By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com
Title-holder Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies), three times winner of the North of Scotland women's golf championship - 1989, 2001 and 2012 - is the shock non-qualifier for the match-play stages of this week's tournament at Deeside Golf Club.
Sheena (pictured below, left) struggled to the turn in 48 shots and finished with an 87 - four strokes too many to be involved in the card play-off on 83 to produce the exact number of 16 qualifiers for the match-play.
Top seed is one of Perth and Kinross's top prospects, 16-year-old Jen Saxton (Kinross), pictured below, right,
who headed the big field with a one-under-par 71 - one shot ahead of Aberdeenshire county champion Sammy Leslie and three ahead of Aboyne teenager Kimberley Beveridge.
"I played in this championship at Blairgowrie last year and didn't qualify for the scratch match-play," said Jen who made her debut in the P and K county team recently.
"I bogeyed the fourth and 10th but was three under par for the rest of the round with birdies at the 13th, 17th and 18th. I holed from 12ft at the 13th, 10ft at the 17th and pitched it stone dead at the last."
Ellie Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies) and Gillian Dowling (Inverness) made it through on the 83 mark but Kathleen Esslemont (Cruden Bay) and Claire Robertson (Carnoustie Ladies), who also had 83s, were eliminated on a countback.
QUALIFIERS
71 Jen Saxton (Kinross) 38-33.
72 Sammy Leslie (Aberdeen Ladies) 35-37.
74 Kimberley Beveridge (Aboyne) 37-37.
77 Rachel Polson (Peterculter) 39-38, Megan Clyne (Deeside) 41-36.
78 Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne) 38-40
79 Jackie Brown (Monifieth) 38-41, Nicola Robertson (Dunblane New) 41-38
80 Donna Pocock (Murcar Links) 41-39, Sara Mathieson (Murcar Links) 40-40, Ann F Ramsay (Kirriemuir) 40-41.
81 Claire Prouse (Murcar Links) 40-41.
82 Eilidh Watson (Muckhart) 42-40, Zibby Brown (Aboyne) 42-40
83 (after card countback) Ellie Whyte (Aberdeen Ladies) 45-38, Gillian Dowling (Inverness) 42-41.
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CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH-PLAY DRAW
8.36: Saxton v Dowling
8.44 Pocock v Jackie Brown
8.52 Polson v Prouse
9.00 Zibby Brown v Clyne
9.08 Beveridge v Eilidh Watson
9.16 Ramsay v McWilliam
9.24 Robertson v Mathieson
9.32 Ellie Whyte v Leslie
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NON-QUALIFIERS INCLUDED
83 (after card countback) Claire Robertson (Carnoustie Ladies) 42-41, Kathleen Esslemont (Cruden Bay) 41-42.
84 Katie Reid (Monifieth) 44-40, Fiona Hay (Deeside) 46-38, Lauren Watson (Deeside) 47-37, Molly Stewart (Murcar Links) 42-42, Alison Graham (Deeside) 40-44.
86 Jemma Chalmers (Monifieth) 43-43, Susan Murray (Murcar Links) 44-42, Louise Anderson (Duff House Royal) 44-42.
87 Sheena Wood (Aberdeen Ladies) 48-39, Karen Stalker (Cruden Bay) 44-43.
88 Marion Howieson (Inverness) 43-45, Cathy Kyle (Aberdeen Ladies) .
89 Fiona Hay (Kemnay) 47-42, June Nicol (Inverness) 42-47, Fiona Gibb (Deeside), Lesley Watson (Deeside), Katherine Teow (Deeside).
90 Kelly Guthrie (Oldmeldrum)
91 Thelma Beattie (Deeside).
92 Vivienne Harper (Deeside), Lynne Tough (Newmachar).
93 Margaret Parkinson (Deeside), Lynne Terry (Cruden Bay), Sheila McNaught (Newmachar).
94 Fenneke Wolters-Sinke (Aboyne), Valerie Wright (Forres).
95 Mary Miller (Cruden Bay)
96 Yvonne Richal (Peterculter), Linda Wheeler (Forres), Nita Dervish-Uman (Kemnay).
97 Maureen Gillan (Murcar Links)
98 Rachael McQueen (Cruden Bay), Sheila Bradley (Kirriemuir), Susan Belton (Kirriemuir), Kathleen Anderson (Duff House Royal), Sheila MacDonell (Inverness)
HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
9.40 Alison Graham (Deeside) (18) 66 v Susan Murray (Murcar Links) (7) 79.
9.48 Cathy Kyle (Aberdeen Ladies) (12) 76 v Sheila McNaught (Newmachar) (17) 76.
9.56 Thelma Beattie (Deeside) (17) 74 v Fiona Hay (Deeside) (6) 78.
10.04 Rachel McLean (Cruden Bay) (20) 78 v Lesley Watson (Deeside) (15) 74.
10.12 Fiona Gibb (Deeside) (15) 74 v Val Wright (Forres) (16)78
10.20 Katherine Teow (Deeside) (12) 77 v Maureen Gillan (Murcar Links) (22) 75
10.28 Nita Dervish-Uman (Kemnay) (21) 75 v Lauren Watson (Deeside) (7) 77
10.36 Claire Robertson (Carnoustie Ladies) (5) 78 v Kathleen Esslemont (Cruden Bay) (11) 72.
