North-East earn matchplay top seeding

NORTH-EAST, the defending champions, earned top seeding in today's semi-finals of the Moneygate Scottish Area Team Championship after yesterday's stroke-play qualifying.

They producing a polished performance in the qualifying rounds, which were held at Prestwick and Prestwick St Nicholas.

Adam Dunton, one of two changes from last year's winning side at Kinross, led the way with a morning 67 at Prestwick St Nicholas.

Over the two rounds, the six North-East players all shot 79 or better in posting a team total of 718.

They finished 17 shots ahead of second-placed Lothians, the 13-times winners of the event under the old format and bronze medallists last year after it was held over a weekend for the first time.

The Lothians exceeded their pre-event expectations to make today's match-play phase, which takes place at Prestwick.

Also involved in that are Fife, bidding for a first win in an event that has been staged since 1977, and hosts Ayrshire, who overcame the absence of Scottish champion Michael Stewart due to tendinitis to set up a tilt at the title.

Fife, with four members of Scotland's side from last year's Home Internationals in their side, finished third on 746, a shot ahead of Ayrshire, who pipped Lanarkshire for the last of the four spots by a shot, with Renfrewshire, last year's beaten finalists, sixth on 752.

In addition to Dunton, eye-catching individual performances came from Lothians' Myles Cunningham, who posted an afternoon 68 at Prestwick St Nicholas for a total of 142, the joint-best of the day with North-East's Kris Nicol.