather and a guerilla war waged by resident clegs, to lift the trophy. A worthy champion indeed.

The final score of 5 and 3 for Heather did little justice to the great golf on view when over the first seven holes none were halved and at that point, she was only one up. Tit for tat.

Despite mistakes on both sides, with visits to dark forests and obliging bunkers, Heather, by virtue not only of great golf shots but an increasingly lethal putter, took control of the match and won four in concession from the ninth. A 20 foot racer secured the 11th - (pictured above) followed by a putt of similar length from off the green at the very slopey 12th, which was little short of a kamikaze dive into the hole. Moira must have thought, seeing it charge down the incline that she had a hope of getting one back, since it would surely have gone right off the green. Unfortunately for her, the pin got in the way! At that point Moira went 5 down.

However characteristically, she capitalised on unexpected errors by her opponent at the 13th and reduced that to four. Despite a beautiful iron to the long-short 14th by Moira, giving her an easy three, Heather produced a mouth-watering chip from beyond the back of the green, to stop right at the pin for a half.

Both drove nicely down the increasingly heavy, long 15th, Heather playing her second safely down the right but Moira finding the mid-fairway bunker with hers. Harbouring a huge lip, a recovery from this bunker, sufficient to reach the green was never on the cards but Moira came out very well. Her next found the back of the green but a necessary attacking putt, bearing in mind her dormie-down situation, left her too much to do, leaving Heather free to secure the match and the title.

Moira had a difficult half on the way to the final, beating Kathleen Sutherland, Lorna Bennett and Noreen Fenton - all previous winners of the Scottish Vets - Lorna Bennett also being the defending champion of the Scottish Seniors. Moira was runner-up in this competition in 2005 at Grantown-on-Spey. Next year it is at Fortrose and Rosemarkie. She'll be hoping to splat that old saying - twice the bridesmaid never the bride.