FORMER Navy man Dougie Singleton left the competition trailing in his wake as he triumphed in the Midway Open gents’ individual stableford at Helensburgh Golf Club.

Forty-three players, including a healthy number of visitors from clubs around the west of Scotland, took part in the competition, sponsored by M. & T. Builders, underneath blue skies and glorious sunshine on Sunday.

But home advantage proved to be crucial as Helensburgh members monopolised all the winning places.

Singleton secured the silverware – in the form of the Midway Trophy – with a very impressive score of 43 stableford points; Paul Duerton would have fancied his chances of picking up the trophy after he returned a score of 41 points, but he was forced to settle for second place.

The podium positions were completed by David McCarthy, who carded a highly respectable total of 37 points.

Ian Irving won the prize for being nearest the pin at the 11th hole, while visitor Darius Kuneckie, from Stirling Golf Club, took the honours for the longest drive at the 18th.

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THE July round of the monthly McDonald Medal gave the club’s lady golfers a chance to compete against the gents in the mixed competition – but unlike earlier this season, this time it was the men who came out on top, in each of the three classes.

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Craig MacPhee won the competition’s first class honours with a score of 41 stableford points, one ahead of Shey Donald; Sarah Kemp, twice a winner of the first class prize already this season, was the leading lady on 37 points.

The second class prize was won by Craig Stirling, whose total of 43 points gave him a two-point margin of victory over his nearest challenger, Steven Scott; June Haggarty was the leading lady in the division with a score of 32 points.

The best score of all on the day, however, was returned by Harry Fazal, who took top spot on the third class podium on 44 points, three ahead of Danny Kemp. Top lady in the division was Shona Bulloch on 40 points.

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CALUM Kennedy scored an outrageous 46 stableford points to win the latest senior midweek medal, two ahead of Craig MacPhee, while the nine-hole ‘super seniors’ medal, open only to those of a certain advanced age, was won by former teacher John Craig.

He finished top of the class with 18 stableford points, pipping runners-up Roy Nesbitt and John Ward by a single point.

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IN league action this week, Helensburgh’s ‘Five to Eight’ team, for players with a handicap between those numbers, had only a slim chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of their league competition going into their last regular league fixture away to Kirkintilloch.

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Helensburgh knew they had to win and hope that Milngavie lost to Bearsden to keep their hopes of qualification alive.

And after the first three matches Helensburgh were one hole down, the competition being decided on ‘shots up’ over all four matches.

In the final match, however, Dominic Taylor and Andrew Willoughby were five holes up at the turn – and though they lost much of that lead in the early phase of the back nine, they rallied late on to win by three holes, giving Helensburgh overall victory in the match by a two-hole margin.

And when the players left the course they discovered that Milngavie had indeed lost at Bearsden, meaning Helensburgh qualify for the knockout stages.

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IN the county Allander League, Helensburgh’s ladies clocked up another fine result in the form of a home win over Vale of Leven by three games to two.