High hopes for Lothians duo at Murcar

ANTHONY BLANEY and Calum Hill spearhead the Lothians contingent in a 256-strong field for the Paul Lawrie Foundation Scottish Boys Championship, which starts at Murcar Links on Monday.

Liberton lad Blaney and Tantallon teen Hill travel to Aberdeen confident they can still be in the mix next weekend in one of the top events of the Scottish amateur season. Blaney is in good fettle after sharing the spoils with Lothians colleague Alexander Wilson in last week’s Scottish Hydro Junior Tour event at Gullane. Hill will also be one to watch if he can reproduce last year’s display at Dunbar, where he reached the semi-finals. The Lothians duo are in the bottom half of the draw, meaning they have to wait until Tuesday to enter the fray.

Blaney faces Portlethen’s Ben Murray and Hill faces Ralston’s Blair Dalgleish. Lewis Bain, last year’s Lothians Boys’ champion from Turnhouse, is in that half of the draw as well. But at least he doesn’t have the dubious honour of trying to knock the tournament host’s son out of the event on the opening morning. That’s what Blaney’s clubmate, Scott Finlay, will have to do to progress as he’s up against Craig Lawrie in his opener. Marriott Dalmahoy’s Murray Naysmith is also among the early starters, while Craigielaw’s Willem Kerr and Stuart Blair of Musselburgh are other contenders.