AYRSHIRE MATCHPLAY CHAMPIONSHIP - Smyth and Brown in Thursday's final

The final of the 2013 Ayrshire Matchplay Championship, at Prestwick St Nicholas GC on Thursday night, will be contested by the 2011 winner Michael Smyth (Royal Troon) and the 2009 champion Scott Brown (Turnberry), following the semi final matches on Wednesday evening.

Michael Smyth

In the first Semi Final, Michael Smyth faced the new Ayrshire Strokeplay champion Stuart Robin of the host club. The match was fairly even throughout the front half, with no more than one hole separating the players as Smyth turned for home one up.

Things started to turn in Smyth's favour at the tenth when a birdie two extended his lead to two holes and when Robin bogeyed the par three 12th, Smyth moved three ahead. Robin immediately hit back with a fine birdie three at the long thirteenth to reduce the deficit to two holes but despite chances in the remaining holes, which were completed in par figures by both players, Robin was unable to claw back the two holes from Smyth who finished the game on the seventeenth green with a 2 & 1 victory.

Scott Brown

In the other semi final Scott Brown faced the title holder David Wilson (Troon Welbeck).in a scrappy start to the match, Wilson won the opening two holes but conceded the third and three putted the fourth to see the match squared, before restoring his two hole lead with a par four an a birdie three at the fifth and sixth, an advantage he maintained to the turn.

Par threes at both the tenth and twelfth was enough for Brown to take both holes to square the match once again before taking the lead for the first time in the match at the thirteenth with a par four.

Wilson had a chance to win the fourteenth but missed a short putt which would have squared the match, and the miss was compounded when he conceded the fifteenth hole to Brown, giving him a two hole lead with three to play. At the sixteenth, Brown secured his par whilst Wilson could only make a bogey five, and brown ended Wilson's reign as champion with a 3 & 2 victory.

The final on Thursday evening is scheduled to tee off at Prestwick St Nicholas at 5.00 p.m.