SCOTS MISSED CHANCE TO BEAT ENGLAND -- By COLIN FARQUHARSON
England will meet Wales in the title decider at the Women's Home Internationals at Cork Golf Club, Ireland tomorrow.
They are the only two teams with 100 per cent records at the end of the first two days.
Scotland and Ireland, both without a win, will play for the wooden spoon.
And yet the Scots, beaten 6-3 by Wales on Day 1, were on the verge of victory against the star-studded England team before they lost 5-4 after a nail-biting final hour's play.
"We were so near to pulling off a great win," said Scotland skipper Fiona Norris.
"I couldn't play Alyson McKechin whose left foot and heel are badly blistered. We might have won had she been fit but all credit to the girls who did play against England.
"There were some excellent individual victories. Kelsey MacDonald beat Georgia Hall, No 4 in the world, by one hole and Rachael Watton beat Curtis Cup player Holly Clyburn by 6 and 5.
"I had to play both our youngsters, Rachel Walker and Lauren Whyte, in the singles and they did their best."
In fact, Scotland and England were tied at 3 1/2 pt apiece with only two games to finish - and in these games Lauren Whyte was all square against Amber Ratcliffe after 12 holes and Jane Turner was one up after 11 against Curtis Cup player Bronte Law.
Turner lost the 16th, 17th and 18th to go down by two holes to Law while Whyte had to settle for a square match after losing the last hole to a brilliant up and down from a bad lie off the green by Ratcliffe.
Wales beat Ireland 6-3 in the other match.
WOMEN'S HOME INTERNATIONALS
Cork Golf Club, Little Island
Day 2
ENGLAND 5, SCOTLAND 4
Foursomes - Georgia Hall and Emily Taylor halved with Kelsey MacDonald and Rachael Watton
Kelly Tidy and Alexandra Peters beat Laura Murray and Alyson McKechin 7 and 5
Holly Clyburn and Bronte Law lost to Eilidh Briggs and Jane Turner 3 and 2 (1 1/2-1 1/2)
Singles - Hall lost to MacDonald 1 hole,
Tidy beat Briggs 3 and 1
Clyburn lost to Watton 6 and 5
Taylor beat Rachel Walker 7 and 5
Amber Ratcliffe halved with Lauren Whyte
Law beat Turner 2 holes (3 1/2-2 1/2)
IRELAND 3, WALES 6
Foursomes - Mary Dowling and Jessica Carty lost to Amy Boulden and Becky Harries 2 and 1
Gillian O'Leary and Sarah Cunningham lost to Chloe Williams and Katie Bradbury 2 holes,
Deirdre Smith and Chloe Ryan beat Katherine O'Connor and Samantha Birks 2 and 1 (2-1)
Singles - Dowling halved with Boulden
O'Leary lost to Williams 6 and 4
Lucy Simpson lost to Katie Bradbury 5 amd 4
Maria Dunne beat Birks, 2 and 1
Carty halved with Jess Evans
Ryan lost to Harries 6 and 4 (2-4)
FINAL MATCHES ON THURSDAY
08.30 and 13.10 Scotland v Ireland
09.00 and 14.10 England v Wales
