AYRSHIRE JUNIOR GOLF LEAGUE - Kilmarnock (Barassie) take 2011 Under 16 title

Kilmarnock (Barassie) are the new Ayrshire Junior Golf League Under 16 Knockout Trophy winners after beating Prestwick St Nicholas in the final at Loudoun Gowf Club on Sunday 4th September.

Gavin Scott presenting the Under 16 Trophy to the Kilmarnock (Barassie) team

With considerably lower handicaps throughout the team, the Kilmarnock (Barassie) players found themselves giving between three and five shots to their St Nicholas opponents, but in the end it was the Barassie team who emerged victors by a score of 3 - 1.

Blair Gavin led the way for Barassie , giving five shots to his opponent Connor Brooke. In a close match early on, Brooke went ahead with a birdie at the second hole but gavin squared the match at the fourth, only to go behind again at the fifth to a nett birdie. Holes were traded until Gavin won successive holes at the eighth and ninth to turn for home two holes ahead. Brooke fought back by wining the tenth but a birdie two at the eleventh restored Gavin's two hole lead. A run of halved holes was ended at the sixteenth where gavin won the hole with a par for a 3 & 2 victory.

In the second game, Robbie Blackwood was also giving five shots to his opponent from St Nicholas, Tom Nairn. This game was also close early on with no more than one hole in the match at any time, as the players turned for home with Blackwood one hole in front. The two par threes just after the turn proved crucial, Blackwood winning them both to go three ahead. nairn won the thirteenth to reduce the defecit but like in the lead match, he could make no further inroads and Blackwood closed out the match at the sixteenth hole with a 3 & 2 win.

Whilst Stuart Hope battled with Ruairidh Sayce in the thirtd tie, the fourth game went in favour of St Nicholas. Gregor Cairns received ten shots from his opponent Elliot Masterson, and he used them to full advantage over the opening holes, going three up after three and increasing the lead to four holes by the turn. Masterson did fight back, winning the tenth and eleventh to go back to two behind, but a run of four holes in a row where he received shots saw cairns secure a 3 & 2 victory to leave the match score 2 - 1 in favour of Barassie, with only the third tie remaining on the course.

Stuart Hope gave three strokes to Ruaridh Sayce in the third tie and went behind at the first hole, before squaring the match at the second and winning four holes from five between the fourth and eighth to establish a four hole advantage.

The 2011 Under 16 finalists
Kilmarnock (Barassie) on the left & Prestwick St Nicholas on the right

Sayce won the ninth to turn for home three behind and completed his fightback when he took sufficient holes over the closing stretch to square the match at the sixteenth.

A birdie two at the par three seventeenth by Hope restored an all important one hole lead with one to play for the Brassie player which ensured that the trophy was theirs, and a half in fours at the final hole gave Hope a one hole victory and gave Kilmarnock (Barassie) the under 16 title with a match score of 3 - 1

At the conclusion of the match the trophy was handed over to the victorious team by Ayrshire Junior Golf League Chairman  Gavin Scott (Loudoun GC)

Match details (Kilmarnock Barassie names first) :-

BLAIR GAVIN beat CONNOR BROOKE by 3 & 2
ROBBIE BLACKWOOD beat TOM NAIRN by 3 & 2
STUART HOPE beat RUARIDH SAYCE by one hole
ELLIOT MASTERSON lost to GREGOR CAIRNS by 3 & 2

KILMARNOCK (BARASSIE)  3   PRESTWICK ST NICHOLAS   1