Hailes, a Kingsknowe team, withstood a late fightback by first-time finalists Murrayfield to land a third Dispatch Trophy triumph in the 125th edition at a blustery Braids. But, as father and son Steve and Nathan McCulloch savoured a moment to savour along with Danny Crolla and Paul Page, they both admitted that the “big turning point” had come earlier in the title decider. Playing at the front against Archie Wyatt and Harry Hawthorne, the McCullochs had just lost the tenth and 11th after being three up at the turn. It looked as though it could be back to all square after Steve’s tee shot at the par-4 12th found some thick stuff on the right and Nathan was forced to take a penalty drop. But, in one of those classic match-play situations, Steve then rolled in a 20-footer up the slope for a par and their opponents three-putted from just over half that distance after paying the price for being above the hole with the approach. Team McCulloch duly won three holes in a row as Hailes regained the upper hand over the double foursome, helped by Crolla and Page just keeping their noses in front at the rear against Cameron Whyte and Stuart Thurlow. To their credit, though, a young Murrayfield team fought valiantly over the closing stretch, which, in contrast to earlier in the week, was playing into a stiff westerly wind. Both their couples won the 16th and 17th with birdies - Wyatt and Whyte hit quality 8-iron tee shots at the latter - and the gap, having been five with six to play over the double foursome, was suddenly down to just one with a hole to play in each match. It was a pity that plus-five man Wyatt was unable to convert a three-footer at the last to keep the contest alive, though, at the same time, the back Murrayfield pairing had found the gorse with their tee shot. Brian McNamara, who was in the first Hailes team to lift the trophy in 1975, was out watching as the Edinburgh Leisure-run tournament concluded, as was Gary Malone, who was in the other winning side along with McCulloch snr in 2015. “It’s a dream for me to win this again playing with my boy,” said Steve, a 59-year-old who plays off scratch and has won the Hailes championship 11 times on top of his six Kingsknowe title triumphs. “I thought this opportunity had maybe started to pass me by, so it was nice to get in the team again.” Nathan was a teenager when he caddied in one of the pairings in the winning team a decade ago and admitted that had been a “lot less stressful” than being one of the players hitting the shots. “I felt so lucky to play with my dad in this event for the first time a few years ago, when we won a bronze, and, though neither of us felt great about our games coming into this week, we hit a lot of good shots,” said the 25-year-old, who plays off plus one. Crolla, a 32-year-old taxi driver off three, now has a gold and a bronze to his name and admitted that felt “unbelievable” while it was a first medal for Page, who first played in the event nearly 40 years ago. “It is absolutely amazing,” said the 56-year-old one-handicapper of striking gold in an event being supported on this occasion by Golf Finance and Braid Hills Gold Centre, “and we gelled really well as a team throughout the week.” Murrayfield were bronze medallists in 2023 before this excellent effort, which included a win over Duddingston, winners for the previous two years. “We are taking it in stages,” said team manager Stevie Anderson, with Wyatt, Hawthorne, Whyte and Thurlow declaring in unison that “we’ll be back next year to try and go one better”. Semi-finals Hailes (Nathan McCulloch and Steve McCulloch 2; Paul Page and Danny Crolla 3); Heriot’s FP (Stuart Langlands and Scott Dickson 0; Sam Hall and Steven Sinclair 0). Hailes won 5&4 Silverknowes (Keith Reilly and Graham Robertson 1; Chris Milligan and Connor McWatt 0); Murrayfield (Archie Wyatt and Harry Hawthorne 0; Cameron Whyte and Stuart Thurlow 7). Murrayfield won 6&5 Final Hailes (Nathan McCulloch and Steve McCulloch 3; Paul Page and Danny Crolla 0); Murrayfield (Archie Wyatt and Harry Hawthorne 0; Cameron Whyte and Stuart Thurlow 1). Hailes won 2&1