Championships - Seniors' Home International Matches 2009
« Back to news indexNews for this championship
30.09.2009
Scotland lead going into final day at Newport
Scotland are favourites to win the 2009 Senior Ladies' Home Internationals for the first time – after achieving a first win over England since the over-50s series began six years ago.The Scots, skippered by Pamela Williamson, took the morning foursomes 2-1 at Newport Golf Club, Wales and, in a nerve-tingling finish, shared the singles 2 ½-2 ½ to win 4 ½-3 ½ and are the only country with two wins out of two going into the third and final day. They complete their programme by playing Wales in a title decider tommorrow.
Defending champions Wales, beaten 6-2 by England on the first day, found their form in the singles against Ireland to wipe out a 2-1 foursomes deficit and take the singles 4-1 to claim a 5-3 victory.
On a day of ideal scoring conditions – more than 30 birdies were scored during the day and there was also one eagle - England began the singles well enough with a 4 and 3 win by Christine Quinn – her fourth win in four sessions of play – over Heather Anderson in the top singles tie.
Quinn took control of the outcome with birdies at the fifth and 10th on her way to a four-hole lead after 11 holes. Anderson won back the 12th but Quinn quickly re-established a four-up advantage by winning the 14th and a half at the next was sufficient.
Scotland moved ahead 3-2 overall with a fine 3 and 2 win by Fiona de Vries over Janet Melville. It was Fiona’s fourth win of the tournament and she laid the foundations by winning the second, fifth and the seventh with a birdie.
The middle part of the match was rich in sub-par figures with the 10th halved in birdies and Melville winning the 12th with a birdie to get back to one down only for De Vries to birdie the 13th and restore a two-hold lead. The Scot clinched victory by winning the 16th.
Kathleen Sutherland, who came into the Scotland team late last week on the withdrawal of Lorna Bennett, maintained her 100 per cent record in the singles – she has not been used in the foursomes - by beating Susan Dye on the 18th green.
This was another quality match, full of birdies – and that eagle. Dye got the first birdie at the short second and won the fourth to go two up. Sutherland came storming into the picture by winning six of the next seven holes, including birdies at the fifth and seventh, an eagle at the 10th and a birdie at the 11th.
That put the Scot three up but Dye wasn’t finished yet. She birdied the 12th and also won the 14th to be only one down. Sutherland dug deep for yet another birdie to go two up again at the 15th. Dye kept her hopes alive by winning the 17th to be one down on the 18th tee but Sutherland got the half she needed at the last for a one-hole victory at the end of a great match.
That meant Scotland, with 4 points in the bag, could not lose the match but there was a lot of golf still to be played.
England put a third point on the board when Lucy Newton beat Mary Smith by 3 and 1. Smith got off to a flying start by winning the first with a par and the second with a birdie.
Newton got into her stride to win the sixth, ninth, 10th and 11th to be two up before Smith won back the 12th. After three tight halves, Newton got the decisive wins at the 16th and 17th.
Scotland led 4-3 but England, when Jo Ashmore was three up after six holes, having birdied the first and fifth against Moira Thomson, had high hopes of salvaging a draw.
But Thomson hung on in there and squared an exciting match at the 12th. Ashmore broke clear again with wins at the 14th and 15th but her Scottish opponent rose to the occasion and the pressure. She squared the match by winning the 15th and 16th . The 17th and 18th were halved.
Wales wiped out Ireland’s 2-1 foursomes lead with two big wins down the singles order. Jean O’Connor beat Phil O’Gorman by 6 and 5 and Denise Richards was a 7 and 6 winner over Rhona Brennan.
O’Connor was six holes to the good after eight, having birdied the fifth and seventh. O’Gorman had to get a birdie at the 10th to score her only success.
Brennan won the third and fourth to cancel out Richards’ two-hole lead but then the Welsh player won seven holes in a row from the fifth to the 11th. A half at the 12th was enough to end the match.
Senior British champion Vicki Thomas from Wales had a great match with Violet McBride in the lead-off singles. It finished all square after McBride came back from three down after 10 to win the 11th, 13th and 16th. McBride had birdied the second.
Ann Lewis and Sheena McElroy also had a fine match which ended with honours even. Here again there was a late rally by the Irish player. Lewis, with birdies at the second, sixth (for a half!), 11th and 13th, had gone three up. Then McElroy came back at her by winning the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th to be one up on the 18th tee.
Lewis was not to be denied half a point which she gained by winning the last hole.
Wales’ performance was completed with a 2 and 1 win by Pamela Valentine over Helen Jones.
A birdie at the second put Valentine two up and successes at the sixth and seventh doubled her lead. Then Jones came back into the picture by winning the 10th, 11th and 14th to be only one down. Valentine stayed calm under pressure to win the 17th for victory.
Do you have comments or questions about the LGU?
LGU legal disclaimer | Privacy statement | Copyright © 2010 - Ladies' Golf Union
Ladies' Golf Union, The Scores, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AT
Tel: 01334 475811, Fax: 01334 472818