AYRSHIRE JUNIOR GOLF LEAGUE - Second title joy for Prestwick St Cuthbert after 29 year wait

Prestwick St Cuthbert Golf Club are the 2012 Ayrshire Junior Golf League Champions after beating holders Irvine Golf Club in the final, played at Prestwick St Cuthbert on Sunday 16th September. In winning the title, the St Cuthbert team ended a 29 year wait for their second success in the competition, follwing their only previous title win in 1973.

The 2012 Ayrshire Junior Golf League Finalists - Irvine & Prestwick St Cuthbert 

 In the lead tie, Ayrshire Boys Matchplay winner Greg Telfer (St Cuthbert) faced fellow county player Jack Thomas (Irvine). A birdie at the second hole put Thomas in front but Telfer birdied the fifth to square the match, only to go behind again at the following hole, losing it to a par four. Successive birdies at the seventh and eighth put Telfer one ahead, a lead which he held until the turn, ahving completed the first half in three under par.

 Telfer extended his lead to two with another birdie at the tenth and he edged away from Thomas further, winning the twelfth to go three up. Despite bbeing level par to that point, Thomas conceded a 4 & 2 victory to Telfer on the 16th green.

In the second tie, between Marc Reid (St Cuthbert)  and Stuart Easton (Irvine), there was some equally impressive golf and again it took birdies to separate the players. Reid had successive birdies at the third and fourth holes to go 2 up, but Easton responded with a birdie at the fifth to close the gap, only to see Reid birdie the sixth to restore his two hole advantage. Reid won successive holes at the eleventh and twelfth, the latter with another birdie, to increase his lead to 4 holes, on his way to a 5 & 4 victory. 

The third tie involved Daniel Webster (St Cuthbert) and Daniel Forbes (Irvine) and it was the St Cuthbert player who took the early advantage, going two up after four holes. With Forbes struggling from the tee, Webster took advantage to win the seventh and eighth to extend his lead to 4 holes before Forbes reduced the deficit to three at the turn with a birdie 2 at the ninth. Webster was not to be denied however, winning the tenth and thirteenth to go 5 up before closing out a 5 & 4 win at the fourteenth green.

St Cuthbert's first title win in 29 years was assured of the tie between Darren Nimmo (St Cuthbert) and Ross McDonald (Irvine). Nimmo began the tie in unstoppoable style, winning the first six holes with the help of three birdies. McDonald stemmed the tide over the next four holes and managed to reduce the deficit to 5 down with 8 holes remaining to play, but Nimmo bounced back to win the eleventh and twelfth holes to secure a 7 & 5 win.

With the overall result of the match known, the remaining irvine players still hoped to influence the St Cuthbert winning margin.

In the fifth tie, Chris Hewitson (St Cuthbert) faced Greg Cathie (Irvine) who was playing his final fixture in a long junior career for the Ravenspark and Irvine clubs, and it was fitting that Cathie should mark the occassion with a 2 & 1 win to record Irvine's first, and as it was to prove only, point in the final.

The last tie on the course featured Nathan Galloway (St Cuthbert) and Marc McLelland (Irvine). Despite the fact that the result was known long before the tie finished, a large following of spectators remained with the match to its conclusion.

McLelland forged a narrow 1 hole lead at the turn, but Galloway won the tenth and thirteenth holes to reverse the advantage. McLelland squared the match at the siteenth and as the player progressed to the final tee they remained all square. With both players on the final gren in the same number of shots, McLelland was first to putt but saw his effort run some distance past the hole. Galloway, putting for the hole and a win also saw his effort run past the hole but whilst McLelland was unable to hole the return, Galloway held his nerve and holed his putt for a one hole victory to give Prestwick St Cuthbert a 5 - 1 overall win in the match.

AJGL Chairman Bobby Caddis presenting the trophy to the winning Prestwick St Cuthbert team

MATCH DETAILS (Prestwick St Cuthbert names first)

Greg Telfer beat Jack Thomas by 4 & 2

Marc Reid beat Stuart Easton by 5 & 4

Daniel Webster beat Daniel Forbes by 5 & 4

Darren Nimmo beat Ross McDonald by 7 & 5

Chris Hewitson lost to Greg Cathie by  2 & 1

Nathan Galloway beat Marc McLelland by 1 hole

PRESTWICK ST CUTHBERT    5   IRVINE    1

The presentation was made by Ayrshire Junior Golf League Chairman Bobby Caddis (Prestwick St Cuthbert) to the new champions and it was fitting that in the year he steps down from Junior League involvement after 10 years as the Prestwick St Cuthbert Junior convenor, that he presented the League Championship Trophy to his home club once more, after such a long wait.

(Report and photographs courtesy of John Nordbo)

The winning Prestwick St Cuthbert team in 1973

For the record, Prestwick St Cuthbert's only other Championship win was in a two leg final against Ayr Belleisle, having been runners up to near neighbours Prestwick St Nicholas the previous year.

29 years after their success, who can name the succesful St Cuthbert boys pictured in 1973 ?.