FORRES HOLD THE KEY!

A first ever Moray and Nairn Handicap League Trophy is there for Moray to take....if they can overcome Forres on Super Sunday.

On this year’s form Moray will be firm favourites but two years ago on the first Super Sunday it was Moray who thwarted Forres bid to retain the title when they beat them on neutral ground at Elgin. Could Forres spoil the Moray title challenge this year at Nairn?

Given Moray’s superior individual games won a 4 ½ - 3 ½  victory would leave Hopeman having to beat Elgin 8-0 to share the league and Nairn, even if they beat their local rivals, Nairn Dunbar by a similar margin, would come up short on a count-back of games won.

Therefore both Hopeman and Nairn have to realistically look for either a drawn match or Forres victory which would open the door for them. Hopeman would then be in the driving seat with a 4 ½ -3 ½ success over Elgin meaning Nairn would have to win at least 6 ½ -1 ½ against Nairn Dunbar to take the title.  

Nairn must therefore hope that neither Moray nor Hopeman take full points when any margin of victory over Nairn Dunbar would then give them their first success since 1997, the second year of the Handicap League.

Elgin is not mathematically out of it.....just! Firstly they must beat Hopeman by at least a 6 ½ -1 ½  margin and keep their fingers crossed Forres and Nairn Dunbar hit top form and beat the other two contenders. Stranger things have happened!!!

No matter what, a keenly contested climax to the league is in store.

For the record the head-to head results between the teams since the inception of the league are:

FORRES v MORAY