Here in Tayport, there was some confusion for one veteran scribe in attendance at the Women's Home Internationals who almost sent his story with the venue as Scotsport.

There was no sign of Arthur Montford in north-east Fife but those of a certain vintage may have been tempted to recall the dapper doyen's old chestnut 'it's disaster for Scotland' at one point of an eventful day.

Since they won the Miller Trophy in 2010, the Scots had lost six successive matches in the annual four-cornered contest. Defeat No.7 looked to be looming on home soil until a late rally in the singles earned them a battling 4½-4½ draw with Ireland.

With the match drifting away from them, it was Kilmacolm's Eilidh Briggs who completed a spirited salvage operation. Two down with three to play in the deciding tie with Leona Maguire, it appeared to be a Briggs too far but the Scot ­birdied the 16th to reduce the leeway before squaring the match on 17 as Maguire found trouble in the fairway bunker.

The Irish girl was toiling and when she pulled her approach to the last and chipped on to the three feet, Briggs had a birdie putt of 25-feet to win, not just her tie but the whole match. Her effort drifted narrowly by but, given the perilous position they were in, a hard earned share of the spoils was warmly received by the Scottish girls.

"It didn't look good at one stage," admitted a proud team captain, Karen Marshall. "But that was a fantastic turnaround."

Deprived of a trio of probable first-choice players - Gemma Dryburgh, Rachel Watton and Jessica Meek are all at college in the United States - Marshall's young, talented but largely inexperienced side were going to face a real challenge but the Scots emerged with purpose and took the morning session 2-1.

Briggs and Alyson McKechin, the Scottish champion from Elderslie, were seven-under for the 14 holes it took them to dispose of the highly-rated Maguire twins, Leona and Lisa, by a 5 and 4 margin, with Briggs ­illuminating her performance by chipping in from some 50 yards on the 11th.

Briggs' older sibling Megan, the experienced 24-year-old playing in her sixth Home Internationals series, partnered Gabrielle Macdonald, a rookie from Craigielaw, to a 2 and 1 win over Maria Dunne and Emma O'Driscoll as the home side inched ahead and carried a slender lead into the six singles matches.

Although Megan Briggs marched in with a 3 and 2 victory over Paula Grant to extend the Scottish advantage, the rest of the ties were all swinging in Ireland's favour. Mc­Kechin, Macdonald and Hannah McCook all lost but Lauren Whyte kept Scottish hopes alive with a 2 and 1 defeat of Amy Farrell before the other Briggs stepped up to the plate right on cue.

Meanwhile, the defending cham­pions England, aiming for a third successive crown, were given a lesson by a rampant Welsh side who romped to a 6 ½ - 2 ½ victory.