AYRSHIRE SENIORS LEAGUE - Prestwick St Cuthbert lead title chase

Prestwick St Cuthbert lead the chase for the Ayrshire Seniors League title as the competition moves towards the last few weeks of play.

A 3 - 2 win at home to Troon St Meddans in July took the St Cuthbert team two points clear of Ardeer at the top of the table, with a game in hand.



Present positions in the league, as of 1st August, are :-

 

Team	P	W	L	D	F	A	Pts
Prestwick St. Cuthbert	7	5	0	2	21	14	12
Ardeer	8	4	2	2	27	13	10
Kilbirnie Place	7	4	2	1	23.5	11.5	9
Troon Welbeck	7	3	3	1	17	18	7
Ballochmyle	7	3	3	1	16	19	7
Loudoun	6	3	3	0	13.5	16.5	6
Troon St. Meddans	7	3	4	0	13	22	6
West Kilbride	5	2	2	1	14	11	5
Kilmarnock Barassie	6	2	3	1	11	19	5
Prestwick St. Nicholas	6	1	3	2	11	19	4
Irvine Ravenspark	8	1	6	1	18	22	3

 The full list of results recorded to date, and remaining fixtures, are :-

April
Barassie		1.5	Ardeer		3.5
Ravenspark		5	St. Meddans		0
Welbeck		3	Ravenspark		2
St. Nicholas		4.5	Ballochmyle		0.5
St. Cuthbert		3	Ardeer		2
St. Meddans		3	Ballochmyle		2
May
Ardeer		5	Loudoun		0
Ballochmyle		3	Ravenspark		2
Kilbirnie		5	Barassie		0
Loudoun		4.5	St. Nicholas		0.5
Ravenspark		1.5	St. Cuthbert		3.5
West Kilbride		4	Welbeck		1
St. Cuthbert		3.5	Loudoun		1.5
West Kilbride		1.5	Ballochmyle		3.5
Ardeer		2.5	Kilbirnie		2.5
St. Meddans		3	Welbeck		2
June
Ballochmyle		2.5	St. Cuthbert		2.5
Ardeer		5	St. Meddans		0
Barassie		2.5	Welbeck		2.5
Ballochmyle			Welbeck
St. Cuthbert		2.5	St. Nicholas		2.5
West Kilbride		5	Barassie		0
St. Cuthbert		3	Kilbirnie		2
Barassie		4	Ballochmyle		1
Loudoun		3	St. Meddans		2
Ravenspark		2.5	Ardeer		2.5
Kilbirnie		4	West Kilbride		1
July
St. Nicholas		2.5	West Kilbride		2.5
Kilbirnie		4	Ravenspark		1
Welbeck		3.5	Ardeer		1.5
St. Cuthbert		3	St. Meddans		2
Barassie		3	Ravenspark		2
Loudoun		1.5	Ballochmyle		3.5
Welbeck		4	St. Nicholas		1
St. Meddans		3	Kilbirnie		2
Ravenspark		2	Loudoun		3
Ardeer		5	St. Nicholas		0
Kilbirnie		4	Welbeck		1
August
Barassie			St. Cuthbert
Ballochmyle			Kilbirnie
Loudoun			Barassie
Ardeer			West Kilbride
West Kilbride			Ravenspark
Ballochmyle			Welbeck
St. Nicholas			Kilbirnie
St. Meddans			West Kilbride
Welbeck			Loudoun
West Kilbride			St. Cuthbert
Ravenspark			St. Nicholas
Ballochmyle			Ardeer
September
St. Nicholas			St. Meddans
Welbeck			St. Cuthbert
Kilbirnie			Loudoun
Loudoun			West Kilbride
St. Nicholas			Barassie
October
St. Meddans			Barassie

SCOTTISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - Ayrshire hopes end in quarter finals

Ayrshire hopes of crowning a Scottish Amateur Champion in 2014 ended on Friday morning when the two remaining local players were defeated at Downfield, Dundee, in the quarter finals.

Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) faced form man Chris Robb (Meldrum House) in the last eight, his opponent having yet to play the last three holes in the previous rounds.

McDonald got off to a great start when Robb bogeyed the first two holes to give the Ayrshire hopeful a two hole lead. a birdie four at the fourth hole for Robb reduced the deficit to one but McDonald restored his two hole advantage with a birdie at the par three sixth hole.

Robb again reduced the lead to one hole with a birdie four at the seventh and when McDonald bogeyed the ninth hole, the players turned for home all square.

Robb took the lead for the first time with a birdie four at the thirteenth hole and despite finishing with two birdies and two pars over the closing four holes of the match, McDonald lost three of these holes with Robb finishing eagle - par - birdie - birdie for a 3 & 1 victory.

The other Ayrshire player in the last eight, Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie), faced Barry Hume (Haggs Castle), who won the title the last time the championship was played at Downfield in 2001.

Walker went two behind after two, having opened with two bogeys, but hit back to reduce the deficit to one hole with a birdie two at the third. Further bogeys at the fifth, eighth and ninth saw the Kilmarnock (Barassie) player turn for home four behind.

The deficit increased to five holes when Walker lost the tenth to a birdie three and despite having two birdies and two pars over the next four holes, Walker could not reduce Hume's lead. A birdie four at the long fourteenth hole saw Hume close out the match with a 6 & 4 victory.

BOYS HOME INTERNATIONALS - Easton named in Scots squad

Stuart Easton

Stuart Easton (Irvine) has been named in the Scotland boys team for the 2014 Boys Home Internationals, which take place from the 5th to 7th August.

