The small press pack at this week's Women's Home Internationals have been situated in the junior members' bolthole of Scotscraig's delightful clubhouse and it was hard not to catch a glimpse of a pinned up notice from the covener stating that "there has been evidence of bad behaviour in the junior locker room." You can't take golf writers anywhere.

By the end of the morning foursomes, the writing was also on the wall for Scotland's outside hopes of seizing the Miller Trophy. They gave it their all mind you, but a 5-4 overall defeat by defending champions England meant that Karen Marshall's spirited youngsters will now have to derail a Welsh express today to make sure of avoiding the wooden spoon for a third successive year.

Before the day dulled over and the rain came later in the afternoon, the morning encounters were played out in short-sleeved conditions and the Scots made a bright start to proceedings.

Facing the highly-rated English duo of Georgia Hall, the reigning British champion, and Lauren Taylor, a past winner of that title, the Renfrewshire pairing of Alyson McKechin and Eilidh Briggs needed to be in top form and they were.

Four-under for the round, the Scots won 2&1 but the English responded and took the remaining two matches to carry a 2-1 lead in the singles. Hall, clearly in the mood for revenge after that foursomes reversal, took those frustrations out on McKechin in the first singles match and needed just two hours and 15 minutes to dispose of the Scottish champion by 6&5.

England, aiming for a third successive championship triumph, did not have it all their own way, though, and Briggs epitomised the Scottish fighting spirit. Three down through nine against English champion Sarah-Jane Boyd, Briggs birdied 10 and 12 and made a hole-winning par on 14, to square the match, before she nudged ahead on the 15th on her way to a 2&1 success.

England, having picked up a further point through Gabriella Cowley, still had their noses in front and when Annabel Dimmock holed from off the 16th green for a birdie against Lauren Whyte en route to a 2&1 win, the champions had reached the unbeatable five-point mark.

The Scots will now attempt to spoil the Welsh party when the two sides meet today. Wales won the Miller Trophy in 2009 at Irvine Bogside, the last time the annual four-cornered contest was held in Scotland, and they are set for another conquest in the home of golf after maintaining their 100% record by edging out Ireland.

With the Welsh football team winning at Hampden and the rugby side emerging victorious at Murrayfield during 2013, old Caledonia is proving to be something of a happy hunting ground for the sporting folk of the Principality. They led the Irish by a 2-1 margin after the morning foursomes but were pegged back when Amy Boulden, who won the Helen Holm Women's Open at Troon last season, went down 4&3 to her Curtis Cup team-mate Leona Maguire in the top singles tie.

Wales inched ahead again when Chloe Williams eased to a 4&2 win over Lisa Maguire before the session drew to a tight and tense conclusion. In a series of nip and tuck encounters, the final four matches went the full distance and finished all-square on the 18th green. The singles honours were shared 3-3 but Wales claimed the match by a 5-4 scoreline to put one hand on the coveted trophy. A draw, or perhaps even a narrow defeat to the hosts today, will do them.