Sweden win European Girls at Murcar, Scotland beat Iceland for 17th place

The Swedish team with the European Girls Trophy
Back Row: Amanda Strang, Louise Larsson, Captain Louise Permelin
Front Kneeling: Josephine Janson, Johanna Tillstrom

Sweden win Euro girls title for third year in a row

Sweden took the European girls' team championship for the third year in a row on a very stormy day at Murcar Links. With a victory in the European boys and European women's events also held this week in Slovenia and Sweden respectively, Sweden have swept the boards across the Continent.

In Saturday's final, the Swedish girls won the foursomes against England this morning by 2-0 and then took the singles 2.5 -0.5 in the afternoon for a 4.5 - 0.5 victory.
Further down the order Scotland took both morning foursomes from Iceland and won won two of the singles with the third halved for a similar 4.5 - 0.5 scoreline.

Full results can be found on the official European Girls website

Runners-up England with their officials

Back Row L to R: Elizabeth Earnshaw (EWGA Chairman), Rachel Connor, Julie Brown (Team Captain), Alexandra Peters, Pat Smillie (Coach)
Kneeling: Hannah Barwood, Kelly Tidy (images by Gillian Kirkwood, all rights reserved).

Silver lining at Murcar Links for handicapped England

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ENGLISH WOMEN'S GOLF ASSOCIATION

England had to settle for the silver medal after they lost 4½ -½ to Sweden in the final of the European girls’ team championship at Murcar Links, near Aberdeen.
Team captain Julie Brown said afterwards: “The girls are crying their eyes out but I have told them that they have done so well. They have tried so hard, they’ve put 110 per cent into it and I am just so proud of them. They have been superb.”
England were handicapped when Nottinghamshire’s Alex Peters woke up with a very stiff neck. It was the worst of a number of injuries affecting the team and ruled her out of the singles.
They suffered a further setback when Sweden won both morning foursomes and their gold medal hopes depended on winning every singles.
However, the Swedes quickly moved ahead in the singles and although all three English girls fought hard they could not avoid defeat.
English champion Hannah Barwood came back from five down to lose only on the last, while Lancashire’s Kelly Tidy was beaten on the 17th and her county colleague Rachel Connor settled for a half.
The final was played in extremely difficult conditions of 26mph winds and driving rain.
Results (England names first):

Foursomes

Hannah Barwood (Knowle) & Rachel Connor (Manchester) lost to Josephine Janson & Louise Larsson 5&4.

Alex Peters (Notts Ladies’) & Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale) lost to Amanda Strang & Johanna Tillstrom 1 hole.
Singles

Hannah Barwood lost to Louise Larsson 1 hole.

Rachel Connor halved with Amanda Strang.

Kelly Tidy lost to Josephine Janson 2 and 1.

Lyndsey Hewison

Press & PR Officer

Vikki joint 11th with par round in
Futures Tour event

Musselburgh exile Vikki Laing was lying in joint 11th place after a par 72 in the opening round of the US Futures Tour's Cigna Classic at Gillette Ridge Golf Club, Bloomfield, Connecticutt (on Friday, USA time).
Fellow Scot Pamela Feggans from Patna, Ayrshire had a 77 to be sharing 60th place in the field of well over 100.
On the same mark was Brenda McLarnon from Belfast.
South Korean M J Hur led with a course record 67, two shots inside the previous best.
LEADERBOARD
Par 72
67 M J Hur (South Korea) 32-35.
68 Janell Howland (Idaho) 36-32, Vicky Hurst (Florida) 32-36.
69 Kristina Tucker (Sweden) 35-34.
71 Natalie Sheary (Connecticutt) (amateur) 34-37, Dana Je (Florida) 35-36, Brandi Jackson (South Carolina) 37-34, Mindy Kim (California) 36-35, Maru Martinez (Venezuela) 35-36.
Other scores:
72 Vikki Laing (Musselburgh) 34-38 (jt 11th).
77 Pamela Feggans (Patna, Ayrshire) 39-38, Brenda McLarnon (Belfast) 37-40.