Top seed Hannah McCook beats title-holder

Cara Thompson in NCLGA final

ROBIN WILSON REPORTS FROM BRORA

Hannah McCook, champion in 2012, shot a level par 71 at Brora this morning to lead the eight scratch qualifiers into this afternoon’s first match-play round of the Northern Counties Ladies Golf Association championship.

Hannah, pictured driving today by Robin Wilson, was in trouble at Brora’s fifth hole where she drove into the burn and it cost her a triple bogey 7 but she birdied the next three holes to get out in par 35. 

McCook's approach struck the pin on the 15th green and she holed from four feet for a birdie 3 before giving the stoke back at the 17th for a level par inward 36.

A second previous one-time champion, Alison Bartlett (Royal Dornoch) is seeded second with 73 (37-36) and third  seed in her first championship, Steph Coverley (Wick) from Yorkshire with a 74. 

Her clubmate Deirdre MacAngus got the first of two places on 79 with her better inward half of 38. The eighth place went to Carinne Taylor (Nairn) (39) and missing out was Tain’s Anne Ryan with an inward 40.
Five of the eight qualifiers for the handicap championship are juniors. 
LATER NEWS: 
Deirdre MacAngus (Wick) scored an upset win in the quarter-finals, beating the 2014 champion, Alison Bartlett (Royal Dornoch) by 2 and 1.
Deirdre started like an express train and was five up after only seven holes. Alison did well to make up most of the leeway but ran out of holes in the end.
MacAngus will play defending champion Cara Thomson (Royal Dornoch) in the second semi-final on Sunday.
The first semi-final will be contested by top seed Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey) and Kerri Harper (Inverness). 

CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS

71 Hannah McCook (Grantown on Spey).

73 Alison Bartlett (Royal Dornoch). 

74 Steph Coverley (Wick). 

77 Claire Riddell (Royal Dornoch), Kerri Harper (Inverness). 

78 Cara Thompson (Royal Dornoch). 

79 Deirdre MacAngus (Wick) (38),  Carrine Taylor (Nairn) (39).  
Non Qualifier Anne Ryan (Tain) 70 (40).      

MATCH-PLAY QUARTER-FINALS

McCook bt Taylor 4 and 3

Harper bt Riddell 1 hole

Thompson bt Coverley 2 and 1
MacAngus bt Bartlett 2 and 1.
SEMI-FINALS
McCook bt Harper 5 and 4
Thompson bt MacAngus 4 and 3
FINAL 
McCook bt Thompson 1 hole.

HANDICAP CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS

72     Hannah Riddell (Royal Dornoch) (21)

73     Lynne Fraser (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) (7)

74     Emma Logie (Buckpool) (7)

75     Ellie Docherty (Moray) (7) bih, Sarah WestWood (Elgin) (18) bih, Kerry Williamson (Wick) (14) bih, Iona Roska (Inverness) (9)

76     Fiona Hampton (Royal Dornoch) (12)

MATCH-PLAY QUARTER-FINALS

Hampton (12) bt Riddell 4 and 2

Westwood (18) bt Docherty 1 hole

Williamson (14) bt Logie 5 and 4

 Fraser (7) bt Roska 2 and 1

SEMI-FINALS

 Westwood bt Hampton 7 and 5

Williamson bt Fraser 2 and 1.

FINAL
Westwood v Williamson