East Vets Championship

Noreen Fenton (Dunbar) is the East Vets Champion 2011 and will represent the East at Blairgowrie in September when competing for the Scroggie Cup. The present holder of the Scottish Vets Championship title, Karen Ballantyne, was also from the East Division.

Despite the terrible thunderstorms circling Edinburgh and the Lothians (other places too of course but on this blog we are the most important!) since Friday and threatening to erupt over Haddington all day yesterday, no more than a few drops actually fell and certainly not enough to persuade the participants to don waterproofs. The course and greens were in great condition. There was one small patch of casual water on the fairway but the only victim of the recent rains was possibly the bunkers which were like concrete with wet sand and very difficult to exit it from with any finesse.

The first game to take the tee was between Barbara Biggart of North Berwick (Summer Meeting scratch winner) and Ray Lynch of Murrayfield. This game was played out very competitively, most holes being played or won with pars. Ray was three up at the turn but Barbara won the difficult 12th with a good four to bring the scoreline back to two. This was however to be her last victory, as Ray, in great form took two out of the next three, the fifteenth with a birdie, to win 4 and 3 and therefore book her place in the final.

The other semi-final was between Sue Penman of Gullane and Noreen Fenton of Dunbar. Noreen had arrived later than the others as she had gone to Dunbar first, not by intention - she had missed the turn-off for Haddington and had to follow the dual carriageway to Dunbar before being able to turn round!

This also was a very exciting semi-final with good steady scoring. Sue took advantage at the third to go one up when Noreen went into a fairway bunker full of water. To all intents it appeared to be the only one on the course that was water-filled. Sue then went two up at the fifth which slopes from left to right and catches many unawares, even when they know it can be a problem. Noreen won the fifth with a par to go back to one down. At the ninth Sue went over the back with a well-hit iron - the pin was evilly placed minimum distance from the edge. Her return chip was generous and left her with a 20 foot putt which she holed. Pressure on, Noreen had one just slightly nearer for the half which she managed to salvage, to be still one down at the turn. She squared the game at the 10th then won the next two holes to go two up at the 12th. Halves at the next two holes in par before a dream 7 wood to the heart of the par 5, 15th green made this three up. Sue mingled with the overhanging branches at the 16th which left her with an almost impossible chip to get close to the pin. It slid past! Noreen sank her putt to win 4 and 2.

The afternoon game was very thrilling. After an exchange of pars, Noreen went one up at the sixth when Ray uncharacteristically chipped just through the green. At the sixth, Ray pulled her drive round one of the trees into heavy rough. She was lucky enough to find it along with three others and managed to get it on to the fairway, but Noreen lagged a long putt to lip the hole and that made her two up. Both on the eighth green, Ray, calmly sank a very good putt for a birdie 2 at the short 8th to bring this back to only one down. A short-lived scoreline when Noreen took the ninth with a steady par. She was then two up at the turn.

And then the fun began. A great approach by Ray at the 10th narrowed the deficit, another birdie at the long 11th narrowed it even further. All square. Unfortunately she allowed her drive at the 12th to drift into the very long grass from which she just managed to get out. Her next hit a tree and she eventually arrived 15 feet away from the hole in 5. Noreen was sitting fairly close to the hole in three. Ray sank her putt but as she said later she would have been better keeping it for another hole! One up to Noreen, the next hole was halved in par but Noreen hitched up the lead to two by winning the short 14th with a three. Never outdone, a beautiful approach at the 15th, gave Ray a four, her third birdie. Noreen had been judging her long putts very well throughout the game but left her third shot very short after a misjudged pace from off the green and failed to hole from 8 feet. Only one up. A good putt ensured a half at the 16th after she hit a less than crisp iron which just slipped off the front edge of the green.

Both on to the green at the short 17th, Ray putted first but was 5 feet short. Noreen put hers dead. Ray missed her putt and Noreen tapped hers in to win the championship.

Barbara and Sue had made it a very long day for themselves by caddying in the afternoon. Very many thanks to them and to Marjory, Vice-captain who came along to support.

Semifinals
Barbara Biggart lost to Ray Lynch 4 and 3
Sue Penman lost to Noreen Fenton 4 and 2

Final
Ray Lynch lost to Noreen Fenton 2 and 1