The look of relief from Lewis Irvine was obvious as he held on to beat Edzell’s Aidan Smith and halt the retreat of the seeds in the Scottish Boys Championship at Scotscraig.
Kirkhill’s Irvine, ranked third and Callum Bruce (Duff House Royal) are the only ranked players left in the last eight of the championship after another bonfire yesterday saw defending champion Eric McIntosh, Marc Watt and Blairgowrie’s Campbell Wilson join the casualties.
Wilson’s defeat to the slightly built Josh Greer seemed like a shock, but the newly 16-year-old is a real ringer in the draw, part of the Western Australia junior development programme that has produced mens and women’s World Amateur No 1s in the last few years.
Josh is all Scottish, however, having moved with his family to Perth (the Western Australia version) five years ago, and if it took him a little time to get reacquainted with Scottish conditions – he needed four extra holes to win his first round game – he’s well in the groove now.
He won four of the first five holes against the Blairgowrie hope, one of them thanks to a lost ball in the Scotscraig gorse at the short third but the rest due to his superior holing out from all angles.
“It was a fast start this afternoon, but it’s taken me a little time to get used to these conditions; everything is softer and holding in Australia,” said Josh.
“Obviously I’ve come all this way hoping to win, but to be honest getting to the last eight has already surpassed my expectations. Anything else from here is a bonus.”
The championship’s move from the traditional slot in April to June and July is still on a trial basis and has mixed reviews so far, but it has the Greer’s approval.
“We wouldn’t have been here in April,” said Josh’s dad John, a Greenock native. “With it at this time Josh can also play in the Scottish Under-16s, the St Andrews Boys Open and the British Boys as well.”
Irvine’s narrow defeat of Smith – who ended defending champion McIntosh’s bit for successive titles in the last 32 – means he’ll now play Greer. The other ranked player to progress, somewhat more comfortably, was Bruce, who went blow for blow with Royal Montrose’s Ewan Wheat imn the first few holes but pulled away after the turn to a 5 and 4 win.
Jamie Marchbank, conqueror of championship favourite Darren Howie, is still there after two more victories and meets Airdrie’s Greg Dalziel in his quarter-final. Dean Walsh, the Fife County junior form Lochgelly, takes on Logan Gillies from Nairn in the second quarter.
Meanwhile the Girls Championship, in stark contrast to the Boys’, is going pretty much with seeding heading into today’s semi-finals.
Favourite Shannon McWilliam (Aboyne), selected for the Scottish women’s team rather than the girls side for the REuropean Championships, didn’t need to go beyond the 13th green in winning her quarter-final for the second day in succession against fellow North Easterner Jasmine Mackintosh. She now faces Jillian Farrell from Cardross.
Top seed Louise Duncan (West Kilbride) is also through to meet Hannah Darling of Broomieknowe, who ended the challenge of Starthmore’s Kirsty Brodie with a 3 and 1 win in the quarter-finals.
Boys Championship third round: J Marchbank (Dumfries & Galloway) bt R Mair (Buckpool) 2 and 1; A Murray (Troon Wellbeck) bt J Williams (Sandyhills) 1 hole; G Dalziel (Airdrie) bt C Duffton (Aboyne) 3 and 2; C Jack (Ulna) bt C Daun (Inverness) 1 hole; D Walsh (Lochgelly) bt S Pears (Nairn Dunbar) 3 and 2; E Orr (Kemnay) by J Johnstone (Bellingham) 1 hole; L Gillies (Nairn) bt K Bowman (New Club St Andrews) at the 20th; M Wilson (Forres) bt J Mackintosh (Nairn) 4 and 3.
L Irvine (Kirkhill) bt L Brown (Tobermory) 2 and 1; A Smith (Edzell) bt E McIntosh (Bruntsfield Links) 1 hole; J Greer (Joondalup) bt W Ladbrooke (Gullane) 4 and 2; C Gibson (Blairgowrie) C Paterson (Ratho Park) 3 and 1; C Bruce (Duff House) bt R McAuley (Fereneze) 1 hole; E Wheat (Royal Montrose) bt I Taggart (Lenzie) 1 hole; N McCulloch (Kingsknowe) bt A Bendall (Castle Douglas) 3 and 2; J Morgan (Longniddry) by M Watt (Inverallochy) 3 and 1.
Fourth round: Marchbank bt Murray 2 and 1; Dalziel bt Jack 1 hole; Walsh bt Orr 2 and 1; Gillies bt Wilson 3 and 2; Irvine bt Smith 1 hole; Greer bt Gibson 4 and 3; Bruce bt Wheat 5 and 4; McCulloch bt Morgan 6 and 5.
Girls Championship quarter-finals: L Duncan (West Kilbride) bt C Neilsen (Alvaneu Bad) 5 and 4; H Darling (Broomieknowe) bt K Brodie (Strathmore) 3 and 1; S McWilliam (Aboyne) bt J Mackintosh (Hazelhead) 6 and 5; J Farrell (Cardross) bt M Richmond (Strathaven) 2 and 1.
