Lanarkshire fielded a strong under 16 group of four players in the opening ties and took three of them by a comfortable margin to establish an early lead in the match.
With Max Barclay (Ayr Belleisle) and Harvey Broadfoot (Troon Welbeck) winning the two anchor under 18 ties, and Cameron McGarvie (Prestwick St Nicholas) securing a vital win on the penultimate hole of his tie, the overall match result rested with the first tie of the day, involving Ayrshire debutante Euan Stirling (Troon Welbeck), and the sixth tie out, which featured Jack Allan (Ballochmyle)
After opening with a pair of twos in the opening five holes, including an eagle, Euan took an early lead but by the middle of the round he found himself one behind. The tie remained close throughout the inward nine but by the sixteenth Euan was two behind with three to play. A chip and putt from short of the sixteenth green was good enough to take the hole and reduce the deficit to one and a brave putt holed at the penultimate hole of the tie ensured that Euan went to the last with a chance of taking the hole to half his tie. Both players found the right edge of the green fro the final tee and after his opponent putted up to within a couple of feet of the hole, Euan watched as his birdie putt agonisingly clipped the left edge of the hole but remained above ground. Both players went on to hole for their par threes, giving Lanarkshire a win in the tie by a single hole, to ensure at least a half match overall.
Attention then turned to the final game on the course, involving Jack Allan. The tie had been close throughout and by the seventeenth Jack held a single hole advantage. After his opponent played an excelleNt approach to within a few feet of the hole, Jack held his nerve and followed in with an equally good approach to set up a half in par fours, leaving him one ahead with one to play. At the final hole both players found sand, Jack to the left of the green and his opponent to the right. After seeing his opposite number play out to the middle of the green, jack hist a fine bunker shot to within ten feet of the hole, and crucially closer than his opponent, who missed his par putt, leaving Jack to roll his put close enough to the hole to prompt a concession and confirm an important one hole win for him, to make the overall match score 4 - 4.
Match details (Ayrshire names first)
Euan Stirling (Troon Welbeck) lost to Adam McLean (Drumpellier) by 1 hole
Noah O'Brien (Troon Welbeck) lost to Jude Simpson (Bothwell Castle) by 6 & 5
Harris Fleming (Troon Welbeck) lost to Callum Watson (Airdrie) by 4 & 3
Jack Broadfoot (Troon Welbeck) lost to Lewis Russell (Drumpellier) by 5 & 3
Cameron McGarvie (Prestwick St Nicholas) beat Aidan Reilly (Drumpellier) by 2 & 1
Jack Allan (Ballochmyle) beat mark Jardine (Kirkhill) by 1 hole
Max Barclay (Ayr Belleisle) beat Ben McFarlane (Colville Park) by 7 & 6
Harvey Broadfoot (Troon Welbeck) beat Rudy brown (East Kilbride) by 5 & 4
AYRSHIRE 4 LANARKSHIRE 4
League leaders Dumbartonshire were also in action on Sunday, beating Renfrewshire by 6.5 - 1.5 at Caldwell.
Ayrshire travel to play Dumbartonshire in the final match of the 2021 competition on Sunday the 19th of September at Clydebank and District, and although Dumbartonshire will be strong favourites to win the Wishart Trophy this year, Ayrshire can still snatch the title from the league leaders, though a win by a considerable margin for Ayrshire is needed if they hop to edge out Dumbartonshire and secure a third successive West of Scotland under 18 inter county league title.
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