NEWBATTLE and Kingsknowe registered two of the most significant wins in the latest round of matches in this season's Applecross Edinburgh Summer League.
As the group phase nears completion, the competition for places in the quarter-finals is hotting up. Their victories mean Newbattle and Kingsknowe have both boosted their hopes of progressing to that knock-out stage.
Glencorse travelled to Newbat
tle knowing that a win would guarantee them second place in Division 3 behind Silverknowes. At one stage in the match, the home side were well up in most games and trailed in just one, but Glencorse showed tremendous fighting spirit and they almost succeeded in turning it around.
In one of the best games on the night, Stuart Thorburn and Keith Young were both round in four-under-par as the latter just edged a win on the last green.
By contrast, Gary Rodger romped to a 6 and 4 win – he was five-under-par for 14 holes – for the home side over the experienced Neil Shillinglaw.
Other winners for Newbattle were David Murray, John Hunter and John Clelland, while Scott Stables secured a valuable half with rising Glencorse star Sean McGarvey.
The result means that second place in the section is still very much in the balance. Newbattle are slight favourites, and their final game is at home to Silverknowes. Glencorse, who are a point behind, end their qualifying campaign away to Murrayfield, while Duddingston are still in with an outside chance, too.
In Division 4, Kingsknowe boosted their hopes of progressing with a brilliant 4½-3½ win at Bruntsfield Links – the first home defeat of the season for the Davidson Mains men. Mike Foley started well for the visitors and surged three ahead early on in the top match against former Lothians champion Zander Culverwell. Despite a great 2 by his opponent at the 15th, Foley held on to claim a 2 and 1 victory. Scott Knowles never got the breaks as he went down to Kevin Cattanach in the match immediately behind that one, while Mike Robson had to settle for a share of the spoils with John Liddel after three-putting the last.
Seventeen-year-old debutant Andrew Rowe, playing the day before his driving test, fired in five birdies on a course he had never played before, halving his match after an excellent birdie-3 by his opponent, Ally Ritchie, on the last.
Liam McLaughlan matched that feat to earn a half point with Keith MacKenzie before the visitors delivered crucial wins in the two of the three matches at the bottom of batting order.
Graeme Fraser was on fire at the start, building an early lead, and his opponent, Iain Grant, was unable to douse the flames before going down 3 and 2.
Alan Crabbe was always behind in his game against Dave Donaldson, which meant it was all down the match involving Euan Patterson and Kingsknowe's pocket battleship, Alan Mackay.
Mackay was one up early on, before going two down after nine, but fought back to be dormie one playing 18. In a tense finale, a half in 4 was enough to seal a crucial victory for the visitors.
"If we win our final two home games, we qualify as league winners," said Kingsknowe manager Bill Buchan.
"One win will see us through but two draws might not."
In what's been a dismal season by their standards, Merchants finally gave themselves something to cheer about in the same section as they beat Lothianburn 5½-2½. Richard Craig set the tone with a 2 and 1 win over the in-form Tim Poyser in the top match.
In Division 1, Swanston had the tables turned on them as Baberton, after losing 5-3 at home seven days earlier, won by the same score in the reverse fixture.
The sides are now level on ten points each, with one home match left. Baberton play Broomieknowe tomorrow while Swanston meet Prestonfield next Tuesday. Going into those matches, Baberton, for whom Paul Ferrier, Scott Carmichael, Ron Bradly, Andy Laurence and Grant McCall were the heroes up at Swanston, have the better 'goal' difference.
The match came down to a rematch from the previous week between McCall and Mike Armstrong.
On this occasion, Armstrong was three-up at one point but an impressive finish from McCall, with five 3s in the final six holes and a 25-foot birdie putt at the last turned it around.
"It was a disappointing loss at home but credit to Baberton for bouncing back," said Swanston's Craig Stewart. "All we can do now it try to win our last match and see where that leaves us."
In Division 2, defending champions Dalmahoy remained on course to finish in top spot after a 6-2 home win over West Linton.
The Marriott men are away to Royal Burgess this week and the Barnton side, who were 7½-½ winners over Torphin Hill, will be keen to win that one so as to avoid being under pressure when they then take on Turnhouse in what could be a decider for second spot.
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