Lothians golf wrap: Baberton joy, Summer League latest, Area aces, super Seniors

Baberton denied Swanston a home triumph in the Edinburgh Inter Club Tournament after a closely-contested title decider at the end of a thrilling three-day battle.

Baberton's triumphant team get their hands on the trophy after winning the Edinburgh Inter-Club Tournament at Swanston.

Swanston beat Duddingston, Dalmahoy and Kingsknowe to reach the final while Baberton came through matches against Merchants, Liberton and Silverknowes.

In the top match in the final, Swanston’s Ross Fergus and Tom Corps finished three up against Jake Edgcombe and Owen Brady. But, as can be the case in a double foursome event, the tide was turned in the second match.

Dougie Waugh and Mark Riddell finished five up against Graeme Millar and Greig Dighton in that to give Baberton a 2&1 victory.

Steven Armstrong, far rght, with the other trophy winners and Moo-Let Turnhouse Open sponsor.

Still on the team front, the group phase of the Edinburgh Summer League is close to being completed and defending champions Duddingston are comfortably through to the knockout stage.

Gordon Milligan’s men won nine out their ten matches in Section B to progress from that group along with Royal Burgess.

Musselburgh secured top spot in Section A with a win over Ratho Park, with Swanston defeating the same opponents to progress as well by leapfrogging Glencorse.

Craigielaw are also through to the last eight as Section C winners and will be joined by either Baberton or Mortonhall while Turnhouse topped Section D and Murrayfield pipped Longniddry for second place on ‘goal’ difference.

Dunbar's Wilson Morton, left, receives the R.M. Lees Trophy from Lothians Golf Association president Neil Anderson at Newbattle. Picture: Lothians GA

In the Scottish Area Team Championship, Lothians are safely through to the finals weekend at Paisley in early September after reeling off three impressive wins in the round-robin stage.

The record 14-time winners opened their campaign with a 7.5-1.5 victory over Renfrewshire at Kilmacolm before adding a 7-2 success against Borders at West Lothian then beating Stirlingshire 8-1 at Craigielaw.

Host club players Craig Davidson and Kenny Glen were involved in the latter along with Benn McLeod (Musselburgh), Connor Wilson (Castle Park), Scott McCandless (Bathgate) and Allyn Dick (Kingsfield).

Meanwhile, Steven Armstrong has won the Moo-Let Turnhouse Open for a third time after coming out on top at the end of a tough week, both in terms of his opponents and the weather.

After qualifying comfortably in fifth place - Allyn Dick won that part of the event with a four-over-par total - Armstrong opened the match-play phase with a 7&5 win over his young clubmate, Owen Melrose.

He then beat Ricky Moffat 2&1 in the quarter-finals before progressing to the final with a 3&2 victory over Uphall’s Gordon Stevenson. “These matches were played in some tough conditions with heavy wind and rain at different times,” said Armstrong.

Thankfully, the weather was better for the final, which saw Armstrong up against Lewis Bain, a former Turnhouse member who now plays his golf at Bruntsfield Links.

The pair shared seven birdies and eagle, with Armstrong coming out on top by 3&2 to add to his title haul in the event.

It was a clean sweep for host club players on this occasion as Craig Hannigan and Craig Docherty won the handicap first and second flights respectively.

This year’s Lothians Seniors’ Championship was staged at Newbattle, where Uphall’s Robert Wilkinson and Wilson Morton of Dunbar were the main trophy winners.

With a net 66 playing off 18, Wilkinson picked up the Ian MacNiven Quaich while Morton won the scratch prize, the R.M. Lees Trophy, with a 71.