Super Sunday started with, for the first time in the nine years since it was introduced, the destination of the trophy already decided. The hosts Nairn having won all four matches had opened a three point lead and could not be caught. The question was could they follow the Elgin team of 2002 and become only the second team to have a perfect record in a season?

The answer was an emphatic yes as they took on Forres and with David Wickenden ending his match on the 12th green and victories soon followed for Robbie Asher, Eric MacCaskill, Steven Sharp and David Ebner. Forres gained a little pride in taking two of the remaining games with Jim Conn hitting the Nairn number one and team captain , John McGinley, with six birdies en route to a 3/2 win. So Nairn ended with a played five won five record which arguably could be seen as greater than the Elgin performance in 2002 that was before Hopeman joined the League.

Elgin finished runners-up with a convincing 6-2 win over Nairn Dunbar although it was very tight with four games going to the last green. To complete this year’s competition, Moray won the last two games to come back to draw with Hopeman who had to concede one of the games as they were a player short. For Moray this was their third drawn match, testimony to how close many of the matches were over the season.

There had been a fair mix of weather over the summer’s matches but for the final day warm sunshine allowed a ‘shirt sleeves’ photograph of all the teams to be taken on the steps of the Nairn Golf Clubhouse.

Nairn Dunbar after a narrow win at home against Hopeman could not repeat that when Moray visited two weeks later. A good start by the lower order gave hope for a second home victory but Moray came back strongly to take 3 of the top four games to share the points. With Elgin comfortably beating Forres the same day, Nairn are now in control of their own destiny: a point either at Hopeman this weekend or on Super Sunday when they face Forres will allow them to retain the trophy.

Nairn got the better of not just their opponents but also the weather at win Hopeman to record an impressive 6-2 win which gave them the necessary points to clinch the trophy for the second year in succession. It means even with the Super Sunday fixtures still to come they have an unassailable lead as well as maintaining their 100% record for the season. Their target will be to keep that record going and become the first team to win all five matches since the league expanded in 2004 to six clubs. Even then winning all games in a season has only been done once before (Elgin in 2002) since the inception of the league in 1996.

See Super Sunday for a separate report on the last day of the season.

Moray scored their first points with a comfortable 5-3 win which was decided when they won three out of the four top order games without any of them going up the final hole. Moray followed up their win with a valuable away point at Forres which hinged on the top two games both going to the 18th and in favour of Moray. Firstly Andy Campbell then Terry Scholefield got the better of their respective opponents by the narrowest of margins.

Nairn meanwhile kept their 100% record intact but next face an away match at Hopeman where the home side are always difficult to beat.

Nairn opened the defence of the trophy at home with a comprehensive win over Elgin who were looking to build on their opening victory last month. So far three matches played and all home wins: who will be first to get that crucial away point?

The answer came in the next match as Nairn got through by the narrowest of margins at Moray when the lower order took 2½ points from the last three games. The same weekend Hopeman dented the hopes of Forres whilst giving their own a boost with a comprehensive win on home soil to jump into second place.

In an earliest ever start to the Handicap League season both Forres and Elgin made sure home course advantage was not lost when they recorded good wins over their respective visitors. However, as in every year the league has been played it is gaining points away from home which will decide who is making the strongest challenge come Super Sunday.

After their first success since 1997 last year, Nairn will be hoping to retain the Handicap League Trophy although know it will not be easy given how close the competition is , going down to the last games on Super Sunday in seven of the past eight years.

So Super Sunday at Nairn in August will probably start with more then one team in contention but there will be a lot of competive golf to be played first before knowing what team or teams will have genuine title aspirations on Super Sunday.

Results and the league table will be updated as games are played throughout the season.