Easton will be feeling quite at home as the matches will take place at Western Gailes GC, a short distance away from his home club at the other side of Irvine.

The full Scotland team (ages in brackets) is :-

Joseph Bryce (Bathgate, 16)

George Burns (Williamwood, 17)

Stuart Easton (Irvine, 18)

Ewen Ferguson (Bearsden, 18)

Adam Fisher (Newmachar, 17)

Calum Fyfe (Cawder, 17)

Ben Kinsley (St Andrews, 18)

Ryan Lumsden (Royal Wimbledon, 17)

Robert MacIntyre (Glencruitten, 18)

Niall McMullen (Lundin, 16)

Murray Naysmith (Marriott Dalmahoy, 17)

SCOTTISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - McDonald and Walker through to quarter finals.

Kilmarnock (Barassie) clubmates Jack McDonald and Euan Walker are through to the quarter finals of the 2014 Scottish Amateur Championship, being held at Downfield, Dundee, this week. 

Jack McDonald

Ayrshire had four players in the last 32 of the competition on Thursday morning, but the fourth round proved to be the end of the road for Kenny Macaskill (Turnberry Staff), who was beaten 5 & 4 by Josh Jamieson (St Andrews New), and Scott Brown (Turnberry) who lost by 7 & 5 to Craig Ross (Kirkhill).


A current Scottish internationalist, Jack McDonald reached the last 16 on Thursday morning with a 2 & 1 win over Euan Bowden (Tantallon) and followed this with a single hole victory over Cameron Buist (Glenbervie) in the afternoon to reach Friday morning's quarter finals.

Euan Walker

On Thursday morning, former Scottish Boys cap Euan Walker, who is presently studying in the USA,  had a 3 & 2 win over Campbell Donaldson (Downfield) and in his last 16 tie in the afternoon his progress was more comfortable with a 5 & 4 win over Daniel Hendry (Emirates).

In the quarter finals on Friday morning Jack McDonald plays Chris Robb (Meldrum House), whilst in the other half of the draw Euan Walker faces Barry Hume (Haggs Castle)

SCOTTISH AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP - Four Ayrshire players through to last 32 at Downfield

Ayrshire have four players through to the last 32 of the 2014 Scottish Amateur Championship at Downfield, Dundee, following completion of all second and third round matches on Wednesday 30th July.

In the remaining second round matches played on Wednesday morning, Ewan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) won by 2 & 1 against Calvin Cheyne (Newmacher), Scott Brown (Turnberry) had an impressive 6 & 5 win over Scott Gillies (Gullane) and Charlie Macneal (Prestwick) beat Mark Maclean (Fraserburgh) by 2 holes, whilst James Bunch (Prestwick) lost out by one hole to John Mitchell ( Fraserburgh), Greg Telfer (Prestwick St Cuthbert) lost by 6 & 5 to Mark Cameron (Alyth)and Sandy Buchanan (Prestwick St Nicholas) was beaten 5 & 4 by Mark Napier (Turnhouse).

In the third round matches on Wednesday afternoon,  two of the Ayrshire players bowed out of the competition.

Charlie Macneal (Prestwick) lost out to Craig Ross (Kirkhill) by 2 & 1 whilst Paul Moultrie (Royal Troon) was subject of a walkover awarded to his opponent Kyle McClung (Wigtonshire County).

The first of the Ayrshire players to book their place in the last 32 was Kenny McAskill (Turnberry Staff) who beat Lawrence Allan (Alva) by a single hole to set up a fourth round clash with Josh Jamieson (St Andrews New).

Fourth seed Jack McDonald (Kilmarnock Barassie) eased into the fourth round with a 7 & 6 win over Greig Kennedy (Hazlehead) and now plays Euan Bowden (Tantallon) on Thursday morning.

McDonald's club mate Euan Walker (Kilmarnock Barassie) beat William Bremner (Edzell) by 2 & 1 to progress, and now faces Campbell Donaldson (Downfield) in round four.

The remaining Ayrshire player in round four is Scott Brown (Turnberry) who won at the first extra hole against Scott Gibson (Southerness) to book his place in the last 32, where he will play Craig Ross (Kirkhill), who defeated Charlie Macneal in the previous round.

Fourth and fifth round matches are scheduled to be completed on Thursday.

AYRSHIRE FOURBALL - Championship reaches semi final stage.

The 2014 Ayrshire Fourball Championship has reached the semi final stage, with Beith, Brunston Castle, Fenwick and Abbotsford fighting it out to win the title.

In the quarter finals, 2012 championship runners up Robert Marshall & Phil Rooney (Beith) beat William McMeikan & Robert Galloway (Turnberry Staff) at the 19th hole at Beith to set up an intriguing home tie in the semi final against the pairing of David & George McCulloch (Brunston Castle) who defeated the Beith pair in the final two years ago to take the title. The McCulloch brothers booked their place in the last four of this years event with a comprehensive 7 & 6 win away from home against Victor Sproat & David Lewis (Ayr Belleisle).

The other semi final is between Alistair McCall & David Moore (Fenwick) and Robert Adams & Ian Pirrie (Abbotsford).

The Fenwick duo beat Hugh Fyfe & Callum Weir (Muirkirk) by 2 & 1 at Muirkirk in the quarter finals whilst the Abbotsford pairing had a 3 & 2 home win over Blair Graham & Jamie Bryant (Ardeer).

Both semi finals are due to be completed by 24th August.