Two East Vets to play in Senior European Team Championship

Two East Vets are in a team of six to represent Scotland in the Senior Ladies' European Team Championship starting on Monday August 31. Moira Thomson (Gullane Ladies) and Fiona Hunter (Baberton) will be packing their bags tomorrow night for a very early flight on Saturday morning over to Ireland together with their teammates Heather Anderson (Alyth), Lorna Bennett (Ladybank), Fiona de Vries (St Rule) and Mary Smith (Tain), captain Pamela Williamson (Baberton) and team manager Janet Wake (Merchants of Edinburgh).

The championship takes place on Dun Laoghaire golf course outside Dublin. Constructed in 2007 in Ballyman Glen, this is a beautiful parkland course of 27 holes, situated between the Wicklow Mountains and the sea. These 27 holes allow different combinations of each of the three nine-hole courses. The Lower and Middle Courses have been chosen for this event which will be a true test indeed for all the competitors. Despite generous fairways, wayward shots risk running the gauntlet of streams, large bunkers, new and mature trees, water hazards and even ravines. And no one yet has mentioned the weather!

The format is basically the same as in the last two years except that this year there are only two flights in the competition. Since there are fifteen teams competing, the first flight will consist of eight teams with seven in the second. Monday and Tuesday are the stroke-play days, with Wednesday to Friday, match-play.

The agreed format is that each team has six players with an option of a seventh player to allow substitution should there be a problem. These are senior ladies when all said and done - but perhaps one should not say that. Strangely all but four of the teams have registered their intention to have seven players, which is its own safeguard. Austria, Denmark, Spain and Scotland, all being well, will keep clear of twisted ankles, joint problems and fresh seafood salads! Our captain Pamela Williamson (Baberton) jokingly said if anything goes wrong after the team has boarded the plane, she'll take up the injured person's golf clubs and play herself! Hopefully she wasn't serious and has room in her handbag for her own clubs.

The aggregate of the lowest five scores out of six on both the Monday and the Tuesday goes towards determining a total score for each team. The top eight aggregate scores will constitute the first flight (from whom the eventual winner will come) and the remainder the second flight. Naturally we expect Scotland to be in the top eight. Each flight will then have its own seeded draw. In the event of a tie, the scores from the sixth person will go towards the decision, so no pressure anyone! Our Scottish ladies have been drawn to play with fellow seniors from Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain on the Monday and Tuesday and expect to be fluent by the end of the week.

The matchplay format (Wednesday to Friday) consists of one foursome and four singles. Win or lose every team continues to play into the second day's matchplay so there will be no time for sight-seeing! With all the usual tiring tournament- added-extras like processions, photographs, cocktail parties, etc,etc it is to be hoped they will all be fed and watered and in bed by ten o'clock!

There will be live scoring on the various websites so that everyone at home will be able to follow the day's progress just as it happens. It promises to be very exciting!

Snippet!

A little bird has let this blog know that our East Vets Captain Elise Guy has successfully contested the Bronze Championship at Gullane and is now the Gullane Ladies Bronze Champion of 2009. No details of the game are available suffice to say that it was fought very tenaciously. Congratulations Elise. What a star!

Ramsden Cup - latest (but approaching the end!)

The Ramsden Cup has been proceeding quietly but efficiently throughout the year (keeping to the specified dates despite the problems of holidays) and is now rapidly getting down to the nitty-gritty - THE FINAL.

Results(semi-finals)
Mary Davidson(Kingsknowe) beat Anne Brownie(Lothianburn)
Gilly Glen(Craigmillar Park) beat Norma Richmond (Murrayfield)

Mary Davidson will now meet Gilly Glen in the final. Since this IS the final and since holidays have inconveniently got in the way of a great battle, leniency has permitted an extension. The result will be determined by September 3rd.

Good luck to both.

Strathtyrum

Pamela Williamson (Baberton) was beaten on the eighteenth hole in the fourth round by Anne Ramsay of Kirriemuir. She in turn succumbed to Rachel Hanlon who had defeated Helen Faulds the previous day. Rachel was the eventual winner.

Strathtyrum Success for an East Vet

Pamela Williamson is the only surviving East Vet in the hard-fought annual tournament at St Andrews - the Strathtyrum. Tomorrow Pamela will compete in the 3rd round when she takes on Ann Ramsay of Kirriemuir, the winner of the Munross Cup at Montrose in June.

To qualify for the matchplay stage of the Strathtyrum there are two qualifying rounds from which the top scratch 32 players go through. The first of these qualifying rounds is over the Eden course and the second over the New Course, both St Andrews. The matchplay stage is played over the Eden. Both Pamela Willliamson and Joan Marshall from Baberton qualified, Pamela having scores of 90,82 and Joan 78, 95. (Joan's daughter Karen was the top seed with a great score of 71 over the Eden and an 80 over the New) The West Vet captain Helen Faulds also qualified with scores of 83,86.

In the first round Pamela beat Marsha Button of Nuneaton by 4 and 3 and in the second, she won by 4 and 2 against J. Fallows of Manchester. Joan unfortunately lost in the first round to Lynnette Hebden of Pryor Hayes by 4 and 2. Bad luck. Helen won through in her first round against Sarah Ledinghame of Murrayfield, when she won by 2 holes. However she met the number 3 seed, Rachel Hanlon of St Regulus in the second round, and unfortunately lost by 5 and 4.

So its all over to Pamela. Good luck tomorrow.